Saturday, November 22, 2008

Photo Meme

Manchester Orchestra

I've been instructed by Soph to pick out my sixth photo in my sixth folder of photos and talk about it. The folder turned out to be a bunch of photos from Laneway Festival held in Brisbane in early March 2008. This shot is of the lead singer of Manchester Orchestra - an American band that sound a bit like a heavier, early-years-Death Cab for Cutie. I was pretty impressed by them and picked up their album a few weeks later. The whole day was great - being able to see Feist, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Okkervil River and The Panics all within a few hours and in Brisbane, I'd never think it would happen.

Shooting photos at gigs is something that a while ago I thought would be a thing I would love doing. My opinion turned during that day when I saw photographers with big ole long lenses pushing their way to the front taking a few shots and leaving within minutes. They just seemed like they weren't there for the music at all. These days, if I do take photos at gigs I try to only take a few shots and put the camera away and don't let the photograph take away from my experience.

And to the thing I like most about this photo - he is totally rocking out in a pair of thongs.

Monday, November 17, 2008

full circle

It's just after midnight on a Monday night, it's raining outside and I have just spent the past couple of hours reading entries posted in my livejournal that I began posting to in the year, 2001. While reading through my past seven years I was filled with warm feelings by remembering events and people that have since faded away from my memory. I read about early musical experiences, girls and how confused I was by them (nothing much changes), great times with friends, regrets and a variety of things that I can see have shaped me into the me that I am right now.

Reading through that old journal has stirred up something in me. The past year has felt a little bit empty for me - I feel like I'm slowly losing parts of myself that I generally would say defined me. I haven't sat down and thought about where I am, or let out my feelings to anyone in any form for a long time. I hope that this new journal will help me express myself without bottling things up inside. Maybe seven years from now I'll look back at this blog and have a similar kind of warm experience like the one I'm having now.