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Lots of new stuff going on...

Friday, May 8, 2009




A lot of good things are happening lately! It's a nice breath of fresh air when compared to the nightmarish economic news we hear every night. I'm determined to be positive and hopeful, and hopefully that vibe will rub off on everybody else. : )

First off, I've slightly changed the design of my site with a new logo. I really liked the old one since it was kind of a woodcut / sketch style, but you really couldn't see those details in any of the sizes I was showing it in. The new logo has more of an easy-going, slightly retro feel. Everything else is still pretty modern, so I think it has a nice modern flow to it. Also, the wax seal is now a sunny yellow.

Secondly, I added a new links page to house my master list of photography links. There are three categories: photography supplies & labs, photography magazines & blogs, and then my own personal photo links.

It's taken me a while to amass this 'best of' list, and I would have been very happy indeed to stumble across it all at once somewhere. Most of the online photo mags and such are for keeping up with photo news and finding photo inspiration when you're at a creative block.

Thirdly, I've been shooting a ton with my new 5DMKII and I'm loving it! Photography is such a strange art since it is so gadget related. What better than to inspire you, than an amazing new camera? A couple of the shoots are shown here: one of the Carlson family and one of the Rowe family. You can also see more of each shoot at my Flickr photostream here.

Coming up later this month, a portrait of the Carlsons—along with previous photography I've done of their place—will be featured in Detroit Home. I got word the other day that it was going to be the cover story, so I'm really happy about that. It should be out May 28th.

On another note, the new issue of Special Projects magazine is out. (This is the photo book I publish each semester with my Special Projects Digital Photography students.) You can view it online at lulu.com/specialprojects. This semester's theme (Issue 8) was Reflection, and we have a lot of really excellent work in there! In fact, this past semester was one of the best group of students that I've ever had, both personality and talent-wise. ; )

I liked them so much, that I decided to create a new Flickr group called The Photography Department for everyone to keep in touch with each other, photographically speaking. It's open to current and past photo students. Once it gets going, I'm hoping that it will continue to foster the camaraderie we had going in the classes this semester. One thing you really miss when you graduate from a photography program, is the blend of competitiveness and inspiration you get from exhibiting and viewing work with your peers.

Finally, the new Star Trek movie debuted yesterday and I'm going to see it tonight with Davy plus my dad and brother. I'm a total trekkie, though mostly for The Next Generation. Oh, and there was that period where I forced my friends to watch Voyager...! But Voyager just doesn't have the staying power. Jean-Luc Picard is a classic. My fav characters: Jean-Luc, Tuvok, and Q.

One more thing—I'm working on a website for the artwork of my comic illustrator hubby. Keep your eyes on davedrawsgood.com.

Enjoy the weekend!
CA

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Of Elvis Impersonators

Monday, November 10, 2008

This past Thursday I was covering an event that featured Elvis impersonator, Fred Wolfe, and I must say it brought back a lot of memories. Let's just say I've spent my fair share of time viewing a few Elvis impersonators (El Vez, Eastside Elvis, Sherman Arnold, Snaggletooth Elvis, Black Elvis, etc.) In my days at CCS I spent a good part of a year documenting a legendary Elvis impersonator who is now deceased: Elvis Shelton. Cliff Shelton played weekly at a place called Barney's in Wyandotte, Michigan, though hailing from Monroe. I was tackling the series for a social documentary photo course and faithfully made the drive every weekend throughout the fall and winter to photograph him. I have a permanent visual memory of that winter: walking past the frozen Barney's sign reading, "Tonight: Elvis Shelton," and realizing that it was a permenant sign. I don't think I was even an Elvis fan at the time, but the experience lead me to really appreciate these people, and in turn, Elvis himself.

At first, I just took the photos without talking to him, which wasn't that unusual because every week's performance was a spectacle and a lot of people were taking photos. After a few weeks, it was impossible not to talk with him. I remember him slamming boilermakers before the show, and he may have been the first person I ever saw do a jäger bomb. By this time, he had already had four heart attacks, so he was always talking about how he had to take it easy. (!) After about a month or so he began introducing me as his personal photographer at the top of he show.

Probably one of the best things about Elvis Shelton was that he took the impersonation all the way. He started each gig entering the room from back stage while accompanied by his own version of the Memphis Mafia, complete with a sidekick version of Charlie Hodge who handed him his guitar as he began the show. He also gave out the obligatory autographed scarves to ladies during the show and did a good amout of karate moves. (I still have my scarf, which is tied to my mike-stand a la Steven Tyler.)

Sadly, he died of his fifth heart attack at home–about a year after I finished the series–in January of 2001. There was a wake for him at "Charlie's Too" in Garden City, and although I had designed and printed obituary cards for him (complete with lyrics to "If I Can Dream" on the back), I ultimately didn't go because it was on my birthday. Also I had no idea where Charlie's Too was.

However, I was able to deliever the photos when I finished my project and I'll never forget his reaction. He was sitting at the end of the bar at Barney's when I handed him the prints. He took one look at each of the photos and would look at me as though stunned, then shout a few expletives in disbelief and otherwise just outrageously overreact. Initially, I wasn't sure if his reaction was positive or negative... Now I look back and realize that I must have seemed so young to him at the time that he was trying to make me feel like my photos were blowing his mind.

I really need to dig up some of those old photos and scan them in, put them up here. From what I can tell, there is no info about him on the web.
RIP Elvis Shelton.

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