A short-notice opportunity popped up this week. I was asked to take the official photos for the country music legend Vince Gill concert in Dothan, Alabama. It was a great musical event, and a challenging one as a photographer. If you've followed me, you know music photography is  a passion of mine. This was a challenging venue. Fortunately, I had the right gear and it ended up working out great. 

Vince Gill sounds as great as ever, and it was an amazing show. Its an experience I not to be missed. As a bonus, he has a star in her own right in his band, Wendy Moten. She was a finalist in 2021's "The Voice" and is an incredible singer.  

Please enjoy the images. Thanks to Sarah and Adam at Six String Southern Productions for the opportunity to capture the show. 

I've been stupid-level busy at writing. 

The final installment of epic fantasy series is in full production mode. So much so, that I really don't have time at the moment for an in-depth blog post.  I've been in front of my computer every available moment hammering out chapter diagrams, researching my previous novels in the series, and actually writing chapters.  Therefore, I didn't have any time this week to put together a in-depth post here on the website. 

With that said, I'm going to try to have something next week. I hope you understand, but I REALLY want to finish this novel.

Thanks,
​Brian 

​Summer is coming to end. Where I live in the deepest of the deep south, it won't start cooling down for at least two months, but autumn makes her presence known in other ways. The kids are back at school. A few leaves are dropping in the backyard. The days are getting shorter. 

The seasons seem to pass like pages in a book written to be skimmed, not deeply read. In my mid-50s, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to slow it down. This is the way it is, I guess.  Summer 2022's page has almost flipped. 

While a great deal of this summer was spent with family and friends, I tried to get some writing and photography in, too.  What did I get done this summer? 

On the fiction front, the final installation in the Chronicles of Fu Xi has a title - "Time of the Spear". For those who follow the books, you might know that is a term from the first novel.  I've been busy diagramming the novel and working on character development models and subtext. Since this is the last novel in the series, I have to get everything tied up neatly. That requires a lot of work.  It would be bad leaving a character hanging or a plot hole. 

 I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with early morning and late evening writing sessions. 

If you love epic novels, world-building fantasy, history or mythology, I invite you to explore my novels. A great place to start is The Golden Princess. It comes in paperback, e-book and audiobook (which is awesome!) Its a short novel, and a great introduction to my writing, and the greater world I've created through my novels. You can discover all my novels on my author page. 

On the photography front, my next book project is well underway. I'm reluctant to go into any detail on what its about other than to say its simultaneously contemporary and based on Alabama history. I've amassed about 50 good images and the basic outline of the narrative. 

​What I also did a lot of this summer was ride my motorcycle. Equipped with a tail bag optimized for camera gear, it has become my magic carpet and primary means of transportation when I'm taking photographs.  It seems I've put a lot of miles on my bike.  According to people who know about motorcycles, I've put on more miles than usual on my Harley. The bike gives my photography an added level of adventure and I love riding it. No regrets. As soon as it gets out of the shop for a busted back tire, I'll put more miles on it. 

Friends crack jokes and wonder if my new bike is a manifestation of some sort of mid-life crisis. If a woman of a certain age gets a boob job, a makeover and a new wardrobe, it's "You go, girl!" If a man of a certain age gets a new sports car, its "Bob must be having a mid-life crisis."  Bobs just want to have fun. 

When you're young, you have no money but lots of energy and time. Once you have time and money, you're old and have no energy. I'm at a place in my life I have have a little more of everything except hair. It's not a crisis, it's just opportunity and time coming together. Why wouldn't one take advantage of life's opportunities and live a little? 

Speaking of opportunities, I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with photography, writing and maybe just a little riding on the side. I also hope to be attending several art and book festivals as the weather cools down. Please visit my events calendar to get up to speed on book signings, galleries and speaking engagements. 

It's my hope I have two new books in 2024 - a novel and a photography book. Keep checking back for updates. Thanks for stopping by. 

I like pushing my personal boundaries as a photographer. Last week's portrait sessions at Harley Davidson of Dothan was one of those times. A friend asked me to donate my services for charity in support of the Christian Motorcyclists Association. For a few bucks, someone could get a portrait with with their motorcycle. All proceeds went to CMA's faith-based community work. 

A huge Thank You to Falon and all the people at Harley Davidson of Dothan/Holland Motorsports for all the help getting the space to do the photoshoot.  Thanks to CMA for helping with set-up, tear-down, moving and wiping down bikes.

​Essentially, I had to set up a temporary photo studio on-site. I'd done this before on a smaller scale, but nothing on this big. The backdrop had to be large enough for person and motorcycle. It took me about an hour for set up, and I was surprised how well it turned out, but I had three significant challenges: Light, floor and backdrop. 

 I only had limited control over light, but I was pleased with the results.  We couldn't turn off all the lights, and there was some "warm light" leakage from skylights, but overall it worked out well.  Really well, actually. However, the floor presented more of a problem, and opportunity, in this area than I had expected.

The bright blue floor, complete with paintings of sea-life, presented a challenge for both light and safety. I had brought black floor cloths to cover the floor, but they proved to be too slippery on the smooth surface and had to be initially abandoned. Fortuneatly, CMA brougt in black floor mats that held my drop cloths in place. However, in a few shots I actually used the blue floor to reflect light to accentuate blue motorcycle paint on a few bikes. That worked out well.   

I needed a wider backdrop, which forced me to stay tight on the motorcycles. This wasn't  a big deal, as it just forced me into a different photography style, which actually worked better than my original concept.  I quickly realized the motorcycle shouldn't'  be the focus, the riders should be the focus. The bike is an extension of the rider, not the other way around. 

​One of my dreams is to design a mobile photo studio, and this event went a long way in testing some of those concepts. ​

I learned a lot of lessons at this photoshoot, and had  a great time. If you're interested in a portrait session with your motorcycle or vehicle (or any portrait session), contact me to schedule a mini-session.

I haven't had any time to blog, as I've been too busy taking images. I'll leave you with this image, which was a favorite of mine from a recent photoshoot. 

That's all for this week. I'll try to have something more substantial next week.