Scenes form downtown Asheville

Lately I have been spending a lot of time in front of the computer, editing, emailing, and doing research. All of these things are necessary for me to do in order to maintain my business and the development of Boys To Men Asheville and I need to keep my sanity, so I have been forcing myself to put the mouse down and go and shoot for an hour or two.
The following images are from 3 different days that I looked out my studio window and said "Wow, it's too nice outside to sit here anymore!" and went and shot some images around downtown.
I am putting together images in preparation of making cards and small prints to sell during the Holidays (if I can get it all in order) so I would love to hear some feedback.

Hope you enjoy the images.

Jon


Tired


Asheville Commute


Wisdom in his stare


Moped


Nature finds a way


Society's reflection


Sometimes


Light and Heavy


Purple Mountain's Majesty


Relics


Round and Blue


Round we go


Moving in place


City Hall


Charmed moments


Back of the bus


Light Shadow


Yellow window


Plug In


Pay Up


Remember to leave something for them...


Bare Beauty


Who is holding up who?


Art and Metal


Self Portrait


Fan Blew


Hello Lamp post...


Light Lines


Garage with a view


Golden Afternoon


Aspire


Your table is red


Health and Safety


Colorful get-a-round


Spicy

Independent Music Awards

The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards added a Photography category this year to their existing list of award categories. They describe themselves as follows:

The Independent Music Awards helps Indie artists & releases worldwide overcome mainstream obstacles by placing Winners & Finalists in front of more than 15 Million new fans via yearlong promotion, marketing & distribution programs.

Supporting a wide spectrum of music genres from Punk to New Age and design categories including Music Video, Album Art & Swag, IMA Winners benefit from yearlong promotion, marketing & distribution programs via print, broadcast & online initiatives.

Entries received from the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Japan, Guam, Argentina, Cuba, Israel, Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Italy, Greece, Nigeria, Turkey, Estonia, Russia, Ireland and the UK reflect the program’s stature and reach throughout the independent music community.

Created by Music Resource Group, publisher of the Musician’s Atlas and interactive AtlasOnline, and co-sponsored by online retailers eMusic & PureVolume; digital network ManiaTV; radio promotion gurus The Planetary Group, HIP Video Promo, The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), Burnside Distribution and MediaGuide, IMA Winners & Finalists are promoted to more than 15 Million music fans and key industry players including:

• Commercial, Public & College Radio Programmers
• Music Journalists
• Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors
• Club & Festival Talent Buyers
• Ad Agencies
• National & Regional Promoters
• Music Fans

So, I was very excited when they contacted me directly to ask me to submit images to the competition. The trick was finding musicians that are unsigned, or signed to completely independent labels in my archives. I decided to go with all LOCAL Musicians images. Here are the images I submitted.
The categories I submitted to are:
Artist / Band Publicity Photo
Concert Photography
Keep your fingers crossed for me and go support local live music!




Laura Reed @ AmJam


The New Familiars @ AmJam


Back Door Slam @ OP (The only band that wasn't local. They are from the Isle of Man off the coast of England) Watch out for these guys, the are young and rock the blues like early Led Zep, no joke!


The Goodies @ OP


Yo Mamma's Big Fat Booty Band @ Mooged out @ OP


Menage @ Mooged Out @ OP


Yo Mamma's Big Fat Booty Band @ Mooged Out @ OP


Strut Promo - The best dressed band in Asheville


Love the sweet rides!


Bass in yo face


Love this shot


Mad Style


My Favorite

De La Terre

I had the opportunity to shoot some product shots of a new line of skin care products about to hit the market recently. Normally, product shots aren't all that exciting but the product and the packaging itself is so beautiful, I thought I would post a couple of shots from that afternoon.




Full Product Line - I love the packaging, very simple, very elegant.


Herb Rich Clay


Herb Rich Salt


Herb Rich Oils


Herb Rich Tea


Facial Massage Stones


Facial Massage Stones in action


Crystal Bowl - This was the most challenging shot of the day. It is also my favorite.

Max and Lindsey

A week and a half ago I got a chance to go down to the Piedmont to visit with some dear friends of mine from college. They have just had their second child, a little girl named Lindsey who is absolutely gorgeous. ( I think the pictures will speak for themselves) I had so much fun with all of them and going to the pool brought back such wonderful memories of my own childhood when my only concern was how long I could stay in the pool until I turned into a complete prune. If life could only go back to being so care-free.
Their first child, Max, is already becoming a little man, his personality shining through all of his expressions, and I tell you, he has plenty of them!

Here are a couple of my favorite images from my visit.

Love you guys!




Max's eyes say so much already.


Miss Lindsey... I wasn't lying about the eyes... was I?


Dad and his little girl... too cute.


One thing learned during my visit... Lindsey is not a big fan of carrots.


Rockin out with the toothbrush microphone!


"Hey buddy... Is that an expensive camera you brought into my bath tub... can I see it?!"

Family Fun at the Botanical Gardens

Hello All! What a great day I had with Avigial, Cashion and Reid's extended family at the Botanical Gardens 2 weeks ago. I just love that their Grandma wanted to get the family together for family portraits but wanted to make sure that we would have fun with the kids at the same time. I told her that having fun with the kids was my specialty and that I don't take pictures without making sure we mix in a good helping of laughter, silliness, and plain 'ol fun! The Gardens on UNC Asheville provided the perfect spot to get some great images, let the kids play in the water and have a good time. I got to hang out with 2 fantastic brothers and their cousin who was visiting from New Jersey and I had such a wonderful time with all of them. Thanks again to Bunny for setting it all up! I kept the shutter snapping and got some beautiful shots of the kids and of the family all together, not that it was too difficult with such a gorgeous group!





Caught in the act!


Avigial is a natural, what a smile!


Two cousins having a blast in the creek.


The Reid man cometh. This boy loves mud!


I love the colors in this shot, the blue sky reflecting in the water...perfect!

Sabrina and Rob June 22, 2008

Congratulations to Sabrina and Rob who joined together in a beautiful ceremony on June the 22nd in the sacred mountains of Western North Carolina. I have known Sabrina for many years and was truly blessed to be in the presence of her and Rob as they got married. Thanks to Michael for allowing the bride and groom to have their ceremony take place on his land, the magic and energy of the place permeated the entire day. The rain that we experienced was the perfect gift from mother nature to bless Sabrina and Rob's union.
Here are a couple of the images from the special day.




A prefect dress for Sabrina.


I love how happy Sabrina looks in this image.


A little rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits.


What a beautiful setting with a beautiful bride.


The blessed couple.


An ancient tree cradles the new couple.