Category: photography

concerts, flickr, hotness, music musings, photography

Mat Kearney at Center Stage, October 16, 2009

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Well, this is a definitely a few weeks overdue, but I have had good excuses: I have definitely been busy. But enough about that; let’s get to my Mat Kearney concert experience.

Overall, the concert was great. Mat sounds amazing live, and totally delivers in concert. He probably played all of his songs from his first album, as well as his new album (which is amazing, btw). I couldn’t have wished for a better performance.
Mat Kearney @ Center Stage, ATL 10/16/09
I got a lot of great pictures of Mat, and even a few good ones of his crazy hot guitar player that was to the left of him; in fact, all of the backing band members were cute and bearded (which was definitely an added bonus). You can check out the whole set on flickr.

One cool thing that happened during his set, was when he was singing a song, and started to get down off of the stage to lean over and touch people’s hands: surprisingly, instead of just shaking hands and what not, he jumped off the stage into the crowd and ran right past us!! You could tell that no one was expecting it, because instead of rushing up to him, people just ran away from him. It was kind of funny, actually, because you would have expected the opposite. I managed to get a very paparazzi shot of the moment he was closest to me. Neat stuff indeed. I think it added to the whole concert, because he was clearly having fun because of the crowd. I did think that he was a bit cocky with expecting everyone to know the words to all of his songs, because near the end of the show, he pretty much just held up the microphone to the crowd for like 15 minutes. While that was a little annoying, it didn’t distract from how good the rest of the show was.

Since it was at a standing room only venue (Center Stage), I just knew that I would encounter some of those “we are entitled to walk to the front and stand in front of you because we are better people just because we are” people, and low and behold, about an hour into the show, they tried to push their way up in front of us. The best, though, was that they ended up in front of the people in front of me, and they were very vocal about their disapproval; they left after like 2 songs. I just don’t understand why people have that sense of entitlement. If you want to stand in the front, do like we did; get there early, and wait it out. If not, don’t complain when someone doesn’t want you to come up in front of them and stand there; we put in the time, so we deserve to be up front… you don’t. /rant

flickr, near and dear, photography, show the love

weekend walk through the park

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Yesterday, James and I took the doggies out to the park for a nice walk, and I took my camera, and snapped some great pictures. Here are a few of them:
us at the park
mr. pickles looks intense
*sniff*
This was actually Mr. Pickles’ first visit to the doggie park. He had a lot of fun, while Sydney did his typical, “why are there other dogs here?” stand offish thing. It was a nice little Sunday afternoon thing to do with my family, and hopefully, will motivate me to continue to taking more pictures; something that I REALLY need to do.

concerts, flickr, music musings, music suggestion, photography

lady gaga @ center stage ATL 4/9/09

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I finally finished sorting through the TONS of pictures that I took at Lady GaGa last week, so I am finally ready to do a post about the concert. First of all, I will start by saying that yes, it was amazing. Lady GaGa knows how to put on a show, as I witnessed the first time I saw her back in October of last year. However, this time, I got to see a full show, instead of just a few songs at an intimate venue.

I will say this; I have been to Center Stage MANY times. Most of the time, it is sold out. I have never, however, seen as many people there as I did the night of Lady GaGa. It was insane. Speaking of which, people need to be more respectful of others. You can’t save 5 seats. You can’t get all assholish when someone in the standing room only area accidentally bumps into you. People really need to learn how to be nicer. Anyway…
Lady GaGa @ Center Stage ATL 4/9/09
There were 3 (!!!) opening acts for Lady GaGa, and I really enjoyed Chester French (who I have featured on the 5SF in the past), and I also liked White Tie Affair (who’s CD was on my ipod, but I have never listened to it). After much anticipation, and some shuffling around trying to find a great place to watch the show from (IT WAS PACKED), the curtain fell, and Lady GaGa emerged from a funky looking set up in the middle of the stage. What followed was a full hour of costume changes, dance routines, and killer vocals from Lady GaGa. She completely delivers live, and she owned that stage like a seasoned professional.
Lady GaGa @ Center Stage ATL 4/9/09
A few songs into the show, she got more intimate, and put on her now famous bubbles outfit, and played a bubble filled piano. She played a new song, which I think is called Future Love, and it was, to quote the Lady herself, marvelous. It seems that Lady GaGa has a lot more great music to give us in the future.
Lady GaGa @ Center Stage ATL 4/9/09
Overall, the show was energetic, and the crowd was totally into her. I will admit that she is a bit “out there” with her fashion and her style, but I think that it makes her unique in that she isn’t afraid to be different, and do something funky. The result was a sold out show full of people clamoring for more of the newest, and biggest, pop diva to take hold of the reigns of pop music. I can say that I was really glad to see her again, and whenever she comes back to the ATL, you can bet that I will be there.

Check out the pictures on flickr.

concerts, flickr, music musings, music suggestion, photography

adele @ the variety, march 19, 2009

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Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the amazing, two time 2009 Grammy winner, Adele, live and in concert. My friend Jason and I headed out to the show, and while I knew it was going to be good, I didn’t expect to be as amazing as it was.
Adele @ The Variety Playhouse ATL 3/17/09
First up, Kameron Corvet opened for her, and he was delightful. I loved his acoustic style, and he sings beautifully. I loved his cover of Little Red Corvette, and his set, while short, was impressive. This local artist definitely made some new fans last night. My only complaint, is that I wish he sang in his regular range more than he sings in falsetto, because his “regular” voice is beautiful. It has touches of John Legend and Michael Jackson to it, and is beautiful on its own without the need for too much falsetto.

After Kameron left the stage, it wasn’t long before the amazing Adele took the mic. While I was watching her perform, it was really difficult to believe that she is only 19 years old; she commanded that stage like a seasoned professional. She was so cute, and adorable in the way that she genuinely had a great time performing, and I love seeing someone who genuinely seems to be having a good time while they are performing. She giggled and laughed in between songs, waved to the audience, and proclaimed her gratitude for everyone coming out to see her; she seemed surprised that so many people knew who she was. She even told of how she acquired her “drag queen eyelashes” earlier that day in Little Five Points, as well as how much she enjoyed seeing Atlanta for the first time. I thought it was a bit strange that someone in the front held up a CD for her to sign, but she did sign it between songs, and was very sweet about it. Overall, she came across as a beautiful person as well as a beautiful singer.
Adele @ The Variety Playhouse ATL 3/17/09
One of the things that I like most about Adele, is her beautiful voice, and fantastic song writing skill. I love how she uses her voice more as an instrument, which takes her songs from being simply sung, to truly performed; which translated amazingly live. Also, she played both the guitar and the bass on several songs, and did so effortlessly.

It is rare that you see someone live who is arguably better than they are on their CD (even though, she is pitch perfect, and fantastic on her CD), and Adele definitely falls into this elite category. Her voice was flawless, and her live singing ability was very impressive. She has a powerful gift, and I feel privileged to have gotten the opportunity to see her in such an intimate venue. As I mentioned to Jason after the show, this is the reason I love going to concerts; sometimes, you have an opportunity to see a truly amazing artist who’s talent just blows you away. Adele’s performance was nothing short of amazing, and after seeing her live, I definitely consider her amongst my favorite singers. She played a bit of a new song last night as well, and it was beautiful; I can’t wait to hear more from this beautiful Brit. Overall, it was an amazing night, and an amazing performance, and I am glad that I was able to be a part of it.

(to see all of my pictures from the show, click here.)

flickr, happenings, near and dear, photography

re-introduing Mr. Pickles

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re-introducing Mr. Pickles
Since his official introduction came by way of mere information, I thought I would bring the true goods and show everyone a picture of the sweet, shy, and still warming up to us Mr. Pickles. He’s a bit bigger than Sydney, but he is all IG, and really pretty. We are glad to give a rescue a chance at a better life, and look forward to many adventures with Sydney and Mr. Pickles. Welcome home buddy!

flickr, friends, photography

a burst of creative energy

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…and maybe even a well needed kick in the butt. This weekend, I managed to hang some kitchen things we bought at IKEA (one of which has been in the cabinet for well over a year!), and did a little tidying up around the house; both of which were much to James’ surprise. It was also a surprise to me, because I have been overwhelmed with apathy lately (see, it’s going on in many, many aspects of my life… not just the blog!). Well, the best part, was that I kept that momentum going, and ended up going for a long overdue, much needed photo stroll with Brody and Broderick (my “Bros”… Come on, I thought it was funny… HA!) in Little Five Points.
fierceness, you're doing it right.
I had an awesome time hanging with those guys, and managed to get more than a few pictures that I consider to be pretty darn good. I went with only my 10-22mm lens, because even though it is my favorite, I don’t feel like I use it enough, and I need practice with it. I am glad that they set it up, because I have been neglecting my camera and photography for months now, and while it has been largely because of my apathy, sometimes little steps like this are monumental for me. I hope that it signals an upswing of photography, and potentially, other hobbies of mine to take more time in my life. I do know that I mentioned to Brody that we should make this a regular thing, and I have to say, that I believe that to be a great idea indeed… so where do we go next?!

flickr, friends, near and dear, photography

mingafred/bobaling wedding

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However you want to call it, mingafred or bobaling (the combining of mingaling and bobafred), two of my close friends, Lori and Brian got hitched this weekend. It was an intimate, and beautiful ceremony. They had their own flair, and added a crazy tradition (which was effin’ cool) or two, which made the ceremony both enjoyable, and lovely. After the ceremony, we all ate a gourmet dinner, and after dinner, there was dancing and fun; everyone seemed to have an amazing time. They also had a photo booth at the reception, which was such a great idea, and provided for lots of fun, and I am sure, some amazing memories.
the send off
I wish these two the utmost luck and congratulations… I love you guys, and thanks for inviting us along for your special day! Oh, and Lori… I will be definitely requesting some of your services for our wedding; you have got some mad craft skills!!

There are a ton of photos up on flickr, and by clicking on the one above, you can go there and check them out for yourself.