I really have been shooting...

Why haven't I posted anything?? Photographically the last 2 months have been fulfilling, but I haven't said anything about any of my shoots here. I should have been, because there is much to post about!

I spent 3 days photographing roller derby action at the Southern Fried Smackdown in Atlanta. I shot over 2000 frames of action, met some really nice folks, and made some great connections for future events.

I did another shoot with my beautiful friend Heather, then a weekend road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains with two other photographers, Brian Garret and Stu Haluski. None of us are usually nature/landscape photographers, so the trip was very helpful to break us out of our comfort zones and try something different. We met nature photographer Richard Mack who gave us tips for shooting sunsets on Clingman's Dome. Richard even gave us a mention on his blog. (pssst...check out the video of me and the boys driving the Tail Of the Dragon)

I wrapped up October with my last unpaid "portfolio shoot" for the year with the oh-so-lovely Amy Frena who contacted me to do a shoot. I was recommended by a friend of hers who I shot more than five years ago. Keep an eye on my YouTube page for a video from the shoot.

The rest of the year will be used for personal projects and family time. I am also FINALLY putting the final touches on my new website design and getting involved in "social media" - including Facebook and Twitter.

That pretty much covers it for now.

Has my work finally started to pay off?

After years of practicing, shooting, printing, processing, "photoshopping", and working on a "style", my work has finally been recognized. I was recently put on the official list of Atlanta freelance photographers for Prick Magazine. The appropriateness of this doesn't escape me.

A few years ago I picked up an issue of Prick to read the cover story about Andrea Smith of the Atlanta Roller Girls and learned that roller derby was alive and well in the 21st century. I went to my first derby bout after reading that article, and, after a few seasons of photographing the bouts, have become the official photographer for the Atlanta Roller Girls (taking the spot left by the much loved and respected Frank Mullen). It is because of that association with the Atlanta Roller Girls, and my work with some tattooed folks, that I got the "in" with Prick.

Last night was my first assignment for Prick Magazine. I was asked to photograph the band Trail Of Dead during their visit to The Masquerade. It was an easy assignment for me. The guys in the band were friendly and appropriately playful, and I have shot live bands a few times in the past. I hope the shots are what the magazine was looking for. If so, I'll have my second magazine tear sheet very soon (my first tear sheet was Diva, a UK-based lesbian magazine - really).

My fingers are crossed for the hope that this becomes a regular thing for me, and after a few successes with Prick, I'll have to work on marketing myself to the local tattoo/piercing/music scene as one of the go-to guys for publicity and marketing photos.

Get Out Your Checkbook

I love roller derby girls. Every damn one of them! I want the Atlanta Roller Girls to be successful and roller derby to be recognized as a real sport and not just a fad. For the past 5 seasons I have given a day or two every month to document and record the action, the people, the faces, and the fun of roller derby. In fact, it can be argued that I spend more hours taking pictures of derby than pretty girls in bikinis or less. I don't mind. I love doing it. Already I'm wondering what I'm going to photograph during the off-season.

You, Big Shot Corporate Marketing person or Book Author - you have seen my roller derby photos. You have seen the girls in the photos. If you come to me asking to use a photo of my friends to promote your product or sell your book, please be prepared to offer compensation. And I mean real dollars here. If the face in my photo is going to help with your product sales, then it is worth paying us for it.

Roller Derby does not need "exposure" anymore. The sport has been featured on a reality TV show, countless TV news features, magazine and newspaper articles. The Atlanta Roller Girls do not need "exposure". They sell out every bout. I do not need "exposure". I have been published in international magazines, book covers, and on award winning DVDs.

Exposure doesn't pay for the team's travel expenses or venue rental. Exposure doesn't pay for a skater's out of pocket expenses to be a derby girl. It doesn't pay for her skates, her uniforms, her league fees. Exposure doesn't pay for my equipment insurance or credit card bills.

Derby is no longer a curiosity. It is is a commodity. If you want to profit from the athletic skills of our skaters and the artistic skills of our poster creators and bout photographers, be prepared to cut us in on the deal - fairly.