Why?
I take photos because I'm an old guy that grew up in the punk / hardcore / indie / DIY subculture and received everything from it.
This is my way of giving something back.
Selfishly, it's also a way for me to be creative in a time of my life when being tapped into the scene on a more in-depth basis just isn't possible. Old people stuff, you know.
I take photos because I played in bands back when photo equipment was not ubiquitous. And I played in bands that didn't have the budgets to have photographers attend our shows—nor were we interesting enough to have media send theirs.
So, most of my musical "career" is very poorly documented.
I want to play my part documenting the culture, the people, the bands, the venues and all that good stuff. I want every old person from this scene in 2050 to look back at the 2020s and have at least some proof of what they did.
This scene is for the people and by the people. Let's keep it active, let's keep it non-commercial.
And let's keep it diverse. I take a lot of photos of old people on stage playing music of my youth. But what I love the most is taking photos of people in their teens and 20s finding their own way. In my day, this was a predominantly white male scene. We didn't pause to realize it because society lacked the tools to have that conversation. Today is different. Let's make sure this scene has space for all permutations of the intersectional spectrum.
Bands, venues, promoters
I do this strictly on a non-commercial basis.
I don't expect to get paid, I don't expect free passes.
For larger venues, I do appreciate a photo pass that gives me access to side stage, photo pit or whatever other restricted area you have that'll allow me to do my thing better.
But I will pay full fare for tickets. That $15 is nothing to me, but it's a big deal for a young touring band.
All of my photos are available to be used, royalty-free at no cost.
Want to put it on a flyer, slap it on a shirt, even press it on your album cover? GO NUTS!
I do appreciate the credit (link to this website or my IG) as the exposure does help me gain access and a heads-up would be nice as I like seeing my photos being used. But all images of your likeness are yours as much as they are mine.
Same deal for venues and promoters. If you've got a show coming up with a band I've photographed: feel free to use these pics as you wish.
You can download all the photos on this website in high res—and you can hit me up for RAW files.