Thursday, November 5, 2009, 09:52 AM
As I mentioned in my previous blog post yesterday, Barcelona is an incredible band based in Seattle. Yesterday I posted a few Polaroid frames from their shoot, and today I'll post a few digital favorites. It was raining for the entirety of this shoot and I love the viby'ness we got from it. As photographers I think we can make the rain "work for us." I've learned to do that as I shoot through the fall and winter months in Seattle. I call all of my California photographer friends wimps because it is always rainbows, sunshine and butterfly's over there :). But the truth is you can't always re-schedule a session and their are times when you just have to roll with it and make it work for you... and sometimes it can truly make your shoot even better. This would be an example of how we let the foggy/wet mist set the tone for the entire shoot and it really worked for what we were going for. The band's music kind of has an introspective-rock feel to it so this weather aligned perfectly. A lot of photographers ask us what we do when it is raining too hard etc. Often times we will just pop in a local coffee shop/restaurant/store/bookstore/pub etc. and work with the window light that we have available to us. It's important to get out of our comfort zones sometimes and take life as it comes. If it rains... so what! You've got to have the confidence to know that you can still rock a shoot and deliver with excellence. So next time it rains, go for it... get out of your comfort zone and shoot anyway... you'll make amendments to make it work for you because that is inevitably what we do when we're uncomfortable... we ADAPT. This is a great example of that. If you want some happiness today check out these guys on iTunes... you wont be disappointed.



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Heather says: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 03:28 PM

Love this band! Amazing work. Love your style!!!

Mark Brooke says: Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 10:20 AM

WOAH! KILLED IT.

Tina says: Monday, November 9, 2009, 08:17 PM

My husband plays bass for Copeland and they just finished a tour with Barcelona...how crazy that I just stumbled onto your blog this week for the first time and saw these images! They have a great sound and your images capture that feeling!

Michelle Engvall says: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 08:14 PM

I am always inspired reading your blog. This shoot is amazing and love the music! Will be downloading their album this week!

ryan flynn says: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 04:42 PM

that is a beard to be proud of. i'm in envy.

Lesley says: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 06:56 PM

It's always fun to see what you'll get when it rains. We definitely have our challenges here in the Northwest, but it's worth it! I love cloudy gray days! :)

Kristen says: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 03:44 PM

that's too cool. chris led worship at my past church for a while.

sean says: Friday, November 6, 2009, 09:00 AM

your photos + their music = BRILLIANT

Bianca Valentim says: Friday, November 6, 2009, 08:26 AM

I LOVE to come here!!!
there is always something fresh and unique!
Sarahhhhh, you rock!!!!!!!!

Jane Hasty says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 07:27 PM

Awwwwwesome! Great advice on the weather too. I have had a lot of rain here in Chicago lately!

Alyssa Barajas says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 01:39 PM

Sarah, these are great. They are a perfect compliment to Barcelona's music. Very captivating photos. Well done!

Alexandra says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 01:12 PM

I'm loving these :)

Candice says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 12:55 PM

not a thing i don't like about these photos. fabulous. for real.

Lori says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:37 AM

LOVE these shots!!!!

Darby Cahill says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:17 AM

I love this band and these photos are fantastic. You rock, Sarah!

carl zoch says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:06 AM

these are awesome!!! everyone should own their album.

Also, Rhett's beard is all that is man.

carl zoch says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:04 AM

YES!

Everyone download their album. Love them!

Photos of awesome once again!

benj haisch says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:02 AM

that last one is sick.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 10:53 AM
Barcelona is an incredible band based in Seattle. We feel lucky to call them ours here in the great Northwest. Their music has graced my ears many a late evening as I am up editing...and we also are proud to consider these guys dear friends of Chris and I. So it was a true honor to shoot them. Barcelona has been making quite the name for themselves around the nation. It's not a wonder, their music is absolutely-intoxicatingly-addictive. It is a beautiful mix of my favorite elements from the piano driven Coldplay,  the melodic voice of Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, the rock of U2 and the introspective melancholy of Copeland. It's pretty safe to say that Barcelona is on the list of my top artists right now. And they should be on your top list too. 

They are a must have addition to your CD collection.
 
These are just a couple of Polaroids that Chris & I shot on their shoot. Full post from the shoot coming tomorrow. 

Polaroid 600SE Camera
Fuji FP-3000B Film


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Lindsey Brittain says: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 06:12 AM

I love Barcelona! These are great!

Patrina says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 04:28 PM

Beautiful work, guys. You continue to amaze me. And I'll def check out their music.

Jane Hasty says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:31 PM

very cool indeed!

Cassidy Dawn says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:17 PM

Amazing!
I just got the same camera...I am soo excited to be shooting with it...it's my dream camera :)

Love your work!

jamie delaine says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:01 PM

you just inspire the heck outta me.

Alexandra says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:47 AM

Very cool!

Emma Robertson says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:38 AM

The contrast in the first one makes it. I am going to listen to them.... right now....!

Gail says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:37 AM

LOVE THESE! Can't wait to see the rest! I'm right there with you on loving these guys. I think it's SO cool you got to work with them and they are now your friends! Their music just has a way to putting me at peace, much the way a Sigur Ros album can and does.

Wonderful work!

Dorothy Huynh says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:23 AM

first!! so good! :) thanks for sharing

Shaun Menary says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:18 AM

That first shot, inside at the table, is total magic. Great work!

susan yee says: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:09 AM

LOVE the first two! & love Barcelona

Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 10:19 PM
I am currently knee deep in editing this fantastical wedding and came across an image that made me smile. And of course I was doing my weekly cruise of one of my favorite love blogs le love and just loved this text and image together. LET'S LET IT HAPPEN. It is exactly what I needed to hear today. I have this constant internal battle because I am a free spirit trapped inside of a control freak's body! Oftentimes it's like my heart and my head are like an old married couple... they love one another but don't always see eye to eye :)  
At the end of the day I just need to LET IT HAPPEN. I need to trust my crazy intuitions and let go of the trivial things that really don't matter in the big picture. I have always known that things happen for a reason and that doors open and close in life for a divine purpose. I love that about life. It is an adventure to be embraced, enjoyed, relished and danced in... 

I'd love to leave you with a little something from a man who sits with me while I edit and plays me pretty music, this is one of my favorite tunes by William Fitzsimmons, "Everything has changed"



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Jo LeFlufy says: Friday, July 3, 2009, 01:49 PM

I just did a wedding and incorporated purple umbrellas into the shots. I loved the splash of color it added for color pops. I'm thinking about buying a whole schwackload of different colored/patterned umbrellas to add to my props. You can just use them for so many different shots!

Jonathan Frey says: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 11:57 AM

That's pretty tasty.

Jess P says: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 11:34 AM

William Fitzsimmons and the colors on these just GO TOGETHER :)

Kayleen T. says: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 06:29 AM

Love it! Can't wait to see more!

Justin James says: Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 11:05 PM

Love this. I've been a fan for a while and i really like your stuff. What font is that on the picture on the right?

Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 08:29 AM
I arrived at the Tractor Tavern last week to photograph a band for C3 Presents. To be honest I hadn't listened to the band I was there to photograph more than just a few songs on their myspace so I walked in not expecting much..... I walked out of Tractor Tavern with a very different opinion. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears made me dance, they brought a soulful funk combined with an indy 'dance' rock that I had never seen paired together before. It was magic. Saxaphones, electric guitar, an organ and a soulful singer leading the pack... it is a recipe for awesome. Everyone around me was dancing... and if they weren't dancing out of shame for their lacking dance skills they were smiling and clapping all the same. It was celebratory kind of music. Music that made you happy.

Esquire named them one of the top ten artists to watch break out of SXSW this year. Their album dropped about two months ago and they are killing it. These guys totally know how to boogie and I highly encourage those of you who like to be happy to go buy their latest album... it will not disappoint. OH and, next time you see me dancing like a goon in my car by myself, you will know why ;) 


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Lydia says: Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 08:29 PM

from Austin of course! you better come see us ACL-goers. miss you, ms. sarah.

imthiaz houseman says: Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 02:04 PM

i've seen so many people try to shoot bands...but this is what i love to see! well done.

Jonathan says: Thursday, June 4, 2009, 08:33 PM

I think I found a new artist to listen to for quite a while.

otto schulze photographers says: Thursday, June 4, 2009, 12:39 PM

Now that's what I call CAPTURING THE MOMENT! Well done guys!

Calvin says: Thursday, June 4, 2009, 09:15 AM

I love the b&w. Great emotion. Thanks for sharing.

Paul Retherford says: Thursday, June 4, 2009, 03:56 AM

Love the intensity. You can almost feel the passion in their career.

Bryan Decan says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 05:06 PM

Sweet shoot! How cool it must have been to get a gig shooting for C3 Presents. They produce the Austin City Limits Festival and Lollapalooza. How cool would it be to shoot ACL Fest this year?! You've got to try and get in on that! Heck, being that you're from Chicago, Lollapalooza would be right up your alley too!

Pascal says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 11:19 AM

Nice work on the colors and on documenting the atmosphere!

Jason & Crystal says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 11:03 AM

I really like this set Rhoads!

Briony says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 10:08 AM

these are wonderful! i am still learning how to capture stage performances.

Emily Grober says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 09:12 AM

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the show. The photos are fantastic, Sarah! Miss you!

Tonhya says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 09:07 AM

WoW. These are absolutely amazing! :D
Always stunning work.

scotty wade says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 08:57 AM

Epic shoot as always, thanks for sharing!

Jamie Delaine says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 08:56 AM

I danced like a goon the entire way back to Vancouver this morning. ;)

matthew lyons says: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 08:55 AM

beautiful images. to me, connecting with the subject tends to bring out the best, and really tell a story. i love the emotion and mood evoked with these images. it's as if i can hear the music while i'm looking at the shots. nice work, indeed.