Mackinac Island Music Festival Favorites

Although it was a few weeks ago now, I still cannot seem to get the joy that the Mackinac Island Music Festival brought me out of my heart--but why would I want to?

These award winning musicians don't fail to put a smile on my face, whether backstage or onstage. I think the biggest compliment came, when several of them came up to me and requested that I crawl around onstage and get in their face, because they like to have me up there, jiving with them.
I was floored. This may be the only event that I am not seen as the annoying photog, and welcomed as a friend and a collaborator. Thanks guys!

Jill Jack plays with my heart, and her lovely scarf.

Gary Rasmussen

Billy Brandt and Sarana Verlin

Billy Brand, Sarana Verlin and Dennis Forbes

The Alex Graham Quartet

The extraordinary Audra Kubat finds inspiration backstage

erykah badu

Recent Music

Here are some favorites taken backstage and throughout show at Mackinac Island's Last Waltz at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, and Bitch at the Walnut Room in Denver.

Last Waltz

Check out the Flickr Pics:

www.flickr.com/katelevyphotography

renegade

I love shooting at night. I see an infinite number of fixed studio lighting situations all waiting to be pulled from the dark and interpreted. What the night reveals and hides can be used to benefit the intentions with the picture. Last week, I embarked on a little journey with AVIUS (of 3 the Hard Way, Winner of Westword's Best New Album this year)--check:

http://www.myspace.com/aviusmastermind

We hung out in North Denver for a few hours. I lived in the area (5 Points) throughout the summer, and often photographed kids playing in the alleys. When I walk through the neighborhoods in this area, I am wonderfully overwhelmed by the sense of community--and not the type of "community" that makes me want to curl up in a ball on my dogshit/ornament/picnic- free lawn. Lets just say its not exactly a gated community.
First, we shot illigitimately (illegally?) in a train depot. Before long, we were escorted from the property. Anything goes during an artist shoot so long as you have humble intentions. Then, we spent some time by this old building playing with the flash and his motion. Finally, we shot in front of these back-hoes. AVIUS suggested we shoot in front of them, to bring a working-class energy back to images that may normally glamorize the subject. I thought it fit nicely with the empty truck beds we had just shot in front of. Furthermore, I found it important to integrate concepts of labor into the images, as it brought in a rustic tone that AVIUS had requested be part of the beat of the images. 
As a photographer who wants to invoke meaning, I still must be aware of the i I have a bit of a difficult time directing the subject because I think of shoots as interactions, not staged events. mpending requirement of showing the subject in a manner that they like. Shooting AVIUS was really lovely because i directed him even less than I normally do (save for the funky motion shots).he didn't have to do much, but his intention came through in the images. What resulted was quiet and mysterious. 
For All of the images, visit
www.flickr.com/katelevyphotography

mane rok

Things have been looking up in photoland. I am getting some sweet gigs with hip-hop artists, such as Mane Rok from Life Crew and ManeLine and FOE. Other projects are in the works--I am most excited about investigating the links between commercial and editorial photography (I am quite certain I will be doing a lot of both throughout my career--lets hope so!)

I have completely redone my website as well.

Here are a few shots from a recent shoot with Mane Rok--we headed down to the 8th Ave Bridge, where we FROZE our asses off, and I fumbled around with incapacitated fingers. We riled up some dogs, and chatted about how important it is to utilize as many outlets for expression as possible. Luckily, Mane was a good sport, and flowed for me for almost the entire duration of our shoot. His Spanish verses were everso sweet.

freezing cold!

Tonight, I had a last minute inquiry from Denver hip-hop artist FOE. Check out his website: www.fatherofenemies.com
or his myspace:
www.myspace.com/kingfoe
Be sure to check out his mixtape release party at the Walnut Room this Friday Night.
FOE and freelance writer, Ru Johnson and I met up at Colorado and Colfax. We took advantage of the light that the freezing cold created (It was 7 degrees Fahrenheit). Here are some photos. All of them can be seen at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katelevyphotography/sets/72157622841320995/

The Voodoo Experience 2009

I didn't even KNOW that this music festival was going on, until i entered the enthralling realm of New Orleans and never wanted to return. While there, I ended up meeting this middle aged music manager named Charles (photos to follow), who only can be described as a crazy dude. Charles offered me a pass to Voodoo with the best intentions. That same night, I met these other two guys, even more insane than Charles (with the best intentions as well, and photos to document). They as well told me they could get me in. When these two contacts fell through (as most things do), the wonderful human beings that I was staying with (photos to come), who teach at a wonderful school in the ninth ward (lots and lots of photos to come eventually), ended up with a press pass in their hands. They told me to "go, and have a GREAT time." So I did. It was Halloween. Just another instance of right place, right time. I even ended up in the pit at Jane's Addiction. Here are some images of the people who went to the festival. More shots (including Jane's Addiction, can be found on my flickr photostream: www.flickr.com/katelevyphotograpy