If you can dream it, You can do it.~

Shooting From Mortals To Monsters 2/20/15... 

You're about to get a look into another first for me, Although I've done plenty of shoots I've never gotten to do one with a band. And now that I've completed the task, I can breathe and reflect on it.

I Got so lucky honestly. Not only were the dudes amazing & easy to work with, But we met at Rabbit Foot One of my favorite spots in dah world no joke. I tried their MardiGras inspired King cake latte. It was like a party in my mouth! Perfect way to kick start the day.
Which is funny because I actually mentioned that and got the
"That's the point comment" from Rob. (Pretty sure anyway)
The owner/ barista Who at some point after that Over heard us talking about where we should shoot and mentioned their new building. (Which I've known about and am stoked on) They're expanding and moving Next to west end. I never would have expected It to happen like this but he trusted us, and handed me the key to an almost perfect location.

For me at least as a lover for all things old and creepy looking even? It was basically still just an old abandoned building. And lighting was tricky at times but it was a lovely shooting location. Which was just a good card dealt of a moment. I didn't previously find time to location search so take my word on it when I say I was stressing about where to go.

I spilled coffee all over myself, And broke BOTH of my hair ties, But other than that the shoot went extremely well. The dudes Jay,Tucker,Alex,Larry,and Ryan were so much fun to shoot. They made it really easy actually. Which was amazing seeing how it was my first time, And I barely knew what To tell them to do.
 I was nervous going into it because I didn't know any of them very well. But I think I caught their personality's pretty well for hardly knowing them.  I'm happy Neither them or myself  made me feel like I wasn't capable of doing it. Like I feared in the back of my mind at the start of it.
 I didn't think It would come out okay but it did.

Sometimes in life, You just have to go with it and take that chance. The Silverstien show didn't work out. And wasn't in the cards for me, But this time around the hand was dealt to my advantage. I've said this time And time again but Believe to see. I had faith that it would be okay, despite the odds feeling so against myself and my life lately.

Luckily, My PMA (positive mental attitude) Is coming back And i'm looking forward to taking on the scene in 2015. This is going to be Our year. And by that I mean Myself and the people I surround myself with.  Together we can do anything.
 I'm finally set goals for myself. And if things go well I'll report on them later on.

I fell in love with this shot, It's far from perfect as you can see. But I still like it.

I dislike textures in photos usually. But liked how this turned out????

Alex. 

Jay-Drums

Tucker-Vocals/synth

Alex-Bass

I've always been a sucker for candids, And making sure to capture the moment when goofing off.
Quality (and quantity of "good" shots) might be important. But it's never been my main focus. I capture a persons essence and the moments. And sometimes it's easier than others to get both. I'm personally really happy and proud of these. Hopefully the band thinks highly of them as well. 

Larry-Guitar 

A photo of a selfie. 

Ryan- Guitar/vocals

Fmtm is working on a new album right now, And from what I've heard it's killer.
I'm a big fan of bands that put stories into their songs/ Albums so I'm really excited to hear it in full.
And to see the shots they decide to use for it. :P

Here is their ReverbNation where you can check out the singles, and songs they have posted at the moment. And Their Facebook to stay updated on it all. Hoping to catch/ cover A show again soon. But for now my next post should be about Sister kill cycle, The knowing within, And the catcher and the rye. So stay tuned for that next week! Working on not only branching out but posting more often.

I really care about this. And I'm determined to fight for it.
This post was short But so was the shoot surprisingly. I didn't have a lot of time to get to know them as much as I'd have liked to, But I look forward to hanging and shooting them again in the future. When I met them, I never thought I'd see or hear from them again, Let alone get the chance to do something so huge for them. It's reassuring to have new allies and friends In the music scene willing to work with me. It's not very likely that many bands would be so easy going about things like they were. They came to my side of town. And were up for whatever, And that was so rad. I went into it with confidence for once in my life , Despite the nerves about little things. And the result was amazing.  If I do say so myself that is.

I'm on a roll here, And this is only the beginning. I cannot wait to get more shoots set up and maybe even get myself back into the same location if I could be that lucky.
Hope you all stick it out with me! Going to be one hell of an adventure. ~chyster

Honestly  I'm having another hard time trying to write about this so bare with me as I try my best to put such an amazing day into words.

A few weeks ago at an Alesana show, (which I previously mentioned a bit in my last entry) I had the pleasure of meeting Tim  front man behind local Alternative band "The knowing within"
Because I can't not mention her in this, I also met his friend Romina who is simply lovely. d: If you take the time to make the connections i swear you'll meet the best people at concerts. I've come to realize this. Some of the best people in my life have come through music.
  They popped up behind me just before Megosh  came on and their happiness rubbed off on me and got me to loosen up a bit. I was alone at the moment so it was great to have people make the effort to reach out to me with conversation and smiles. Seriously these two have made my life by restoring my faith in everything I seem to know and love in life. Such as going to shows, Being a Photographer blah blah blah. Mushy gushyness aside I'm glad people like them still exist
**inserts heart emoji or something here**

After talking with them for a bit  I knew i'd like the knowing within just by the way Tim presented himself and explained them to me, But after looking them up I was hooked! Luckily for me one thing lead to another and I ended up at the bands next show.
Which I didn't expect to end up happening, But Tim went the extra mile to make it happen for me and I cannot thank him enough for not only giving me the opportunity to shoot him and his band but for meeting me and my mom at a Starbucks near where the band practices, Along with driving me home after the show. Without that I wouldn't have been able to make it out. And I would've ended up sulking in my room all night.

When I look at shooting a band, I never know what to expect but add a venue I've never been to, People I hardly know, And an intimidating  professional photographer showing up into the mix and call it trouble. I was a total mess for the first hour or so. Kinda hoping nobody noticed that.
I started to feel suffocated and so out of place, At times I started to panic and I  was scared i'd lose sight of myself & ruin everything. (Everything being the photos in which I was there to take.)  Doubt and fear kept trying to creep in. I don't know how I managed to get back out of my head, But by the end of it all..... I'm happy to say I've never felt so surrounded by open minded, Encouraging, Inviting people. I'll never get over how well they formed me into their group for the night.
 For someone who has such a hard time with things like that it meant the world to me to feel comfortable and wanted. I wasn't ignored or looked down upon for being different. It felt like the perfect fit for a night. But I hope that it wasn't a one time thing. I honestly feel like these are people I can now call friends, By my definition at least. And hope to see again in the future.  It was such a change of pace to feel so alive.... so in the moment... so out of my head....
 They're not just a band to me, They'll never be just a band to me.
But then again most of the bands I see myself really getting into like this never are. There's always that personal level that makes them more than just some band.

I was super stoked to finally make it out to a show at bombshell's, The venue was super dark but it added to the ambiance and if I wasn't focused on being there to shoot my vampire self would've loved it.
The music they played was super on point all night, We were all singing along With added Air guitar and drums totes just goofing off. It helped in getting amp'd for the show. Again such a great group of people! Have I said that enough? ahaha.


To keep on track with the honesty thing, Bombshell's is not in the best of locations. But Being able to hang out in the parking lot was really nice. Minus the dumpsters from the restaurant next to the venue... Ick. Take those out of the picture and it'd have been the perfect movie type setting. Like in one of those angsty teenage movies or something!?
The sun going down was gorgeous. And it was getting colder with every trip back outside. Which was just simply fantastic.
 The venue was bigger than I expected... Didn't realize it until I decided to walk over to the other side to the bar at the end of the night. They even had a cute little mascot to sitting at the bar. She was a beautiful old Pitbull. can't remember her name tho, What a shame, She was just so sweet and cute!
Bombshell's has this total old bar vibe going on and I just dunno loved that.
So Homey and inviting. A place where you could kick back relax and just enjoy yourself.

I feel like the turn out of the night was pretty tiny which bummed me out a bit. But the people who were there all seemed to enjoy themselves and the music so it made it all worth it at least I think?  I know Tim was sick but it didn't seem to mess with his voice all that much. Sure it was my first time seeing them so I have no comparison but he seemed to do pretty well regardless of the sickness.  His stage presence was highly enjoyable along his interactions with the crowd. I'm happy to have been apart of such a night. I know it was big for him and to be included meant a lot to me.

On the way home in between listening to great CD's
(LIKE OH MY GOD HE HAS CD'S IN HIS CAR nothing beats CD's man. Technology can suck it)
And conversation I was asked who I thought the knowing within sounded like and I was so stumped. Never  have I thought so hard about trying to compare and label a band.... But because I was asked I sat down and really thought about it.
They sound like a mix of so many different bands and things Which just adds to my love that's already formed for them.
If I was to zone in and label them I think I finally decided that they remind me of Chiodos but even then the sound resemblance isn't sever enough for me to wanna compare them. They also kind of remind me of a softer of mice& men In a lyrical sense more than sound. (Starting to think they also sound a bit like scary kids scaring kids  Which makes 2009-11 cheyenne pretty happy.)
Speaking of lyrics.... that's what hooked me into them right of the bat. I can't get the songs out of my head.
I've been jamming them non stop for the past few weeks upon "discovering" them But i'm not complaining!  I find myself quoting and using their lyrics in everyday life as well. It's been a total reminder of  things I've needed more of in my life lately. The lyrics are catchy but have meaning behind them. So it's like getting a popular catchy song stuck in your head But better because it's sensible and heartfelt.
 It's hard for me to find bands that I can get this into and the fact that they're not only local but have become "friends" of mine just makes them that much more special and meaningful to me. They're humble and personable. And I feel that no matter how big they get they always will be. That's just part of what they're all about. In my eyes at least.
They've brought  back memories of drive A.... but better??? because not only are they local but I'm more mature. (lololol) Anyways,
This night was one of those once in a life time experiences personally that cannot be explained or put into words in a way that people could fathom or want to read.
But it surely won't ever be forgotten. And deserves to be talked about.

 I hope i'm able to see & support these guys for a long time Along with the other bands that were there. Because take my word on this and believe it when i say Tim did such a great job putting together such a fantastic line up full of great music, And great people to match. He did such a wonderful job his first time putting together a show himself And the knowing within along with their first night ever headlining a show. Definitely didn't disappoint. Not to me anyway. Here's to their future! wherever it may take them count me in. d:
                                             
                                                     The Knowing Within
                                                           Tim Rardon: Vocals/Writing
                                                          Chris Colon: Bass/Keys
                                                  Austin "Woffie" Glick: Guitars
                                                 James Arran: Drums                                                                                                                              https://www.facebook.com/TheKnowingWithin
                                          http://reverbnation.com/theknowingwithin

They say if you're good at something never do it for free.
But everyone has to start out somewhere. If you saw my reactions to every comment or photo re-post over the past few days You'd understand. After spending five days editing / deleting photos i finally got them all posted. And the feed back was just incredible. I never expected so many likes and comments on something I did and felt proud of. I woke up every day this week with a smile on my face and hope in my heart. And after being so lost in the darkness feeling like this feels like a fucking dream.
This isn't just a "job" It's my heart, And my life. If i'm not behind a lens it feels like i'm not living.
 i'll be damned if I don't make it my goal in life to capture and seize these moments. I feel so on top of the world right now. I have seen my I repeat MY photos all over facebook and it gets me every time. Such a surreal thing to see people caring about something I did. Something I hold dearly. I keep wanting to pinch myself because surly this all must be just a dream Like all the others.
 I cannot even begin to imagine how I would feel if I ever make it and start to get paid for taking photos.  God forbid (maybe I should say willing?) I ever get to hop on tours, Man I'd probably have a heart attack before hand. Because it means that much to me. I've doubted myself long enough, It's time to break free and become everything I've always thought could only be possible in my dreams.
I started driving again, And this time around there's been less tension and fear. The world is at my finger tips.... I cannot wait to Stop holding myself back so I can reach out and grab it. Dare I say that this is the path of my calling? ;) Total play on words there. Nudge Nudge wink wink. hehes.
(   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znc4DI-i6Qc ) <---
                                                           



                                                               From Mortals To Monsters
                                                                         Jon: Lead Guitar
                                                                         Alex: Bass
                                                                          Ryan: Guitar/Vocals
                                                                      Tucker: Vocals/Synth
                                                                           Jay: Drums
                                              with guest appearance by Larry on guitar
                                            https://soundcloud.com/from-mortals-to-monsters
                                                  https://www.facebook.com/MortalstoMonsters/info

                                                        Don't Feed The Birds
                                                 Guitar/Vocals- Sam Gonzalez
                                              Guitar/Vocals- Stevie Ray Barns
                                                   Bass - Bryant Shank
                                                  Drums/Vocals- Esteban Santana
                                 https://www.facebook.com/DONTFEEDTHEBIRDS/info

                                                  I//Arrhythmist
                                               William Strickland-Guitars/Vocals
                                                         Justin Hadwin-Bass
                                                    Michael Hollinger-Guitars
                                                   Logan Newquist-Drums
              https://www.facebook.com/pages/IArrhythmist/1402498183341096?sk=info

{Btw if you see this, which you probs won't thank you Micheal for messaging me first and asking for photos. I wasn't paying attention and never caught the band name.... And it wasn't on the flyer because they  filled in last minute. I was like OH CRAP WHAT DO I DOOOOO!? }
So I was putting off the shots, I was scared to check them anyway because they went on first. I was super nervous that I wouldn't have any good enough shots.... You guys were basically my time to mess with lighting and try to calm myself the frick down. Once I started to focus tho. And tried my best to ignore the other photographer and his flashes I got into the zone and really enjoyed myself. I hate using the flash, It makes me feel like a total douche. But the venue's lighting gave me no choice. I felt more comfortable doing so once the other flashes started going off. In the end i'm glad he was there because without him i probably would've gotten crap shots from not using a flash.
Shooting these guys was so much fun! So much energy and movements.
 I hope to see / shoot these d00dz  again in the future! Along with all of the others. I see myself following them all and keeping my eyes peeled for shows. I really loved the line up, All the guys sounded great, and had personalities and stage skills to match. Again, Tim did a really great job picking and putting together and can't wait to see what the next one is like! :D I feel like i've said that a lot. But I went in only caring about one band..... And left with a love for all of them. Which is rare and amazing I mean come on How often do you go to a show and leave liking all the bands????

Straight up cheesein. d: 

And to end it, The more I stare at these..... The more I see "hotpgraphy" instead of  photography. uh oops?  I got bored with my logo and literally changed it in the middle of editing. I like it. But I can't stop over thinking it. I'm just hoping that it'll catch someone's eye and i'll be contacted for photos. I have this itch I  can't scratch now. I just want to get out there and shoot. I've been really wanting to do some portraits too so hopefully I can set that up soon.  I have never done something this big, And I can't wait to do bigger and better. I added a lot of photos. Sorry if it's a lot. I had a love for the shots. They captured the night in the moment as best to my abilities  and I love that so much about photography. It gives me the reason to get out a live. I look through lenses. I live through lenses.
This night and all that followed gave me that drive to better myself and my life that was really needed. I'm looking forward to figuring out pricing, Reaching out, Going back to school, and just getting the frick out there<3 I can't thank you all enough for the support along the way. Each and every one of you mean something to me.
Whether you're reading this as a fan of mine, or a fan of one of the bands I thank you for taking the time to do so. And I hope you continue to follow my journey along the way. Much love.~ Chyster (Cheyenne Genest.)