Monday, July 19, 2010

Fresh & Fabulous at Sarnia Bayfest









My life is full of experiences and it is these moments that shape me, recreating a new me each and everyday. One night at Sarnia's Bayfest and my life has been transformed once again! Having the opportunity to work with a great local radio station, The Eagle 103.3fm as their official photographer at Bayfest Sunday was definitely a dive into musical bliss for this shutterbugging music lover! The line up included such a diverse group of performers who all brought their "A" game to the stage! The great crew at The Eagle 103.3Fm, it was a pleasure to work with you! Your support of local talent is unmatched!














Opening act went to Art of Fresh, a smooth flowing hip hop duo with amazing talent! Originally from Sarnia, these guys have earned their place amongst the best in today's movement of FRESH hip music. Just back from a tour in Japan, D.O. and Slakah definitely exceeded anyone's expectations on the Bayfest stage! Well done guys, it was such a pleasure to meet you!












































Next up was Hello Bella, one of Sarnia's own dynamic groups. A great following in the crowd, this band was able to ramp up the excitement in the park, sharing their original and cover songs. All the while having a great time on the big stage! Super show HB!


























Wild Domestic certainly lit a fire with their high energy performance. Another local band that were chosen to rep this fine city of talent, they certainly did not dissappoint an enthusiastic crowd that awaited them. The cheers were loud and the spontanious singing by the onlookers was a great indication that Wild Domestic has an extremely bright future! Well done WD, loved your creatively dynamic and original sound! Great jersey by the way!

























It was great excitement that I awaited the next band in the front of stage area...Down with Webster arrived and the crowd went crazy...Wow what a fierce band DWW are! Their music pounded out the speakers and through my body as I passed by the towering rows of black boxes in search of some great shots! Being right beneath them and treated to "Rich Girl" was an amazing experience to say the least. One of my favourite bands on the scene right now, their energy on stage was incredible...ahhhh!!!!! Just loved the whole performance!

















































And then there was One...












The crowd knew she was coming and could hardly handle the intermission music that seem to play on endlessly! Finally, the fire burst onto the big screens and on came the Black Eyed Peas to the Bayfest Stage...and worth the wait it was! Fergie was stunning in all of her wardrobe changes, bringing a new sexiness to a hungry crowd with each song she belted out. The light show, the perfectly coreographed dancers, the video showcase high above the stage, the total commitment to the show = a wickedly cool performance of epic proportions for the fans who were lucky enough to have bought a ticket! I was having a hard time taking pictures at times as I so entranced with it all! Here are some of my favs from the BEP extravaganza!
































































































































What an adventure I have had! Whew, that one wore me out! heehee

A huge congratulations must go out to Michelle Stokely of Sarnia who is the organizer/visionary for this award winning event! Her tireless efforts and those of her team are very much appreciated by this photographer and the entire city in which we live. Now take a breather before you start planning next year's lineup M!

Please join me on facebook to see more photos from this event!

Lots to check out here:


























Thank you for checking out my latest adventure! You know there is more to come!!!!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

9House Rocks the Firehouse

The St Clair Township Fire Dept knows how to have a good time! When these brave volunteer firemen are not out saving lives and looking after their community, they are hosting a grand weekend filled with family fun, a parade, live demonstrations, a two pitch tourney and of course my favourite, live music and celebration! This annual event, "Corunna Firefighter's Field Day" is in its 32nd year with no signs of slowing down.











Friday night's headliners were 9House...a tight & talented crew captained by lead singer Kraig Nienhuis. The set list was refreshing, filled with new & hip hits complimented by the smooth sounds of the classic rock of days gone by...something for everyone in this show, that's a definite! Having an opportunity to shoot this band was a genuine pleasure as observing these passionate musicians in their element certainly was an amazing experience for this photographer!

























































The combined talent of Jamie (bass), Tony (drums) and Brian (lead guitar) with Kraig's finely tuned showmanship, outstanding voice with the raw, unending energy on stage gave the packed crowd something to celebrate into the wee hours of the night!

One of the surprizes of the evening for the crowd was certainly the visit of Kraig's good friend from the NHL, Bob Probert - yes, the tough guy himself from the Detroit Red Wings showed up to support his friend, mingle with the hockey fans/firefighters and then proceed to get up on stage and belt out a tune with 9House backing him up! What a hidden gem of a singer Bob Probert was! Thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance!!



























Another great adventure in the books! A super time had by all, thank you to the Corunna Firefighters for the great evening of live music and for keeping us all safe. To 9House, what a kick a$% show! Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of us mere mortals! :)














Networking makes the world go 'round!
To book the 9House band (or Kraig as a solo artist) for your next event, please visit:


To support the Corunna Firefighter's Field Day please visit: http://www.corunnafire.com/

Need promo shots for yourself and/or your band? Have an event coming up you would like a talented photographer to capture for you? Family or individual shots? Then it is definitely time to contact me!





































Until the next adventure! Take care of you, Kxo

Sunday, April 25, 2010

A Musical Fix for the Cause

There are two particular passions in my life that I get totally absorbed in on a surreal level at times! Photography and live music reach inside and comfort, excite and awaken my spirit with each note played, each frame captured. Any opportunity I have to re-energize my passion, I will be there with a smile on my face and camera in hand!

This particular event was at a local establishment, with a great cause in mind. FIX Magazine, an online entertainment magazine for the Sarnia Lambton Area hosted this gathering, all in the name of The Canadian Breast Cancer Society. Well done to Jess Pedlar for your exhaustive efforts promoting the ever so talented artistic community that we live in!


A special shout out to the Eagle Radio Station, 103.3fm. The wonderfully colourful Gary Connors & Bumble were broadcasting live, interviewing the musicians and kept us all entertained as usual! For those who are new to the music scene in this area or new emerging artists that may be reading this....Gary Connors is one of the biggest advocates for promoting local music and musicians! I urge you to contact him with your music! We should all be thankful to have him in our corner for the future of our local talent! I am blessed to call him my friend! Thank you Gary!

The fans were treated to a wonderful experience as Shelly Rastin and her band belted out soulful music in an acoustic setting. Wow, truly thankful I was there to enjoy that! Crow Jane and Whiskey River Band brought such diversity to the lineup, what an entertaining evening for all to enjoy!

In short, I love my life! It is filled with the beautiful sounds from creative spirits that I have the honour of catching with my lens!

Happy to announce my photos were published in Fix Magazine, April Edition...visit http://www.fixmagazine.ca/ and click on the mag to see full screen version!

As networking makes the world go round, please check out these websites:
Until the Next Photographic Event! Kxo

Friday, December 11, 2009

Baby It's Cold Outside

Occasionally some of the coolest adventures happen with such spontaneity that we just have to hang on for the ride! Last minute texts about a photo shoot equaled a fantastic evening of expression and freezing cold fun! The project: "Baby's It Cold Outside", a new single from some very talented artists - namely my friend and country singer Kira-Jade, Jamie Prokop from London (Mercy Train) and The Murray Williams Band, was produced at I AM Studios in Brantford. Please watch for artist links at bottom of this blog!

After a hot cuppa and a chat about the creative concept looking to be achieved from this venture, it was time for the magic to begin! Bringing these two together in my lens was entertaining and filled with a natural chemistry that was exquisitely evident once the shoot began. Kira-Jade a natural, angelic, heaven sent beauty and Jamie a wonderfully handsome gent with dynamic, effortless charm. This photographer's dream team perhaps? Add in softly falling snowflakes and the evening was pretty much perfect! Below are some of my favourite shots from our time together...enjoy and know I am available to capture your beautiful spirit when you are ready!
Kira-Jade & Jamie - first shots of the night...had to know it was going to be a good evening of shooting!!




We then moved on to other favourite spots that are readily accessible within this geographic location! Kira-Jade and I had explored these before during our first photo shoot together, so it was great to hear the excitement in her voice about returning to "the red doorway", "the alley" with new locales to experience along the way!
Speaking of natural on-camera chemistry....


The "wall of words" was the turning point for Jamie...his inner male model "tude" was awoken and there was really no stopping him after that!




No worries that Kira-Jade had any troubles keeping up to him!! Wow...


Two incredible talents brought together!


The result...a fantastic CD cover for an amazingly fresh and fantastic version of a timeless classic. Creative by Jamie Prokop, KILLPRO productions - great work Jamie!



Networking & promoting one another are keys to our success! Please click on one of the links below to listen to and then download your copy of Baby It's Cold Outside.
http://www.kirajade.bandcamp.com/

http://www.jamieprokop.bandcamp.com/

http://www.murraywilliamsband.bandcamp.com/

Full musical credits can be found through these above links...congratulations to all on such a successful venture! Thank you for the adventure! Artist links for your enjoyment and ongoing support:

www.myspace.com/kirajade1 www.myspace.com/jamieprokop
www.myspace.com/mercytrainmusic I AM Music Studios -Facebook

Looking forward to the next adventure and to sharing it with all of you!!