Georgia Aquarium

I got a chance to visit the Georgia Aquarium while I was in Atlanta recently, and I highly recommend it to anyone of any age. The sheer size and and scope of the aquatic life and the tanks that they live in simply amazing. They have 4 Nurse Sharks, 4 Beluga whales, Hammerhead Sharks, Electric eels and my favorite (visually) Sea Nettle Jellyfish, to name a few. I spent four hours in the Aquarium wandering around in awe at all the beautiful aquatic life they have on display. Bringing a camera is fine, as long as you don't use a flash. I shot with my 24-105 mm f4 wide open at 800 iso and wished I had brought my 16-35mm 2.8 for the speed and the wider view to greater show the scope and size of the tanks. The picture with the little girl spinning, and the little boy with the fish right in front of him were taken in front of the largest tank they have, which is made of 24 inch thick plexi-glass weighing 220 tons, brought in in sections. Amazingly, the plexi provides no distortion, so the fish are viewed at their real size through the tank walls. The tank is 33 feet deep and 280 feet long, and holds 2.8 million gallons of sea water. Cool stuff!

Super Cool Organic Baby Gear!

My friends Kristen and Kristen have just launched their new website to showcase their fantastic Organic Cotton Baby Slings! Their company is called Honeywear and the website is www.honeywear.net All their products are organic cotton and mommy approved! Stop by and check then out.
I am also proud to say that I was honored to shoot the product line up for them and had so much fun with all of the little models running around the studio!

Congratulations Kristen and Kristen!
Best Wishes,
Jon

Jill's Family

Hello All -
I hope all of you are having a happy holiday season so far and getting to spend some time with family and friends.
I was honored to have the opportunity to shoot pictures of my friend Jill's family. Jill is a fellow photographer and I must admit I was a little nervous going to shoot pictures of a photographer's family. Jill and her husband Scott were super sweet and we had a blast, playing with her children, baby Reid and Mary Rose. They are such a loving family and they all made it so easy for me to capture their lives.
Thanks a lot Jill, Scott, Mary Rose and Baby Reid, I had a great time with all of you and hope to do it again soon!

Moog Foundation Benefit @ The Orange Peel

Last night I had the privilege of photographing the 1st benefit for the Moog Foundation at the Orange Peel, put on by the Asheville Affiliates. It was an wonderful event showcasing the life and mind of legendary synthesizer inventor and electronic music innovator Bob Moog, who has his production facilities here in Asheville. The Moog Foundation is raising money for scholastic musical programs, scholarships and a hands on electronic museum.
The several hundred people in attendance got to play the theremin, Moog synthesizers, keyboards, Moogerfoogers, and witness a live "studio recording" take place on stage, all while enjoying complimentary food and beverage. To cap the evening off, local band Telepath rocked out with a great set of music to send us on our way.
Here are a couple of the images I captured last night. To learn more or make a donation, please go to : http://www.moogfoundation.com
Enjoy!

Galactic @ The Orange Peel Nov 8th

What a night at the Orange Peel last night! Galactic brought the guests and the funk as they support their new album: From the Corner to the Block. Guests included Boots Riley, Mr. Lif and the Lifesavas. Stanton keep the house rockin' with his signature style hard hittin beats, being catapulted off his stool by his own energy as he came down on the cymbals like a ton of bricks. This band continues to impress me with their ability to change and edit their style while staying true to the NOLA Funk that runs through their veins. Great show!

Boots Riley keeps the crowd bumpin'


Mr. Lif

Ben Ellman with Stanton Moore up off his stool

Mr. Lif

Boots Riley

D'Aiello Family

Recently I had the pleasure of spending a beautiful afternoon with the D'Aiello family at the Arboretum. It was a perfect autumn day, dry leaves were on the ground, the air was crisp, and the fall colors surrounded us. We spent a couple of hours just cruising around, snapping pictures, laughing, and of course, playing in the leaves. Spending time with these girls reminded me how much fun I had when I was their age, running around with a big smile on my face all day and playing to my heart's content.
The D'Aiello's are a very loving, fun family and I had a blast hanging out with them! I hope I get a chance to do it again really soon.


In front of the "Big Purple Dandelion"


I got lots of big smiles from these two!


Playing in the leaves was a blast!

A Piece of Musical History

I must share with you an amazing and once in a lifetime opportunity I had recently. I am the photographer for the Moog Foundation which is based here in Asheville and is preparing to host their first Fund Raising Event at the Orange Peel on November 15th. The night will include the opportunity to see some of Bob Moog's personal archives, play Moog instruments, and see the band Telepath, all while raising money for a great cause. Please check out the Moog Foundation website for all of the details and to purchase tickets. While preparing for the big event, I had the unique privilege of photographing some of Bob Moog's instruments, one of which was the Moogfooger. In fact, it was the first ever (check out the serial number) Moogerfooger to be produced. In addion to the Moogerfooger, I got to photograph a patch board that belonged to Bob Moog. It was really amazing standing there with all of these amazing instruments and knowing that I was one of very few people to see these pieces of musical history. Bob Moog was a legend in his own time, and a pioneer in the music industry. A lot of my favorite bands use Moog equipment on stage today and Bob's products and legacy live on nightly in clubs and venues across the US and beyond.
I hope everyone will take the opportunity to come out on November 15th to support the Moog Foundation and take part in the celebration of a local musical legend, and the brilliant mind that was Bob Moog.

Note the serial number.


Detail of the Patch Board

Patch Board belonging to Bob Moog

Mr. Max Turns 1

My dear friend Max has just turned 1 year old, and I had the pleasure of being at his party to capture images of his exquisite cake eating skills. Max had a great day, having a whole cake to himself to do with as he saw fit, any 1 year old boy's dream! Max ate to his heart's content as family and friends surrounded him to wish him well and shower him with love.
Happy Birthday old man! See you soon.

Boys To Men Mentoring Weekend

Hello All...
I am posting to let everyone know I am off to take part in a Mentoring Weekend that helps boys (ages 12-18) in their transition to becoming young men. I am very excited to have the opportunity to be involved with this work. I feel strongly that society no longer honors the Rights of Passage and that lack of importance in society has larger, broader implications on the lives of boys and men.
The organization that puts on the event is called Boys To Men and they have several chapters around the US, mostly in major cities. The weekend is called the Rights of Passage Adventure and it takes place in the woods and allows boys to look at what works in their lives and what does not. Boys to Men provides boys with mentoring and modeling so that they learn integrity, accountability, compassion and respect. They help boys develop responsibility and guide them toward healthy manhood. It is my intention is to create a chapter here in Asheville to serve the South East.
I will be out of touch from Wednesday the 24th of October until Monday the 29th.
I hope you all have a great weekend, and look forward to the pictures I will bring back form my adventure.

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair a broken man." - Fredrick Douglas

Blue Ridge Parkway

My buddy Andy and I made it up to Grandfather Mountain and to the Linville Viaduct about a week ago and I grabbed this shot. I got very lucky and had one car coming and one car going while I had the shutter open. I like the detail in the railing supports that the headlights from the car moving away from me provided a lot. It is a heck of a perch to sit on and shoot from, you have to balance on the top of a very small, very steep rock outcropping to get the right angle. Hope you enjoy it.

New Website

Hello Again,
I wanted to let everyone know, after many hours and much ado, I have updated my children's portraiture site (www.jonleidelphotgraphy.com). Please drop by and check it out. It now has a calendar function for booking, slideshows and a whole new look. I am looking for feedback, so shoot me an e mail from the contact section and let me know what you think.
Thanks.
-Jon

An Afternoon with the Twins

Hello All...

I had the opportunity to spend a wonderful afternoon with 3 lovely children, two of whom were twins named Ella and Lauren. I met them and their brother and parents and went to UNCA campus and the Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of fun. The weather was great and we were able to roam around enjoying the sunshine. We cruised through campus, (some people may have thought that Ella and Lauren's folks were checking out schools a little early), played in the creek and ran around in the fields.
The girls are gorgeous and I am sure their brother will have his hands full when they grow up!
Here are some of the pictures from our adventure. Enjoy.

Oh, by the way, the word for the day was : Goldfish!
If you know anyone at Pepperridge Farms, let them know I know some new models for them!

Perry Farrell's Satellite Party @ The Orange Peel

Hello All,
New pictures from the Orange Peel. I got to rock out with Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiciton and Porno for Pyro's on September 10th. The show rocked, the setlist included a lot of Jane's songs, including Stop, Jane Says and Been Caught Stealing and Under a Tahitian Moon from Porno for Pyro's. Perry's energy level was through the roof and he sounded as good as ever. Hope you enjoy this sample of pictures. To see the whole gallery, please visit www.jonleidel.com and go to the "Band Images" link.
Enjoy. See Ya soon...I will be posting more pictures from the OP in the next couple of days, including Andrew Bird, and Rail Road Earth.

Eli Wolf McConnell

I recently had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot with a very hip, smart, funny, little man named Eli. Eli's Mom works in my building, and from the first minute I hung out with him, I knew I had to capture some images of his personality to share with everyone. Eli took direction in the studio very well, and was so much fun to "work" with that I was laughing and smiling the entire shoot. He loves school, loves to learn, likes his teacher, and is just a blast to be around. Since he likes learning so much, I thought it would be cool to bring in some props from my school days. As you can tell from the images we had a big 'ol time playing in the studio with the books and out on the balcony with his skateboard.