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Taylor Shaw / The Great Book of John

in

Music can move me like not a lot of other things and I really have been fortunate to have so many outstanding musicians in my immediate circle of friends, one of which is Taylor Shaw. Taylor is in at least two bands but is the front man for one of my favorite bands I have heard (not an exaggeration) that goes by the moniker The Great Book of John, its name taken from the song Angel of Death by good ole Hank Williams. (Incidentally, Hank Williams reminds me, pretty much always, of the film The Shawkshank Redemption)
 
Taylor, Bekah, Alex, and Chip make some seriously good music and have just put two tracks from their forthcoming album on their [previously linked] myspace page. I've been working with them in various ways on the album and had a quick session with Taylor this passed Wednesday and came out with this polaroid I'm really excited about. It may actually change the direction we go with for album presentation. Er, they go with. What I know is I'll be grabbing the other three band mates to complete the series.
 
 
Look for their album in the next couple of months.

Homeless Joe and Whiskerino

in

Alright so I've been working on a few things and haven't gotten a ton of stuff posted here but hopefully I'll get that changed up very soon. For now, two things:

First, I got to hang out with Azurae and Danny a few days ago over in Atlanta when Tori Amos played at the Fox. At one point Matt, Jon, and Dan were walking around being harassed a bit by someone who called himself Homeless Joe who was treating them to his personal live-on-location radio show. I like to pretend that they are in a band together with Joe at the helm instead of Tori.
 

 
Secondably*, Whiskerino 2007 started on the first day of November. What this means in short is I have no facial hair. Or, had no facial hair. You see, everyone who participates has to start with a clean shaven face and cannot cut their beard for four months. Given I've had my beard more or less since 2001, four months doesn't really seem like a real challenge. The real challenge came in actually shaving my face. It was weird and awkward and I do not suggest it at all. For serious. Nonetheless, I am 18 days in and the beard is on it's way back and I am so so so ready for it. Here is me at day 15 (below, taken by Jason). To keep up with my progress, click here. Also, Alan Barton is participating as well and most days we take each other's photo for the site..
 

*This word is awesome. Do not argue.

Angie and Felix

in

So my friends Angie and Felix were in town this weekend so we hung out some and took a few photos for fun. I am really excited to shoot their wedding this coming May in Key West. Heck yeah. Best part--my transportation in Key West is going to be a scooter! They know how to make me feel at home.
 
 
Anyway..they are both seriously hot, so my job should be easy.
 

A quick vacation

in

Ahh vacation. I had the pleasure of hanging out with my sister recently and basically just relaxing around New York. I don't do that well--take a vacation I mean--so it was nice to have Nicole enforce a no-work rule on me. I even got to hang out with Rob who just recently made the move (and will be living in Alphabet City, if I'm not mistaken). Two and a half things of note: 
 

  • I finally went to Central Park (I may have been before but I don't recall it)
  • Finally went to Coney Island
  • [the .5] I visited the 5th Ave Apple Store (aka Macca)

 
Anyway here are some snaps from the trip (and maybe some words) 
 

 
My sister, Nicole at Coney Island 

 
(You can't quite tell in the Journal post, but the girl is looking back at me) 

 
Best. Crepe. In years. 
 

 
and this amazing lady 
 

Paleo

in

I took a bit of vacation to come up to visit my sister and it has really just been fantastic.  
 
Finally! Weather I approve of. Yesterday's climate was as custom-designed-for-me as it could get, at least in New York. I have high hopes for autumn, really. 
 
But the point of this post is about David Andrew Strackany once again. That'd be the guy who plays music under the name Paleo. After a few months of setting into the body of work and even posting a huge chunk of images from the tour on the last day thereof, I am finally posting a few of the images in a series. 
 
It took so long mostly because a) it really is a ton of photographs to sort through in tons of places and situations, and b) the goal of the series was to do my best to illustrate such a vast, vast, vast fortune project in a concise visual unit. Really tough.  
 
If you are interested in knowing a bit about what is going on, be sure to check out the Image Notes at the top of the image (where applicable). 
 
For more on Paleo, check out his website or his myspace. 
 
 
View the Series

Alan Barton

in

Yet another photographer friend here in Birmingham, observe Alan Barton, who apparently likes to squint. There was a huge futbol match recently and he came decked out for FCB (Barcelona) and seriously wore the scarf the whole day. The others are from a day recently when several of us went a few blocks down the street where Jason is looking to buy a place to create a new studio / creative workplace for people in a number of professions related to ours.

Oklahoma redux

in

Okay...a little revisiting of a trip I took in December.

The event that called me to Stillwater was a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. It was hosted by the gentleman below and several people I'd met before were there and I even made a new friend Shannon.

At one point we were walking around and I thought it a good idea to, yet again, try to rip off the album cover of Bob Dylan's Freewheelin'. What can I say, it is a quality shot. So here is another attempt (and then some other stuff).

[Hey, a photo of a shadow. Again.]

Testing a new camera

in

So these are from a test roll for a new camera, and the irony I shot the event before getting the roll back. Oh well. All is well, it seems.
 
Featured below you'll find Rob Culpepper (hey Rob!, you were first billed), Caleb Chancey, Jason Hamric, Max Ross, Josh Hausen, and Jason Wallis. All in the studio some time last week.

Becca & Jon

in

I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of my friends Becca and Jon this past weekend. Really beautiful day with beautiful people. If only Leo and Sax could have been there (their dogs).
 

More later perhaps. The film is off to the lab!

Wonder Years?

in

So Bryan recently got an 8mm camera to begin filming parts of weddings in an old, classic style that has a lot of romance to it. It is the kind of romance that is part nostalgia and part non-sequitur aesthetic that play with your insides without you even knowing it. Or at least thats what it does to me.
 
Anyway. Here is a tiny clip from us playing around here in the studio. It is mostly us trying to act like we're on The Wonder Years. Bob, Caleb, and Cary...as filmed by Byran (I think).
 

Carrie Merritt

in

So there is a triumvirate in Birmingham that is a Force. Not one to be reckoned with. That, my dear friends, would be folly. For this tri-force (zelda reference, thanks very much) is known as The Car[rie][y]s. Pardon the brackets. For the sake of readability and as a nod to plurality, I'll call us The Carries (re: plurality - if we combined Carrie and Cary, to make Carry, if it were plural, in theory, it would be Carries. Stop being pedantic and just go with it). We have magical powers and pretty much could take over the world, had we that desire, but for now your world is safe. Actually it'd be safer if we took over, but who has the time. 
 
So one part of our elite force is called Carrie Merritt. She fights battles for the earth and for women and sometimes both at the same time. She may be small but she's got spunk and a desire to wield her small fists (metaphysically, of course). 
 
We went down to the Cahaba River to hang out and shoot a bit. I came out with these photos, a big cut on my leg, and wet feet. She was in business attire (including heels), crossed the river on rocks, and would have gotten out on the dam if her legs were longer. Yeah, she came out unscathed and cute. Jerk. Nonetheless, she is a crucial element in our well-balanced world domination scheme. 
 

Taylor Bruce: Superman

in

I know Superman. His name is Taylor Bruce. At least that was how he became known when he frequented a local bookshoppe that was then managed by two good friends of mine (both, incidentally, also named Carrie (they spell it "like a girl" but I count it). A lot of the title came from the simple sound of his name mixed with his visits to the store, laptop and notebooks in tow, donning hip clothes, with a dash of classic looks, all shrouded with the mystery of who he is and from where he came. Zipping out as smoothly as he arrived.
 
In reality, Taylor is a freelance writer who lives here in Birmingham. He's become a good friend to us here at the studio, frequently collaborating with one of us on story ideas to pitch or fulfill. President Carter with Bryan. Birmingham Jazz legends with Jason. And now, most recently, with me with my work concerning David Strackany's musical opus known as Paleo and it's recently completed Song Diary.

Look for his name and read his words.

Oh yeah, there is a teaser on his blog of the story he will be pitching to a few major publications about Paleo.

Taylor Bruce in Washington D.C.