Sounds of St. Augustine

Where the Hell's My Beer?

2010-02-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

A little late (Okay, nearly TWO months late!), but late better than never. The Wobbly Toms got the new year (and new decade) off to a musically wobbly start. The performed on January 2 at the Nest. This was their second time performing at The Nest's new location, and my first time seeing them perform there. For those who have been around St. Augustine awhile, and for those who haven't, The Nest used to be located downtown, and was once Backstreets Coffee (back when I was in college). They have moved to the other side of King Street now, and though the artful ceiling tiles are gone, the Nest retains a bit of what has made them a popular place for the locals to hang out and bands to play.

The crowd of fans was on the small side, but full of the energy that one cannot help but feel at a Wobbly Toms concert. With such small space, the smaller crowd meant that there was more room for dancing, and for me to capture pictures without having to run people over.

So, I hope you enjoy the photos, and come out to check out the Wobbly Toms at their next show! March 17th at the British Pub (the one on the island!). Beer will be plentiful. ^_~

(More photos beneath the cut)

New Beginnings

2010-01-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

With a new year comes changes and new beginnings. For the handful of you who currently watch my blog, you may have noticed some changes already. I have decided on a new format and theme for this blog. Maybe this way I will actually update, haha. Instead of just mixing photos and writing, I have decided to dedicate this blog solely to my photography of local bands here in St. Augustine. So far, it's mostly just the Wobbly Toms, but I am hoping to branch out and see other bands, especially now that things are slowing down around here.

My old, unrelated posts will stay up, though.

Anyway, happy new year! Updates to come! (I promise!)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:47:00.001-04:00

Wishing everyone a very happy and exceptionally creepy Halloween! This year, I had the pleasure of being able to attend the Wobbly Toms Halloween show at the British Pub (actually, Friday). Below is just a sample of all the shots I managed to capture as the night progressed.

To begin with, though, I would like to note the wonderful makeup work done on the Wobbly Toms this year.

My friend Lizi, who is also the wife of Zach (in the red sports coat), did the makeup. As you can see, she did an extremely good job. Not that any could doubt her talent!

But now let us get to the music! As I mentioned in a previous post, quite a few months ago (I really am slow about updating, aren't I?), the Wobbly Toms are a local, St. Augustine band. They have a pretty eclectic, and very unique sound, sort of a mix between Indie, bluegrass, folk, with just a taste of Irish. They don't do a lot of covers or anything, and when they do, they make it their own.

For samples of their music (I believe they now have the 4 songs of their recorded demo up now), check out their myspace page! www.myspace.com/wobblytoms You can also friend them on Facebook! Better yet, come to their shows! ^_^

*ahem* Okay, now on to some photos! If I can get this site to do what I want it to...

Pictures were taken on my Nikon D60, mostly with telephoto lens. I played with the settings on my camera for a lot, and relied on the light settings in the British Pub. They had orange and red spotlights at their feet shining up at them, which helped add the spooky effect, plus the spotlights on the ceiling. I did a lot of shots without flash (the ones that look orange are all without flash). Then I did a combination with the flash of using normal aperture, and the "night portrait" setting on the camera. In the end, it gave a nice variety to the shots.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

Abandon Not Nature

2009-09-08T20:25:00.006-04:00

Deep in the heart of Indianapolis, beyond the looming towers of industrialization and the urban highways, is nestled a small piece of paradise.

A place full of peace, of winding trails and lakes for fishing. A place where deer and raccoons and other wildlife roam.

But even in places such as this, there are signs of man's impact upon nature. Places where man has abandoned his care of peace and tranquility, forgetting that this place was left to him to take care of, to protect.

Man seems to have forgotten that this is our home.

But maybe, with luck...nay, hope...one day, man shall remember the beauty and peace, and will remember to care.

All photos taken with a Nikon D60. Location: Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, Indiana.

music photojournalism? haha, not really!

2009-06-21T21:14:00.005-04:00

So, Saturday I journeyed to The Nest, formerly known as Backstreets, a small...well, I guess now it's a bar, used to be a coffee house...in downtown St. Augustine. Why, you may ask? Well, does anyone really need a reason to go to a bar? ^_~ Okay, in this case, yes! The Wobbly Toms, a local band with Irish and Blue Grass influences, performed there last night! So I decided to take some pictures and try my hand at this music photojournalism stuff.

Hey, at the very least, it's good research for my current novel in progress! ^__^

They have beautiful instruments. Drools.

Michael McCormick (I think I have his name right) opened for the Toms. I love his guitar, an electric accoustic. Very beautiful instrument. Opening act was pretty good. But, as usual, I always am eager for the main show: the Toms!

Hey, there's dancing, too! Even I got up and danced some. It's hard not to! The music is awesome, very upbeat and exhilirating! This is just the start of the dancing... For some songs, there were so many people up there dancing I couldn't have gotten a good shot in unless I stood on the table... And that table was NOT sturdy enough to hold me!

For more information on The Wobbly Toms, or even to hear some of their stuff, please visit http://www.myspace.com/wobblytoms I highly recommend listening to "City by the Sea"...because it's my favorite song. ^__^ It's about St. Augustine, by the way.

All photos shot on my new Nikon D60, no filters, and with minimum editing.

On a humorous side note (because I mentioned that I did this as research for my novel in progress, Matanzas), I had a rather odd moment. One of the fans there, a surfer looking dude, was there last night. He reminds me a lot of my character, Nick. Well, as I was about to leave the Nest last night, this guy came up to talk to me, and said things that were 100% something character Nick would have said. I was so floored I almost asked him if his name was Nick. hehe That would have been scary...sort of a "Stranger than Fiction" scenario I didn't want to face! O__O

That digression over, I close out for now and hope that you enjoy the photos!

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Now playing: Anastacia - Anastacia - Left outside alone
via FoxyTunes

Sunset at the Matanzas Inlet

2009-04-05T21:32:00.007-04:00

The title of this blog should indicate the content of this post well enough. Still, I will introduce these pictures a little bit. Along the coast of St. Augustine, Florida, between the city and Anastasia Island, lays the Matanzas Bay. This bay connects to the Atlantic Ocean near the southern part of the island, by Fort Matanzas. A bridge passes over the inlet, and you can walk along the beach on either side. (Farther north, there are also little islands in the bay!) On the bay side (west of the overpass), the water is very placid, almost like being on a lake. It's quite beautiful. Well, tonight I went otu to the inlet and snapped some pictures just as the sun was setting. Enjoy!

Incidentally, this is also one of the locations I will be using in my current supernatural horror novel...

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Now playing: 10 Things I Hate About You - Bad Reputation
via FoxyTunes

Reflections

2009-03-19T21:44:00.004-04:00

I love it when nature creates its own art. Moreso when I'm there to capture it. This shot of the seagull is a favorite photo of mine mostly for the fact that it is both simple and complex. The sun struck the bird at just the right spot. Everything was perfect. And I was there, camera ready, although the battery kept dying. The seagulls are very accustomed to humans, so I wasn't too worried about scaring the bird away as I approached. He seemed more content in searching the wet sand for yummy treats than me, anyway. In any case, I could not have asked for a better shot, at least not of the seagulls in St. Augustine. Not that I didn't try, of course.

They're fun to catch in flight, as well. This second picture was taken this past fall as Tropical Storm Fay came ashore. Well, as her outter bands approached, anyway. The first picture was taken in February of 2007, on Velano Beach. Both taken with a Canon Powershot.

I can't wait until I get my new SLR...

Clouds

2009-03-18T22:23:00.003-04:00

Children, and sometimes even adults and teens, make a game of finding things in the shape of clouds. The imagination at work, revealing an insight into the mind of those playing the game. Especially into their imagination.

Sometimes, though, it's more interesting to watch the way the sun peers through the clouds. This particular image was taken over the bay on the SR 206 bridge in St. Augustine. A storm was rolling in, and Renee had just finished a photo shoot on the island and were headed back inland. We pulled over when we saw the way the sun shone through the clouds. I took several snaps of this sight.

But that wasn't the only beautiful image like this that evening. Even as the storm approached the island, while we were still on the beach, the sun graced us with its "hidden" beauty.

I only wish I had been able to time these moments right so as to include Renee in her dress with this beautiful scenery. Alas, in all my attempts, it didn't turn out as planned. And we had to return to the mainland, not only because of the approaching storm, but because we had to pick up Renee's sister. Nevertheless, these brief moments were truly beautiful, and I am glad that I captured even this much.

Enjoy.

Fisherman in the bay

2009-03-16T22:43:00.002-04:00

Every photograph has a story to tell. Some stories happen behind the scenes, others are part of the picture themself, and others are a conglomoration of many things. This picture is the story. It is the story of a man fishing on the Mantanzas Bay in St. Augustine on an Sunday afternoon in September, while the weather is still warm and the day is peaceful. The man is at peace, though the fish haven't been biting much today. Though you cannot see it in this image, his dog, a thin brown lab with the energy of a puppy, despite his apparent age, waits on the shore. The dog sniffs around, certain that he has caught the scent of duck. The man, perhaps noting the dog's anxiety, turns his boat to shore. At that moment, the dog catches an interesting scent and starts off at a fairly quick clip, though his age shows in his gait. The man calls for him, his voice raspy but firm. The dog hesitates, his head raised and ears cocked. When the man calls a second time, the dog returns to the bay. Neither seem aware of the young woman standing among the trees, camera in hand.