Altered Ego Images

Hi Everyone, I'm back!  Actually I never left, and as you probably know if you're here, I've been steadily building and shooting and planning for the last year, and things are finally coming together.  We relocated to the University area of Charlotte, as I had hoped we would when I came up with this whole studio idea.  We've got a great old house with lots of really interesting rooms and spaces, and best of all, there's a great big giant workshop building in my back yard!  It still has a lot of work to be done on it, especially considering it used to be a ceramics studio and everything is covered in clay dust... but it's a great big space, with plenty of room to get creative with lights and backgrounds and props and anything else I can think of, and it's absolutely perfect for a photo studio.  All of the recent Pin-up and Model work I've been doing recently has been shot there, and there is much, much more to come.

Right now, we're in the process of getting the business set up and legal, including hiring an accountant, setting up an LLC, and getting a Tax ID.  I will be joining the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), and will be fully licensed and insured as a photographer in NC.  Naturally all of this costs money, so I will need to begin looking for clients as soon as possible and getting this business started in earnest!

So, what kind of work am I really looking to do?  Well, I've been putting a lot of thought into this for the last year, and I have a few areas I would like to concentrate on, mostly focused around things I enjoy and am interested in.  This include things like rock and metal music, motorcycles, fantasy and science fiction, and older classic stuff like antiques, film noir and pin-up art.  I would like to explore these themes in my work, but I also like to mix and match things that might not necessarily seem to go together, like putting tattooed alternative models in a 50's pinup style, mixing innocence and naughtiness in interesting ways.  The main thing I really like to do though, is to work with my subjects to create a look and theme together, to allow them to express what they want to show, and striving to capture it in my own style.  To me, all portraiture is a collaboration between the photographer and the subject, so I don't generally come into a session with something specific in mind.  I want to hear what you want to become in our session, and we'll work together to realize that vision.  So if you have an idea for a shoot you'd like to do, and it seems to fit some of the themes I mentioned, then let me know and let's see what we can come up with!

But what about my concert photography?  Well, while I may not do quite as many shows as I used to, I am still very active in the local rock and metal scene, and am still booking shows and band promotional shoots.  I've moved my concert work to its own page here for MetalWarlokk Photography.  While I do have to limit the amount of work I do for free, I know the music scene is tough to make a living in so I will keep my rates very reasonable for local unsigned bands.  I wouldn't be doing any of this if it wasn't for the inspiration I got from the music scene to pick up a camera again and start shooting, and I want to give back as much as I can.  Besides, I love all these crazy musicians, and I couldn't imagine not still rocking out with them as often as possible.  So if you need some great live shots for your website, or if you need some studio shots for your press kit, or have a really cool idea for a poster or album cover, let me know and we'll make something awesome!

So that's all for now, I plan to do more entries here on the blog going forward so be sure to stop by now and then.  And if you've got something inside of you, something that's just a bit different, a little weird, maybe somewhat crazy, that you've been wanting to let out, then just drop me a line... we'll explore that Altered Ego, and create something amazing!