70,000 Tons of Metal Photographs!

Here is my sort of "All Star" group of all the bands I shot on the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise.  By far one of the coolest experiences of my entire life!!  If you have not done the cruise before, do it! It is the best ever.


Thunderdome at Knotfest, California 2015

Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum in Richmond, Va!

Alex Skolnick from the Modern Heavy Metal Academic Conference in Helsinki

I have not posted anything from the trip I took a while back to Helsinki, Finland for the Modern Heavy Metal Conference.  I will admit it was a huge eye opener, and truly provided a 'home' for people like myself who not only love metal music but also are academic or do research on all things metal.   Going there was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I learned a lot and also met some amazing people from all over the world!  Here is the full presentation given by Alex!  Thanks to Alex for letting us all view this.


One Night in Savannah

I made a recent trip back to Savannah to visit some old friends.  Needless to say Savannah at night is truly a spectacle with all the inebriated people and odd situations.  All of the photographs here are in order of the time they were shot, so come with me on my journey of one night in Savannah. 

Maryland Deathfest 2015 !

Hello all!  I have survived (barely) my first Maryland Deathfest and it was awesome!  Many bruises and sore body parts later, I finally spent the day going through my photographs.  Many of you I met for the first time at this fest and it was a thrill to meet fellow metalheads from all over the world.  Please feel free to use my photographs, just PLEASE CREDIT me is all I ask.  I am a professional photographer so my images mean a lot to me.  CHEERS ALL !  \mm/

Italian Blues Singer/Guitar Player - Tito!

I had the joy of documenting and witnessing the soulful tunes of Italian blues singer and player, Tito Esposito, over the past few months.  He is now back in Italy, but I had a great time shooting him.


Tragedy Strikes Us

Everyone in the metal community near and far are still picking up the pieces from the recent van accident that claimed 3 of us while two bands, Khaotika and Wormreich, were on tour.  Those of us close to them are all devastated, but if anything this incident reminds us how much we care for each other and how strong the community is.  I wanted to share this video I did of Wormreich back in May 2014.  None of these guys deserve what happened to them, these people have good hearts and are good friends.  My heart goes out to their families and we as a community can only get stronger as a result of this.  Trying to think about the positive. 

Some more information about the incident, here ... Creative Loafing

 

I  AM DONATING 70% OF ALL SALES OF MY ATLANTA METAL DOCUMENTARY TO HELP THESE FAMILIES.  I WOULD LIKE TO SPLIT IT UP SOMEHOW BETWEEN THESE FOLLOWING FUND PAGES.

Paul Truesdell Family

Ashley and Mia (girlfriend and unborn child of Ian McKinney)

Pezz, Trish and Skully Hospital Fund


and any others as they come up. Thank you -  Emily

 

Sadistic Ritual @House Show 3/2/2015

                                        House shows are rad!

Dispossessed Thesis Show Conclusion!

Thanks again to everyone who came out to my thesis photo show and film screening of my documentary Atlanta Metal.  Thanks to all the bands who played!  It was a great success! The dvd Atlanta Metal is available for sale here on my website. Just look for the Atlanta Metal DVD page!

 

Mastodon, Gojira and Kvelertak Review

Back in December of 2008 I saw the french metal band Gojira for the first time as the opening act for In Flames.  I must admit I had not heard of them before the show.  To the best of my recollection they opened up the setlist with Oroborus, and it was during that song that I was hooked.  They played with such high energy, it was like a punch in the face, and this song from their album The Way of All Flesh made me an immediate fan.  I saw them once more at the Masquerade in September 2010 and most recently on November 7, 2015 with local Atlanta metal trailblazers Mastodon.  I have seen Mastodon several times but I was mostly excited to see Gojira again.  They played old songs from The Way of All Flesh and From Mars to Sirius, and new songs from their most recent album L'enfant sauvage.  

Gojira brings a certain french flair to their music, they add so much creativity to their videos and their music in a Je ne sais pas kind of way.  Having lived in South France myself for awhile I can say these guys really bring the emotion of that part of the world into their music.  It's melodic, it's heavy, it's ethereal, and it's awesome!  Go check them out if you haven't!

http://www.gojira-music.com/

This was my first time seeing the Norwegian band, Kvelertak who opened for Gojira and Mastodon.  They were a fun opener for the other bands as the SOLD OUT show was packed to the brim with local metal fans there to support Atlanta's Mastodon and also Gojira.  I left the night having gotten the lead singer of Kvelertak's beer spray on me and also some drips of Joe Duplantier from Gojira's sweat on me.  Hey, I'll take it!

http://kvelertak.com/



Eluveitie, Metsatoll and Tyr : Folk Metal Show in Atlanta

America

"There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough - there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph." - Robert Frank

These are some photographs from a recent trip from Georgia to Maryland and back.  Many images are inspired by Robert Franks' photographs in his book The Americans.    Much like Frank, I never talk to my subjects, if there are people in my images at all.  I am more of a drive by capturer.  These images are displayed in the order they were taken and represent the beginning to the end of my journey.