Jonathan Jones - Timeline via Flickr.

This is the album artwork for the new Jonathan Jones b-side, Timeline. He emailed me prior to the release asking me to listen to the song carefully, and pick out an image for the artwork that fit the song.

Little did I know, this would be a hard task.

It didn’t take me days to figure out, and actually, it only took 1 revision. I had initially put on some nice headphones, hit play, and just listened. Nothing else, just listened. The song wasn’t new to me, I had heard most of it before. I actually have more songs and demos from Jonathan than he has. (When it comes time to collect his entire work, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the one with all of it on my hard drive.)

Walking through the simple design process, I started with an image I had taken YEARS ago at the House of Blues in San Diego. It was abstract and colorful, and ultimately directed me towards the pink that you see on the artwork. I finished up, sent it over, and thought it was done. I looked back on it a couple hours later and HATED it. Jonathan seemed a little less than interested too, so that was my sign.

My brain had told me, “Be different with this design, don’t follow your instinct.” which I now see as false direction. When I thought back to the words of the song, and my friendship with Jonathan, I knew what I had to do.

I opened up the folder of images from my trip to Japan in May of 2007. I was in Japan with my band Parker Theory, playing shows with Waking Ashland. It was their last hurrah before calling it quits. When they finished the last show, the band was done. Jonathan and I had become pretty good friends at that point, and that was 2007. We are now in August of 2011 and our friendship has gotten even stronger.

As I scrolled through the images from Japan, I was able to recall every moment of that trip. Well, minus karaoke night with the Gin & Tonic … but that’s a story for another day. Let’s just say the Japanese culture is hell-bent on keeping your glass full. Then all of a sudden, there it was. The photo I was going to use for the artwork. It had sat there for over 4 years with absolutely no purpose. It is on flickr, and after 4 years has only 11 views! That’s impressive when my flickr page has 60,000 views.

View the original image here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnyups/515472449/

There you have it. The story of the artwork. I will leave you with a quote from the song.

“timeline, can we talk this through? ‘Cause I still believe in you.”

(you can currently stream the song on the Jonathan Jones facebook page)

Week In Review: 08/17/2011 - 08/24/2011

Sure enough you’ve had a busy week.  Me too.  Trust me on that one.  Anyways, chances are high you’ve been so busy that your virtual stalking has taken a backseat to all the other stuff you’ve got going on.  I understand.  Let’s recap.

I won a rare bottle of beer from Stone Brewing Co. which was 1 of only 544 bottles produced.  Sounds like a lot, but if you think about it, it’s really nothing at all.  Check it out at www.StoneBrew.com/500ML and find out a little more about this fine beverage.  Or go here: http://instagr.am/p/Kveng/www.StoneBrew.com/500ML and find out a little more about this fine beverage.  Or go here: http://instagr.am/p/Kveng/ to see my bottle signed by the brewer.  BOOM!

I got hit by a super cranky old guy, who was mad at me for parking in “his” shade.  After I told him he hit me, and that it was illegal, he yelled at me and said, “I’m right where I intend to be!” and he stormed off into his house.  Subsequently, I called in a favor from my favorite government agency, and I won’t have to worry about him anymore.

I got to help some friends get started with their new venture aimed at helping photographers truly understand and conquer the idea of branding themselves.  They have a brilliant idea going, and will be VERY helpful to a lot of people.  Can’t wait for that to get fully launched in the next month or so.  check them out: B!G DEAL BRANDING

I volunteered at the Stone Brewing Co. 15th Anniversary.  It ruled. Long day, but was a good time.  Lots of fun people and a TON of cash raised for charity.  It’s always a good time raising money for a good cause.  There isn’t usually this much stuff related to Stone Brewing, but it’s a big time of year for them.

There you have it. A current update on my life from the last 7 days.  Hopefully I can remember to come back next week with some more pictures from you.  Oh, and if you’re wondering what that first photo is.  That would be a cobra in a jar, with a giant scorpion hanging from its mouth.  Hard to see, but I had to show everybody.  Pretty much the most hardcore thing I’ve seen all week.  Enjoy!

Maternity: Matt & Becca on Flickr.

Have you ever been pregnant? Me neither. However, you probably know someone who has been at some point in time, or is right now! Imagine that, people making babies. Well, maybe don’t imagine that actually.

I’ll wait for things to not be awkward anymore.

Ok, and we’re back. So this amazing couple, Matt & Becca, asked if I’d be a part of something big in their lives. They’re having a (most-likely beautiful) baby boy come September 2011, and they wanted photos done ASAP! As Becca put it, “…before this gets any worse than it already is.” because let’s face it, pregnancy is beautiful, sexy, hot, whatever word you choose, but only for a certain amount of time. Then the feet swell, things change colors and get all stretchy. Wow, I am one for visuals today, many apologies!

Moving along … the deal is, you’re only at your best for a short time, and you’d love to have that captured. You know what? I think I can help. Let me know if you’d like maternity portraits taken, and we’ll get it all taken care of. Don’t like my style? I understand, art is subjective! If you’re looking for another photographer for this, I can help with that too! (now who in the world would pass you along to someone else? i want you to be happy, you’ll thank me later.)

For now, I leave you with an image from my shoot with Matt and Becca. Noticeably missing is Matt, don’t worry, he didn’t fall off the cliff. Sometimes he lady gets to shine in the spotlight for just a little bit! Enjoy!

B!G DEAL BRANDING (don’t click this yet, I have to make it make sense first)

So as you know, I like to take pictures … and when blogging about said pictures, I just sit here and type in exactly what I would say to you if you were sitting right here with me.  For some of you, that’s awesome.  For others, you probably hate it and you remind yourself about why you don’t hang out with me in the first place.  Either way, I don’t know anything different.

So that said, we’re friends.  Right?  Friends tell friends about rad stuff like good movies, that cute barista, or the best thing to ever happen to your business in the history if the world.  Ok, that last one was a stretch.  Whatever, I said it anyways.  Let me introduce you to an idea that’s not necessarily new, but is often forgotten.

Branding.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Self, I don’t ignore the idea of branding.  I’m nicer than a cow in Bakersfield.”  Yeah.  Right.  Let me be the first to admit guilt.  I suck at this.  After over 5 years, I just got my own website that wasn’t actually a free blog.  It’s got pages, portfolios, slideshows, music, free candy and everything else I could think of adding without weighing it down.  But I’m still failing.  I’m at a standstill.  Thankfully I have smart friends.  They do stuff.  Rad stuff.  See that link up top?  Now is a good time to click it.  I have nothing left to say that can make a difference.  However; my friends Gary and Courtney have a ton to say.  Check it out, bookmark it, make it your thing.  Do it … because in this sea of photographers, somebody needs to be the shark and somebody needs to be the guppy.  I’m tired of being the guppy.

And for clarification, the above photo was partially taken by me, also partially starring me … but Gary, the guy up top, is the guy leading the charge.  I am in the middle.  Notorious DAV is on the lower portion.  I’d link to everybody individually, but Gary and DAV are also phenomenal photographers and there’s no need to lift up the competition that much.  I’m already guiding you to Gary’s other project.  Geeze, who do you think I am?  Mother Theresa?  (here come the negative comments about me picking on the great Mother T.  Forgettabout it.  I stayed in her hospital room once, for a week!  It’s like we’re soul sisters.)

2007 vs 2011 on Flickr.

Today I am sitting in my comfy recliner, relaxing after shooting a wedding last night. Weddings are fun, don’t get me wrong … they are just a ton of work.

Thankfully I 2nd shoot most weddings, usually with my amazingly talented friend Anjuli (click her name & book her for a wedding) … 2nd shooters are basically an awesome insurance policy for photographers. I like to be another set of eyes that can capture things the main photographer can’t see. Or maybe doesn’t have time to see. I’ll usually take care of detail shots of the reception area, cake, food, table settings. Maybe a few shots to add as texture to the presentation of the photos on a blog or website. I’ll often take groom/groomsmen shots, and cover the left or right side of the ceremony as well.

Looking back in my history of weddings, I can actually see how I’ve grown as a photographer. I want to use this moment to encourage the other photographers out there to stick to it.

The first photo above is from my first wedding. It was in 2007 for some friends of mine who had an absolutely gorgeous wedding. The photo doesn’t show it, but that’s not their fault. You can see they are happy, and exiting the church after saying their vows. Notice how awkwardly close, dark and linear my photo is.

Now look at the bottom photo. That was taken yesterday. Is it a perfect photograph? No, not really. It’s a great starting point though. Here are a few things I would encourage photographers to do as they are starting up:

1. Click the shutter.

…what this means is, if you aren’t pressing that button … taking picture … looking through the viewfinder … well, then you’re definitely doing something wrong. You’re never going to know what a good picture looks like until you can tell what a bad picture looks like.

2. Ask questions.

…no, not me. I’m too busy for that. ha! Find a mentor, a friend, a helpful dude at the camera store. Find someone who can help you out when you have questions. If none of these are options, consult your best friend: www.Google.com

3. Shoot with another photographer.

…really. Just do it. Shoot with them, ask them what their settings are, look inside their bag to find out what they are shooting with. Having respectable gear can help you a lot. Make sure you save your money because it gets expensive.

But honestly, these 3 things alone have helped me so much. I do photography full-time now, and wouldn’t change it for the world. Don’t limit yourself to being a wedding photographer. It’s an over-saturated market. Find a genre of people with a need, and go fill that need. I just did a fun photoshoot/headshots with a guy who is starting a blog on being a geek. Do you think he takes good pictures of himself? No, not really. Did I do a good job? Of course. So find a need, and make it happen. Don’t be afraid to mess up. It’s only a once in a lifetime shot.

Gnomey Gwynn … the result of another late night.

Some people on the interwebs are saying some nice things about me.  And maybe you, their friend or reader, were probably directed to this place somehow.  Thanks for coming.  Click the image above to see some other shots and maybe spend a few bucks.  And since you have good friends, enter LOYAL25 for a discount on your order.  It’ll be our little secret!

To the chemist’s daughter:

Your father is worried for you. “She’s a smart girl in college” he says.  “She just changed her major,” he pauses, “…to photography.  And I don’t think photography can make a living.”  He’s probably told you this, and it’s probably made you sad or angry.  But you, the chemists daughter, you know.  Life is more than what you do, it’s who you are.  Keep at it.  He’ll be ok, as long as you’re happy.

(…oh, and I set him straight for you.)