Jedd Lopez | Photography

lavignne:

Hey this is mine!

(via leightonblairmeester)

harmonic-series:

Photographer of the Week:

Maysa Askar

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my personal favorite photographers, Maysa Askar. Her experimentation with colors and lights absolutely amaze me and it was an honor to get the chance to ask her a few questions. Check out her extended interview below with some extra advice for those who wants to get into photography. 

•  What’s in your bag? What gear do you own? What would you like to buy next? 

-My bag consists of a Canon 5D Mark II, 85mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.4 and a 15mm f/2.8 (fisheye). Besides the Canon 5D (which I recently just purchased), I also own a Canon 40D and a Canon Rebel XT. I’m trying to save up some cash for a 28mm or possibly a 35mm!

• How long have you been involved with photography? What inspired you to do concert photography?

-I’ve been involved with photography probably since I was 14. I saved up my lunch money to buy a Canon Rebel XT and just played around with it until I upgraded a couple of years later. I went to my first local show in high school and brought my camera to snap some shots of my best friends who were playing and ended up having a lot of fun with it! So I just kept photographing local shows and built a portfolio out of my photos and sent them out to publications.

• Have you ever worked with film cameras before? Do you prefer digital or film? Why?

-I used to play around with film a lot when I was in high school! I absolutely love film and the whole process of it but I must say I prefer digital. I started with digital photography and I’m just more comfortable with it.

• I’ve seen on your flickr that you also do portraits, is there a type of photography that you prefer more? Why?

-I do prefer music photography more than photographing portraits. Music is just more of a challenge and there is always a new subject to work with and so on and so on. What I REALLY want to do is take portraits of musicians—-basically combine my two interests.

• Who was the first band/artist you shot?

-The Secret Handshake, Sing it Loud and Every Avenue.

• What did your first time in the pit feel like?

-Pretty uncomfortable. The venue’s photo pit consists of stairs and you have to kneel on them the whole time. I was also a little nervous but once I photographed the opening band it became easy and more fun.

• I also see that you shot Warped Tour in both 2010 and 2011, what an amazing opportunity. What were your experiences like? How did they differ?

-The experiences were amazing! You get to photograph any band you want and you’re insanely close to your favorite artist. There were some downfalls, such as: 1) getting to the 2010 WT too late and missing my best friends’ band play due to my photo pass taking a while to find 2) 2011 WT consisted of me almost passing out (South Florida Warped Tour IS death), but other than that, they were great. There wasn’t much difference between the two. I can guarantee if you photograph WT, it will be impossible for you to take a bad photo.

• What is your dream band/artist to shoot and/or tour with?

-Three artists that I cannot pick between: My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday and Brand New. Maybe Lights too just cause I could have endless photoshoots with her during downtime on the road.

• Do you edit your photos? If so, what software do you use and how much time and effort do you put into your editing?

-I do. I use Photoshop CS5 and a little of Lightroom 3. I used to do batch edits and strictly used Lightroom for them. Now I only do a few shots from a shoot so I just use Photoshop. I try not to edit my photos a ton just because I try my best to do all the work on my camera (exposure, white balance, etc.)

• Do you think you have a particular quality about your photography that sets you apart from other photographers?

-I don’t think I do but I have been told I have a certain style that makes people detect which photo is mine. I try my best to make each photo either colorful or eye catching, that’s really it.

• How do you feel your photography has changed over the years?

-I used to be TERRIBLE! But you have to start somewhere, right? I’ve learned correct exposures, apertures, shutter, ISO, all the works. My photography has definitely improved since I picked up a camera.

• Where do you see yourself in five years?

-Hopefully working for a music label! Or a touring photographer. I love music photography so much but if it doesn’t get me far, I won’t be too upset. Music just comes first to me so as long as I can find myself being involved with it, I’m happy.

• Since you have a little experience under your belt, do you have any advice for aspiring photographers?

-If you want to get into photography, practice, practice, practice. That is the key to become better and you will constantly learn something new with every shoot you have. If you want to photograph huge concerts (a big question I get a lot), start photographing local shows in your town. When you successfully photograph a local show, you have conquered any type of lighting you will ever deal with (local venue lighting blows). Then make a portfolio of your photos and send them out to different publications. Good luck! And just remember to have fun J

Get social with Maysa: flickr | tumblr | twitter | 500px

I met Maysa Askar last night. (Taken with instagram)

waveitaway:

thundershower:

jeddlopezphoto:

Alternative Press Issue #287, page 52

I’m not sure how many of you have seen this yet, and I’m really late on posting about it, but I’ve been published in the new Alternative Press issue. It’s been out for a few weeks now, but typing that sentence still brings me to disbelief. The photo above of Derek Sanders, of the band Mayday Parade, is my first published photo.

Seeing your photo all over Tumblr and the internet is one thing, but walking into a bookstore and pulling out a magazine with your photo in it is a completely different story. Knowing thousands of people have a copy of my photo in their rooms is pretty insane. 

What started out as a hobby, what started as something that I wanted to try out for fun, has become something more than that. In a way it’s almost intimidating. Just over two years ago, I was on the internet looking at pictures of my favorite bands. And now here I am doing what I always dreamed of; here I am published in one of my favorite magazines. 

hehe so proud i bought 5 copies

This used to be my dream.
Now it seems so impossible
that i’ve pretty much given up
oh well 

It’s not impossible.

jrbphoto:

John O’Callaghan of The Maine
Theater of the Living Arts
Philadelphia, PA
5/6/12
© Julia Rose Photography

One of those images that I look at and think, “Wow I wish I took this.”

Juliet Simms

Camden Warped Tour 2010

Juliet Simms, Automatic Loveletter

Camden Warped Tour 2010