Manic Monday

One thing that I love to do with drummer photos is to make them super colourful. When that isn't possible, I often make them black & white. As I've said before, drummers are the hardest band member to photograph, mainly because of the lack of light. This lack of light means that you need to turn down your shutter speed, but slowing it down means that the subject needs to be more still for the image not to be blurry. That, of course, is nearly impossible for a drummer. Usually what happens when there isn't decent lighting, one of the best ways to make the photo look good is to make it black and white.

Sunday Sonata

One thing that I've noticed is that most of the times, a singer has the highest ego in the band. It doesn't really surprise me all that much, but it is still a bit weird to see this actually unfold. There are exceptions, in fact, most musicians that I have met, no matter what instrument they play, who actually have some resemblance of fame, are all extremely humble, and generally really good people. I find it hilarious that bands who are not signed to any label, struggling to keep the band in one piece, have extreme creative differences and generally think of themselves as better than everyone else, and this goes triple for solo artists. 

That being said, this man is one of the nicest people I have ever met. His name is Kieran Mercer, and I saw him perform as a solo artist with a backing band. He is very talented and unbelievably kind and humble. I will not be sharing photos of people that I do not reapect on this blog. If you want to get a little bit of insight as to who I think deserves respect, and your attention, check out my Facebook page, and see who I'm excluding from my posts. 

Happy holidays and keep on taking those photos!

Cheers!!

Skylar Santimeau

Shredding Saturday

Good morning one and all! I hope that your holiday season has been filled with joy and merriment. I've been taking a small break from actually going to concerts because of the holiday season, but that doesn't mean that I don't have anything to share with you guys. This is my good friend Adamn, he just recently played his last concert for a little while so that he can go back to school. He was playing for a band called fighting for Ithaca, who are currently signed to 604 records here in Vancouver. I'd just like to take this moment to wih him all the best and hope that he becomes successful in what ever field he chooses. 

Manic Monday

Happy holidays! I hope that everyone enjoyed their solstice. For those of you counting, there are only two days left until Christmas! Back to business, there are not many venues in Vancouver that are actually good for drummer photos. Tom Lee is one of the few. I believe that drummers should get a lot more praise than they do. If a drummer makes one mistake, everyone can hear it. If the drummer falls out of time by even a fraction of a second, everyone can hear it. The precision needed to be a top quality drummer is ridiculous, and yet, they are rarely seen, and even less often do they have the spot light; or any light at all. You would be surprised as to how often drummers are left in the dark. That is why I dedicated Monday to drummers, because they deserve to be at the beginning of the week.

Sunday Sonata

A lot of people underestimate the skill that singers have. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be able to constantly sing accurately, with perfect pitch. Having the skill and ability to be a great singer is one of the hardest things possible, but it can be achieved by almost anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort. I have been attempting to become a better singer, without the help of a teacher, and it has been hard. I have spent so much time practicing, and I have improved, but not by much. I tip my hat to those who have dedicated so much of their time to becoming great singers, just like TJ here of a great band called Dear Adeline

Shredding Saturday

As I've said before, one of my favourite things about going to concerts to take photos is discovering bands that I have never heard of before. This is Vincent, a guitarist from a band called Chase Your Words. Before the concert that I went to last Friday, I had never hear of these guys before. These guys are one of the reasons that I loved this show. They are young, talented, have a set sound, know how to own a stage, and have amazing music. You need to check these guys out!

Funky Friday

I got to go out and shoot for a Christmas concert last Friday, and it was quite a bit of fun. The one thing that I usually hate about Christmas concerts are the terrible classic holiday song remakes that are usually present by at least one of the bands. I was extremely pleased when I only heard three Christmas songs all night long, and two of them were originals. 

Manic Monday

I personally love Star Trek. I've always been a huge fantasy buff, watching all sorts of sci-fi/fantasy shows. Although I am not a fan of Captain Kirk, or the original series, I love Spock. I'm not the only one who loves Spock, the band "Season To Attack" love him aswell. During their concert just before Halloween, they had decided to dress up as their favourite Star Trek character. When they stepped onto stage, all five members were dressed as Spock. It really was a hilariously awesome event.

Sunday sonata

In my opinion, one of the hardest things to do in photography is to capture lens flares. Lens flares are also one of the coolest tools a photographer can use. If used properly, they can turn an average photo into something amazing. If you are a new photographer, or even if you have a lot of experience with a camera, you should deffinitely try to use lens flares to enhance your photos!

Shredding Saturday

When I think of Vancouver bands who truely deserve to make it big, The first band that always comes to mind is Danha. I have never interacted with a band that has everything together quite like them. They are extremely talented musicians, they all understand the business, and they have amazing stage presence. The only two reasons they perform is for their fans and because they love doing it. You guys should deffinitely check them out if you enjoy pop or rock music, because their sound is an amazing median between the two! 

Manic Monday

One of my favourite drummers of Vancouver is Jay Deachman. He is currently playing for the band Danha, but has played for many awesome Vancouver bands in the past such as Theory of a Deadman. He is truely the best pure drummer that I have had the pleasure of meeting. That, and he is pretty hilarious after a few drinks.

Sunday Sonata

One of my favourite bands that I've seen lately is a band called "Trace the Sky". Not only are they amazing musicians, but they are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They are based in Nanaimo and Victoria on Vancouver island. This is one of my favourite shots that I've taken in a long time. In this photo, Liam really seems like the awesome star that he is.

Shredding Saturday

It is truely amazing the difference a well lit room or stage can do for photos. There are some venues in Vancouver that are absolutely terrible for photos. The Massey Theater is one of, if not the best venue for photos, because of how nice the lighting was. Spot lights are one of the coolest lights. If used properly with stage smoke, it can make for some amazing shots, such as this one.

Funky Friday

It's that time of the week again. One more day until the weekend! To celebrate, here is the funkiest member of any band, a bassist. This young man is the bassist for a Vancouver based band called Aiden. During the youth showcase that I had the opportunity to judge, these guys were my personal favourite. 

Manic Monday

Drummers are, by far, the hardest members of a band to photograph. Not only because of the fact that they are at the back of the stage, but also because they are constantly moving their arms, blocking their face, and genuinely making sour expressions. That is why a good drummer photo impresses people more often.

Sunday Sonata

I absolutely love coming across young, talented musicians. I had the pleasure of checking out, and judging a youth showcase, where the winner got the chance to open for Hey! Ocean! All of the bands did well, but personally, my favourite band of the night was called Aiden. All members of the ban showed huge potential, and the utmost joy for performing. It truely was a great sight to see this young group of guys playing thir hearts out because it was something that they really enjoyed doing.

Unfortunately, there is another band that has the same name from the US that are far more popular, so it is near impossible to find these guys online. But you can check out my Facebook, tumblr, and Flickr sites for more photos of this awesome young band.

Funky Friday

I'm really dissapointed to say that there are certain bands that I have worked with in the past who have been using my photos without consent. These bands, or individuals from these bands have removed my small watermark from the photos, and refused to remove the image. It saddens me to say that I will no longer be working with these bands for any reason. This, however is not one of those bands. Danha is a great up-and-coming band from Vancouver. All of the members understand te industry, and have a huge passion for music. I've never met a band who has all of their shit together. In my mind, that is actually impossible. Danha sure comes pretty darn close. I helped these guys shoot a music video back in the summer, and it was an amazing experience. Check out "Alone Together" - Danha!

Manic Mondays

One of the most impressive things that a musician can do is play their instrument while singing. This is almost triple as difficult for a drummer. I have only seen three drummers who can actually sing while performing. This is the drummer of Alleyway Saints. He is one of those three. After hearing this band perform, you would think there were four, or possibly even five members, because of the interesting and difficult instrumentals, as well as an awesome singer. Well, you'd be wrong. There are only three members in this band, and it is pretty amazing. I would definitely recommend checking out this good young band!

Shredding Saturday

One of my favourite guitarists from Vancouver goes by the name of John Wu. He was guitarists for my favourite Vancouver band. Unfortunately, that band, known as Mass Undergoe has parted ways. Thankfully, all of its members are still performing in new projects. John Wu is currently playing for a new band, that has only plate a handful of shows. The name of his new band is Ugly Men. I would highly recommend checking them out!

Check out my Facebook, tumblr and flickr pages for more photos of this awesome new band!

Note: I'd like to apologize for the lateness of my post. I have been having issues with publishing 

Manic Monday

A little while ago, I got to see some of my favourite local bands play in a wonderful little venue in surrey called Olympia pizza. One of those bands was Sharks! On Fire! One of the best things about watching these guys perform is their drummer Bryan. He always has the biggest smile on his face while playing, and it really brightens the mood of everyone in the venue.