Grind City Meet 3
Three years ago a man with a dream started a photo walk where it didn't matter if you were a professional photographer, an amateur videographer or a dude (or girl) with a camera you could come and experience a different side of Memphis. Johnny Meant (@johnnymeant) hosted the Grind City Meet up to bring like minded people together. During the first one I met a guy named Eric, a guy that was intimidated but at the same time he was very welcoming.
WEB-RAW, Eric Janssen, Roof Dad... those were some of the names I have heard people call him. Eric made an impact on a lot of people on that first meet and even after. Sadly we lost him too soon in a freak accident October 2017.
Eric was the kind of person that made you feel like family from the moment he shakes your hand. Meeting him the first time was the highlight of my day at the first Grind City Meet, crazy enough he looked at me and pointed "AleksWorks, right? love your work", I was in shocked that he actually knew who I was.
One of the things that always stood out to me about him was the fact that he was real, he was a guy that spoke his mind and told you the truth without hesitation. His legacy goes further than just a meet up or the great photos he took (@webraw), his legacy is one of community, one of family, a legacy that involved people conecting and living life in a way that means something to them and leave a mark worth talking about...living a great story.
To see some of the photos go to instagram and follow the tag #GrindCityMeet3
We had amazing sponsors Live a Great Story, BraveStraps, Faded Days Sunglasses, Food Drank Culture, PowerSocialX, I Love Memphis, El Mero Taco Truck (Eric's fave truck) and a ton of amazing local photographer, videographers and all around amazing creatives in Memphis.
Until next year Grind City Meet
For now be great to each other
-A
The 2017
Well 2017 was a busy year. I was able to do a lot of different things as far as photography goes. I have had the best clients, met some of the best people and had a great time capturing memories. I was able to participate in several photo meets in Memphis, go to a photo conference in St. Louis, visit one of my bucket list cities, New York, had some amazing clients and work with some great companies.
Here is a look back at my 2017...
Thanks to my clients, the many family session, several wedding, models and companies that allowed me to work you them and capture memories, products and one of the most important days in your life. You all are the best ever.
I also had to say "See you later" to one of the greatest photographer, an amazing person, my friend Eric had a tragic accident that took his life in Chicago. He was one of those people that made you feel like family, a guy that will teach you anything he could and even called you out if you needed a reality check.
Life is short, the world is big, make it happen. -EJ
For now be great to each other
- A
A trip home
Well for those who don't know I am a foreigner. I was born and raised in a little Central American country named Panamá. No its not in Florida or South Mexico, I am talking about the real deal with the Panama Canal and all.
I took the family home for the holidays and I took my camera with me. We spent 16 days in Panama and it was a great time.
I wish I could tell you all about the trip but I really don't write that much. I rather show you photos, the city, the canal, the rain forest, the beach and even an abandoned school ... just all of it
For now be great to each other
- A
So NYC happened
As a person with a camera I have an extensive travel bucket list. Some of the places on my list include random cities in USA, half of Europe, anywhere I can or can't take my camera but a place that has been on my list all the way to the top was New York City. You are probably wondering, NYC - Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, 911 Memorial - I guess you don't know me at all.
My November started with a trip to NYC and with only 60hrs to see the city we hit the ground running. Met up with some friends and had no agenda, we had no plans, I wanted to see the New York they see, the New York they call home.
I carried my camera bag everywhere and got to see the city for what it is, an amazing city full of people, things and lots of food. I got to photograph real life and people working. I was in a photographic heaven for only 2 days.
Enjoy...
For now be great to each other
-A
The Cocktail Hour
Clients come to me from all walks of life but one thing they all have in common is the fact that they know I am willing to shoot anywhere and I am up for any crazy idea.
When Mikeychalupa and Nikki Hustle came to me for a photoshoot and Mikeychalupa mention to me that he wanted something different and threw the idea of a laundromat all I did was run with it.
They have the "Seinfeld" of podcasts, a podcast about nothing yet about everything. You can listen to the their awesome podcast on here and follow them on their site The Best Darn Cocktail Hour.
After leaving a laundromat that was kind of sketchy we found the perfect spot. We setup shop at Midtown Coin Laundry (shout out to them), nice staff and they let us play around with questionable wine, a $40 white tee with a burger logo, a Moscow mule mug and 2 of the funniest people I know and we were able to create some awesome magic together.
For now be great to each other.
-A
Memphis Gothic
One thing about being a photographer is that I love doing random projects. Simple things like only black and white photos or one photo a week for a year. But this time I realized that I have been doing something with some of my couples and they saw it as a sign of what gives me that "thing" I do.
I wear red converse every time I shoot, I tell a lot of dumb jokes to make you smile and I take an American Gothic inspired photo and named it Memphis Gothic. So I decided to show you some of those photos. This is something I have been doing for my wedding couples.
I am always open for more of these photos, so if you want to have a #memphisgothic photo just message me and we can make it happen.Here are some of these photos.
photo by Michael Butler from One901
For now be great to each other.
-A
The Un-Wedding
Meeting with this couple went like any other meeting, or at least started like it. We met and after talking to them I found out very quickly that this was not just a traditional wedding. I was informed that the wedding would take place at Elmwood Cemetery and they had a special request... They wanted zombies and blood during the photos.
After the meeting was over I called my partner in crime, Kim from Kimbawayne Photography, and asked her to join me on this project. I then reached out to the #1 haunted house in Memphis, Hauntedweb of Horrors, and was able to get a couple of the actors to play zombies for me. Now I needed some makeup and for so I contacted local film maker Duane Craig to be a part of this. After talking to all parties involved I was able to get some type of game plan for the day. I first arrived at the cemetery early and scouted the area for photos and felt pretty good about the plan we had, now to put it into action.
The first half of the wedding was very traditional, small gathering of friends and family, a little prayer before the vows, the exchange of rings and the kiss. We did the formal photos with the family, best man and maid of honor, then we started to get ready for the rest of the festivities.
After all the formals were done the zombies appeared in the ceremony area and we started the madness. "Let's redo the kiss with the zombies" was the first thing that came out of my mouth. The kiss was done, the zombie + family photos happened next then we moved to the spots around the cemetery that we had scouted earlier.
After "protecting" his new bride from zombies, it was time for the killing to start. An ax came out to kill the first zombie, blood splatter all over the groom during this. The beautiful white dress quickly changed from white to bloody white, as they killed the zombies there was blood splattered all over the place until finally they had the zombies loaded on the truck ready to haul them off to dump the bodies.
For now be great to each other
-A