Click on photos to enlarge.
My nephew Paul, and his wife and kids came to the farm this weekend for a photo shoot of our son Peter's band Meridian for their new CD. We had SO MUCH FUN! Course it didn't hurt that a lot of photography happened. I followed Paul and the band around snapping my own pictures of the experience.
Mike Z, bass player, also has other talents:
Paul is a great photographer (a graphic designer by profession), and he led the guys through at least 10 scenarios in an hour and a half!
Here is Paul and Manda's third child, Aden, picking a queen anne's lace from last year in the meadow. It made me think about all the photographs we see, and what we don't see outside the frame. What else was going on around that scene, who was there, what was the mood?
The mood for us yesterday was happy, productive, and fun. I loved every minute.
Below, Brian is the lead singer, front. Then drummer Mark, Mike Z, then our son Peter, guitarist, in the back looking away.
They ended up in my studio, which Don and Peter fixed up for me (used to be a chicken coop). The light in there is great. In fact when Peter and Brian had a final photo session while they played, the sound was great too. Maybe it should be a sound studio too!
Aden, Eli and Lydia watched their dad shoot. Have you noticed how comfortable kids are with cameras these days?
If you haven't already, give a listen to Meridian by clicking here. You can also download their new album, "Listen to your breaking heart," which is wonderful, in my humble and unbiased opinion.
41 comments:
Great photos; really enjoyed being in on this fun day. I think the picture of Aden picking Queen Anne's lace would make a good album cover!! And am struck with your insight about what goes on outside the frame ...
(PS I have listened to Meridian, and they sound great; to me, Feelies and REM-ish, reminsicent of the great melodic postpunk bands of the 80s.)
Hi Ruth, Your place sure is a hive of activity!!
and looks like you had perfect weather for the photo shoot
Love the shot of the 5 men walking together, away, from the camera... in thought and planning of getting the job done...and the carefree wondrous joy of the little fellow, Aden, in the foreground...
maybe they will want to use some of your shots too!!!
Little guy with queen annes lace and band, is a keeper picture. You need to use this somewhere
Thanks, Laura! Someone else told Don they sound like the Feelies. We never heard of them. We're so old and out of it. Yeah, about what goes on outside the frame. Kinda like what an artist's studio looks like, and what goes into a painting. Pre-production looks pretty different than the final piece of art.
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Gwen, hive of activity is right (and we have honey bees in a tree, as I told your son Max). And I am such an indolent, quiet, bookish sort. How did this happen? But I like it when others make it happen. Thanks! I like that shot too, interesting that you first 3 commenters mentioned that one. As you saw in Don's blog, the kids had an adventurous day.
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Anon., thanks! Right after this shot, Aden picked the whole flower right out of the ground and came walking at us, carrying it, with a look on his face that said, "I really didn't mean for that to happen."
thats great Ruth, enjoyed that muchly, the shoot of the shoot, and your studio... well just simply gorgeous
That was such a magical morning...I love the pictures and can't wait to see what Paul has too!
Oh man Ruth!!! I am so moved by how much beauty you've captured inside of one post.......the baby with the queen anne's lace, your studio, the amazing music, and just the whole spirit of the day. I've gotta say that it's going to be tough for Paul to come up with a better cover than your shot taken from behind him with the boys fading into the forest.....gorgeous! It even "feels" like their music...as if the heart's breaking is being witnessed..... Any ways, thanks so much for this.
That is tres cool! The photos look amazing :)
The "kids look inside" photo says it all for me.
I can't see your photos!
Bugger.
I'll come back this arvie and see if I have more success.
Alek, thanks for checking it out. Now we've seen each other's studios.
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Peter, magical is a good word, it was. I wish I could see Paul's NOW!
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Oh Sharon! Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it, meaning you got some of what we felt being here together, it really was magical, as Peter wrote. That's cool that you listened to the music too and connect it with that photo.
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Drowsey, thanks!
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Loring, thanks a bunch. You should see these kids pose when a camera comes up. I was by the atelier and heard my name being called. It was Lydia over on top of the fallen apple tree, letting me know there was a photo op. That's the one that ended up on Don's blog.
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Rats, Letitia. Hope you can when you come back.
Ruth I love your studio! And Photo shoots with bands, is right up my daughter's alley. She has done quite a few. These are great pics. And what a great day!
Ruth, I have tried two different times today to see the photos to no avail. :( I'll keep trying. Thankfully, I saw some of them on Don's post!
Still - oh bugger - no photos.
Anet, oh thank you! I love the studio, it's a great space in person too. Your daughter is getting a lot of great experience.
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Boots and Letitia, I wonder if it's the browser you use? Firefox? Although I don't know why you'd be able to see them at Don's blog just fine. Hmm. Please try IE or something else.
Ruth, Just thought I'd drop back in to say that I see them fine out here and I use Foxfire.
Oh, thanks Gwen. Hmm, well, both Ginnie and Letitia are in Australia at the moment (Letitia lives there, Ginnie is on vacation). I wonder if there is something down under keeping them down under.
Ruth, today none of your photos from the latest post are showing up, though all the old ones are. I use Firefox. Might be another tiresome Blogger thing...
Wow, how fun yesterday must have been. Your son's band is great, I've listened to them.
I like your studio, it has such a light airy feeling.
I really enjoyed seeing all the activity there and you got some great photos.
sandy
Thanks so much, Sandy. It's all even better in person. I wish I could have you all into the studio for a cup of tea and some of Anet's cookies, or some of Gwen's hot chocolate. Then we could be quiet and bird watch for a while. Then Alek and Gwen could make some jewelry, and Sharon and Gwen could paint. And Loring could read to us. And Peter play. Ahh, wouldn't it be wonderful?
Sounds wonderful, although you can forget the painting.....I'd have been much to busy playing with the quail!!!
Ha, but you need not be limited to one thing only. How about play with them, then paint them?
Sounds super Ruth... I'm game to join if someone else would just cook for me...
I do all the cooking in the family, I'd volunteer...
Now that we have a cook, the question becomes: Can we play with them, paint them, then eat them?
I hate to break it to you, Sharon, but these quail may be destined for the freezer if they are mostly males, which they seem to be. We wanted eggs! But what are you gonna do when you get them as eggs. I don't think even you could detect their gender before hatching.
Poor babies! As long as Don's willing to be the butcher and Loring will be the cook than it's all good!
Yay!
They work this morning!
Oh, that would have been a fun day!
You really must be pleased with the life you have created and the way you choose to live your life.
It looks/sounds so rich and rewarding and fulfilling.
Dare I say it (don't want to be too gushy and sooky), but the way you live your life is an inspiration.
I love the photo of Aden and the Queen's Lace and the one of "the boys and their guitars" in your studio.
Sharon, I'm with you.
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Yay, Letitia! I'm so glad you came back. Aw shucks, our farm is an inspiration to me. I seriously feel that we're caretakers, and this property is a friend that pulled us in on a fall day in 2003 and asked us take care of her. She's teaching us how to live, and I'm extremely grateful.
Oh and that word 'sooky' is lovely. I love learning Aussie words from you.
Hey Ruth great photos, like when he's looking away, love their music, and why do I think of Oasis when I see some of their pics,lol, hint, last pic.
They work today just fine...on Firefox and Down Under. YAY! What a fantastic photo shoot. I bet Paul was in heaven. But those kids are the icing on the cake!
Bob, yeah, they do look like them! And did you see that yesterday my word for the day was 'oasis'?
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Boots, yippee! As Loring has been investigating these tech issues over the last few days, he discovered blogger hacking drama. Believe me, the day was brilliant!
Yes Ruth...how fun would that be!!! A get together in that studio. I would love it.
sandy
Sandy, with all the fun we have in our comment conversations, I can imagine a very lively, intriguing, surprising, and inspiring time together with you bunch of people!
I followed the link from your blog to their myspace page and lsitened a while back. Indeed their music is very likable, substance as well as melody :) and all very good looking young men ha ha.
I love your studio, Ruth.
Mystic, glad you listened to and liked Meridian. :)
I'd love to sit with you in the studio and talk, or be quiet.
To be able to sit and be quiet together.... it's a rare and wonderful friendship that can go there and I can't imagine a better space for it than your studio Ruth.
Yes, I might not be comfortable with everyone, being quiet, but I know I would be with Mystic Rose.
I have a hanging hammock chair in the studio that is the BEST for being quiet, and falling asleep. It's the closest thing to floating I can imagine.
I would love that too!
Lol, that is cool weird about the Oasis word of the day.
Yeah, I know!
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