marie-carrion

One point for me for not updating my journal in over a year!  That's kind of sad on my part, I do promise to start updating more.  I have my own website now, and will be updating a blog at least weekly which will coincide with this journal.  I've been busy trying to do more with my photography to make a career out of it.  My family is a very traditional sort of conservative bunch that wanted me to go to school to become a doctor or lawyer.  They think photography is just a hobby, which it is..I come alive with it, but I also know that I can make money from this.  I have May booked up with photography work from weddings to portraits to working the State fair.  I'm still trying to photography the Kentucky Derby this year as well as getting a media badge for Lollapalooza.  I've applied to various commercial photography studios around Kentuckiana, and I'm gathering a bunch of work to start selling stock photography.  I don't think I could really explain to my family how much this is apart of my life and is a passion.  I will not be working a job I hate everyday, to me that's not really living.  It's a way to get by, but it doesn't have to be that way.

I will be casting soon for my Bourbon Festival series which will be featured during the Bardstown, Ky's Bourbon Festival.  Along with that I hope to rent out a space for a temporary gallery, all of which I'm super excited about if it works out.  


Check out my website: amariephoto.webs.com/
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I was given the opportunity at short notice by Jrock Revolution to go to last years Taste of Chaos tour to interview and photograph the Japanese rock bands on tour, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The Underneath.  It was to be my first major interview and my second time photographing a concert.  Many of the photographs turned out amazing as you can see, but the interviews...?  I didn't have enough time to prepare good questions, I was so unsure of myself, and in the end I'm hoping I didn't ruin my connection with JRR.  I interviewed Tatsuro of Mucc and Hizumi of D'espairsRay first, and my shy nature really wrecked the interview.  Tatsuro broke up some of my nerves in the beginning when he was teasing the translators and performing wrestling moves on them backstage.  Tatsuro is seriously a trip in person.  I interviewed Taka of The Underneath after their set and was more comfortable with him I believe because I could still feel the energy from the concert.  He is a sweetheart.  If I had better questions and organized my thoughts better, it would have gone more smoothly.  I got more answers out of Tatsuro than Hizumi, I should have alternated between the two better, but I didn't.  I wanted to be professional, but I was a rookie...

My reflections on the concert is something else entirely.  I was escorted into the pit with the rest of the press during the first three songs of each set, and let the battle begin.  All the photographers, who were about my age, were all tripping over themselves and each other, some using their flashes like morons, and being as annoying as possible to everyone.  My deepest concern was being annoying to the artists and their fans, even though I am one too, I don't want to ruin the fun for those who paid.  Photographers tend not to get that much respect in concert photography because of that vulture like nature, and I don't want to be like that.  I would rather gain some sort of respect from the artist by getting out of their way and also delivering a great shot.  Annie Leibovitz really comes to mind when she toured with the Rolling Stones.  

The music was amazing.  I do love concert photography because I love the energy and the passion the artists put into each and every song, and I want to do so much more with concert photography if there were closer venues.  Each artist commanded the stage in their own way, especially in comparison with the western artists.  

Right now, I am applying to be a concert photographer for a magazine out of Las Vegas as well as inquiring about touring with the Warped Tour around America.  My fingers are crossed.

Anyway, hope you like my photographs!

I'd first like to thank the burcuss, BellalleB, and IotaSorez's, who have all featured me lately in their journals!

To recap from the last entry, I gave up on trying to retrieve my previous account.  It's really a shame that I had to start over, but there's nothing more I can do.  I never got to go to Japanoodle Fever or the Dir en Grey concerts in Atlanta due to lack of funds.  Everyone is feeling the pinch in their pockets, and it really means less concert and convention photography opportunities for me.  I really need to find a career oriented job so I can stay on top of my work.  Oh, and I should probably stop procrastinating.

Most of the more recent photo deviations are set photos from the indie film "The Old Winter" by John Coulter of Tunnell Mill Pictures in Bardstown, Kentucky.  John is an amazing down to earth person to work with, and his cinematography skills seriously rival many of those working in Hollywood today.  In John's words, " 'The Old Winter' is about a poor man living during the Depression suffering from severe physical and emotional isolation. He attempts suicide but is interrupted by a neighbor bringing him a letter from a girl (Clara) who turns out to be his daughter and that he has never met. They spend one day together and she somewhat restores his faith in himself. She then accidentally kills herself with his shotgun."  I only got to spend one day on set when I went back to visit my family in Kentucky, but after the first day I really wished I could be there everyday.  I've considered moving back just to work on this film with them, but I know right now it is impossible.  I'm very excited to see the outcome of this film though.

Later today I will be posting another entry about my 2008 Rockstar Taste of Chaos experience along with several of the photographs.

Go to John Coulter's myspace page www.myspace.com/johnacoulter to view a few of his short films.  You can also check out John's beautiful and talented wife's, Anna, music videos there as well.

I use to frequent DA a lot when I had the account MarieWimsa here www.mariewimsa.deviantart.com, but to I cannot retrieve that password.  I haven't been able to retrieve it for several months now, and DA.com have ignored all my requests.  So, to make it simply put, I made the duplicate account (even though they advise against it, they won't help me retrieve my old account) so I can continue as a part of deviant art.

I had some trouble uploading photos earlier, but I'm alright now.  Over the next few days I'll be uploading some old and some new work.  Around 100 or more photographs, so please come back to look at them all.  You can view most of them now at www.flickr.com/photos/lavariel .

I'll chat more about who I am in another entry, but I will explain what I'm currently up to.  I've been trying to keep myself more busy lately.  I'll lose my mind if I don't find more work for me to do.  I will be attending Japanoodle Fever in September to hopefully be doing more concert photography of a few japanese rock bands, as well as in November if I can get a hold of Dir En Grey's band management.  I've decided to sponsor myself as a member of the press instead of under the cover of the collage newspaper and Jrock Revolution.  I will also be the still photographer for a SCAD grad thesis film called "Alone Together" coming up in October.  So, I've got a lot to do at the moment, but to me it's certainly not enough.

Too bad there's no closer venues to Savannah.

I'll explain more about everything when it gets closer to those dates.