Kim Taylor Take 2

Kim Taylor was my first act that I covered for CityBeat back in July and it was not my best work in the dimly lit Southgate House. I wanted another chance so I decided to cover her Indie Summer Concert Series on Fountain Square on Friday night. She had a full band for this show and I was able to get much better shots.

Kim is an awesome Cincinnati artist who’s latest work is featured as the theme for Oceanic 11 on Lost.

Creed in Columbus

On Wednesday, I shot Creed in Columbus. I had to face my issues with Scott Stapp, who ruined my image of Kid Rock back in 1999 so I decided to shoot the show at Nationwide Arena as the band begins their new tour.

When I arrived, I was a little surprised to see that they were almost giving away tickets outside and there were more people at the minor league baseball team next door.

I was pleasantly surprised by an opening band called Like a Storm. They were very cool with a metal edge look and sound. Their photos ended being some of my best of the evening. Check them out on myspace with their new album “Chemical Infatuation.”

http://www.myspace.com/likeastorm

Hoobastank was the second band of the evening and sounded just like I remember from the 90’s.

Creed took the stage in a pyro filled show and Scott Stapp sounded exactly the same. The band overall sounded just as I remember from 2000 when Bryan and I saw them on one of our first concert dates. Nationwide was a great venue to shoot at and I look forward to coming back for future shows.

Geisha- The Japanese Rock Star

After traveling and working in Japan many times in four years, I finally was able to arrange a meeting with a geisha in the Gion district in Kyoto over the weekend. It is actually one of the most difficult photo opportunities that I have tried to setup. Japan’s history and culture are sacred and it takes an introduction to arrange a private meeting for a photo opportunity. I was a strange case for them as a female client not looking for entertainment.

I attended a traditional tea ceremony first and then had 30 minutes to get an individual portrait session and discussion. I learned that she was a maiko, which is a young geisha apprentice in training for music and dance.

The experience was magical and well worth the wait. I always compare geishas to magical creatures like unicorns.

After my portrait session I went and had lunch at a traditional restaurant and then decided to walk around the area. I realized it was almost 6 pm which is the normal time for most geishas to go to work. I looked down the street and saw paparrazi-like crowds of photographers running after geishas walking down the streets on the way to work. Of course, I joined in and met people from France, Brazil, UK, and many other parts of the world. It was so fun. I got a few candid photos and captured the crowds outside the house where the geishas live. Overall it was an amazing day that I won’t forget as I start to finish up my time in Asia.