Emails from the Blue

You never can be prepared for  some of the strange requests you will receive. Some can be so vague and directionless that the trouble ends up being you have too many ideas, none of which seem to be the in right vein.  Other times, you are asked to shoot very specific images.  I will give you two examples, both coming from my friends’ band Vegas With Randolph.  A few months ago, I receive an email asking me to create cover art for an upcoming single release called The Tree Song. The only direction I was given was “Can you shoot something cool relating to trees?”  Gee thanks Eric.  The window for production was pretty small so I simply walked out into the woods behind my house and started shooting.  I am old, so most of the time I have been around, music tended to come from round spinning objects; 45s, LPs and then CDs.  Even cassette tapes went round.  The creation of the image was pretty simple; stand still, look up and turn while shooting at a slow shutter speed.  Its not the most compelling image I have ever shot, but it works well and the band was pleased.

A few weeks later, I was again asked to contribute to the CD cover art for the Above The Blue release.  Contrary to the 1st request, I was asked to shoot a clear glass bowl of blueberries with a cherry on the top.  The cherry was later changed to a strawberry, but you can see by the final use of the image below, the red fruit became a moot point.  One of the main obstacles to this shoot was the fact that I was spending the week in what was essentially a Florida swamp.  Not too many places to set up lights and a white sweep.

I found what I needed in a local HarrisTeeter and came back to camp just as the sun was setting.  After locating some low flat tree limbs I stood next to the water and started shooting. The final usage of this image was to be part of a composite, so I didn’t worry too much about the background and instead made sure to throw it completely out of focus with depth of field. Again, not the most interesting subject matter or composition but exactly what was asked for and needed.

Vegas With Randolph continues to be one of my few creative outlets aside from my motorsports work, so I hope they keep on asking me to contribute.  Our German Shepherd is a big fan. You can visit their Facebook Page or Listen to their musical offerings on Reverb Nation. Better yet, You can buy the electronic version on CDBaby.