Eight years ago, this very week, I took a trip to Los Angeles and pushed myself to be a better photographer for the first time in my life. I’ve been reminded of these memories over the last few days and really wanted to share them again and tell their story.
I had the best time staying with Nick, Misi, Austin, and a baaaaby Tesla in their house. We had cat birthday parties and some awesome eggy breakfasts listening to The War on Drugs, and a snake slithered above my head every night.
Nick drove me out to Laguna Beach and we talked a lot about how the paradigms of independent musicianship were shifting. This lookout was so beautiful to me and I pushed myself to capture it the exact way I saw it.
Whenever I wasn’t with everyone at Casa Perri, I hung out and crashed with John Bach for days of amazing food, and hitting places that were touristy but still felt cool. Canters made me feel like I stepped into a Tom Waits song and I unlocked a whole new appreciation for it when we were out of minds for food at 2am. This photo energized me so much. I knew I’d gotten something I loved, and I wanted to feel that way again. It remains one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken.
John was an awesome host sure we all got to hang out with Brian Weaver, and Dean Passarella, and a bunch of very cool people who quickly accepted me in. A photo I took of Tesla’s (non working) coil had us writing movie script ideas for an hour. Two years later someone made the exact movie we brainstormed that day. Even had the same cast we’d made up.
The last night there we hung out on John’s roof and I know this moment felt like a perfect reason to try again to take something that really captured how I was feeling. When I think back on photo moments when I wish I knew then what I know now, this one always pings me. Took it eight years ago this week.
I was out there in part to document some band stuff with Mount Holly. Long hours in rooms with musicians talking about their favorite music with my phone as my camera and just loving it all.
This photo of Nick was a clincher for me as soon as I shot it. I knew my skills were getting sharper and I wanted to push myself to get more refined at capturing my view of a moment, and I wanted to make sure I could do it again with more skill and less accident.
I was also out there meeting with a company to talk about opportunities, and hung out with terrific people showing me the best time. I pushed myself to document it so I had it memorialized.
Life is teaching me recently how important it is to jot down our stories in places where people can find them after we’re gone. It’s the only way we’ve been able to preserve our family histories, and they are fragile and easily lost to time.
Making this story literally - technologically & algorithmically - helps me document mine. I’m truly grateful for the lesson that it’s important we document our stories. Stories are what we leave behind.
Thank you for taking the time to look at mine.