WHO IS MATT RIFE DATING???

Luckily, Matt’s love life is not my concern. What is my concern, however, is getting to the venue 30 minutes before the show starts, set up, shoot, break it all down before crowds pack the place.

You might remember comedian Matt Rife from NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Already planning a trip to Austin, TX, I hopped online and searched what was happening the same time I’d be in town. The car will already be packed with equipment, so if I can find something else to photograph, I’ll be fully prepared.

After 5 minutes on Google, and checking out the clearance items on HelloKitty.com, I saw comedian Matt Rife will be in town performing at Vulcan Gas Company in downtown Austin. Matt is best known for his residency on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out and most recently, NBC’s Bring The Funny, but quickly becoming a comedic force with the help of Tik Tok.

Matt was more than willing to let us crash his pre-show routine.

My son Nicholas fills in as lighting test model, and doing a bangin’ job.

We needed to show up at Vulcan Gas Company as soon as the doors open to race inside and find the right spot to shoot. Originally, I was looking for an open space to set up a 6 foot wide background. As I was putting up the background, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the lights on the venue’s wall. From where I put up the background, I had a perfect perspective to shoot Matt through the VIP section barriers. After using Nicholas as a light test model, I realized THIS is the shot I really needed to focus on.

As soon as Matt arrived, we only had 15 minutes to shoot, pack up, and get the hell out of there before the audience files in. Matt shows up, and pops out from behind the background armed with a big grin and opening act, Cris Sosa. With very little fanfare, I ushered Matt to the duct taped couch patrons have no problem paying a premium price in which to sit. After the first exposure, I knew we had something special.

The lights on the wall, the lines of the barrier, even the color scheme of Matt’s shirt had all the markings of an image I can show to ex-girlfriends to make them jealous.

Grabbed a quick shot of fellow comedians Cris and Matt directly after the VIP section set up. You can see the barrier I shot through on the far right , 2/3 down. All I had to do was swivel the light to get both shots.

Nicholas was on stop watch detail and we spent more time than allotted on photos, luckily I quickly made friends with Brandon, the head of security, who gave us some slack. I promised to shoot and scoot within 15 minutes. With the extra time, I pulled out an adult small Everything Is Bigger In Texas tshirt, handed to Matt, he quickly changed, we shot a handful of photos, then I asked him to rip it off. His concern was that he wouldn’t be able to, as a result, and I’m paraphrasing, “look like a bitch.” It didn’t take much coercing on my part and he proceed to rip off his shirt with little effort. Thus making me the most popular of guy friends to all my gal friends.

Matt was so accommodating with his time, not to mention a super nice guy, and seemed genuinely appreciative that I took the time to photograph him.

I am the one who is genuinely appreciative.

Matt Rife and the boy.

You can check out Matt Rife’s amazing special, ONLY FANS, on YouTube! The man is as funny as he is handsome. Come for the jawline, stay for the punchline.

Artist Duncan McDaniel Stands Behind His Work

Daniel McDaniel is an interdisciplinary artist with a goal of promoting an awareness of place using light, color, sculptural design elements, and playful interaction, according to his website. Not being one who over thinks art, I just think it’s pretty cool. He uses patterns, shapes, and lines that create movement and forces your eyes to bounce around the canvas: which for those who are keeping score at home, is also one of photography’s main goals.

A local magazine staff and myself met Duncan at his Nashville Art Up studio, he was to be featured in an upcoming issue. This shoot, for me, was very unique. Once I get an assignment, the same series of events always occur: I search the subject online, get a feel for how they’ve agreed to be photographed in the past, completely obsess about ideas and techniques, love what I’ve come up with, second guess what I’ve come up with, and finally bug family and friends with my self doubt. However, this shoot I did none of that. Just the knowledge of Duncan being an artist was all the information I needed.

When coming up with ideas for Duncan, I didn’t want to use any photography cliches, which there are plenty. Anyone can photograph an arm crossed artist holding paint brushes leaning against the wall of their studio. Cliches are cliche for a reason: ideas and concepts that are overused and betray a lack of original thought. For example, “Hey, are you photographing an athlete of some sort today? Here’s an idea, have them hold the ball and point it towards the camera. That’ll really knock their socks off!” NO THANKS……

It didn’t take long to come up with a cliche-free idea, in which my editor really liked and ultimately became excited about. I wanted to photograph Duncan as he was painting from the canvas’ perspective, meaning I had to shoot through the paint and see the brush strokes in action. For me to do so, I had to find some plexiglass.

Once the plexiglass was unwrapped using gloves as to not leave our fingerprints, it had to be suspended between two C-stands. It was then tilted forward slightly to ensure I won’t be seen in the reflection. And to put the final nail in the reflection’s coffin, I placed my Alien Bees AR800 light head on the opposite side of the glass as myself and off to the side. Per usual, I’m photographing with limited space, so I relied only on the single light head and a reflector. We took several test shots on the fly, it didn’t take long to NOT see myself in the plexiglass.

Duncan McDaniel posing in his studio while we test the light.

Duncan started by painting along the outside corners of his non-traditional canvas. As he did, I shot nonstop, never really knowing what to expect as he painted, circling inward, getting closer and closer to the center. The one thing I did know, once he had completed this piece, I was to get the shot I ultimately wanted: the artist peering through his finished work. His studio was so cluttered, I just couldn’t shoot straight on, or I’d see empty paint cans and Cracked magazines on the shelf. I was able to move to my right and find an empty space behind his head and took just a few more exposures. Though what I wound up shooting was not the exact idea I had in mind, it came damn close and I’m really pleased with how it looks. And ironically, the magazine didn’t use it. But whatevs.

BANJO IN THE BATHROOM

Shooting in a very tight spot can be troublesome. Luckily these bathroom walls were white and extremely reflective. I had my son hold a hot shoe flash up against to where the ceiling met the wall opposite the tub, which nicely diffused and spread the light. Usually I’ll use my White Lightenings or Aliens Bees strobes, however the space didn’t justify me going downstairs to the car. This was the last set up of the day, and extra walking wasn’t part of the plan……neither was standing on a tub, but here we are.

Matt Menefee, aka Matt The Banjo Player, keeping it real AND clean during his photo shoot.

Once again Nicholas is an unpaid assistant.

Firing the flash remotely, allowed me to stand in an awkward position on the edge of the tub. Matt's wife was working from home that day and her office was very close to where we were shooting. She was never told we'd be photographing inside, so I wonder what was going through her mind when she heard three male voices come from the bathroom. I'm sure my footprints on the tub led to more questions after I left the house.

Always a good time when shooting in someone’s bathroom.

The final result, an image that is easily one of my favorites from the last few months.

LET'S A GO!! THAT TIME I PHOTOGRAPHED MARIO'S MAKER

We all live in fear. Some fears are rational, others not so much. When one gets older, priorities change and by default, their fears.

Decades ago, I always feared the waitstaff wouldn’t like me or I’d be judged by the gas station attendant for not buy something after using the restroom.

Now that I’m a father, my fear is greater than any validation I receive from strangers.

Most fathers have the same fear as I when raising a boy: the fear of my son not thinking I’m cool.

I received a call from banjo player Matt Menefee from the The Hit Points, who are seasoned bluegrass musicians from Nashville, TN, bringing their own acoustic Appalachian charm to the soundtrack of your childhood video game obsession……according to their website. The Hit Points had recently covered Mario’s Athletic Theme and Matt called to tell me that Nintendo VIP and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto heard their version and loved it. So much so, he requested a private showcase next time he was in Nashville. Upon hearing this, I immediately thought to myself that I have to get in there and get his portrait.

I had a week to obsess and I used every day to do so. After waffling on several ideas, I landed on Miyamoto playing with a Mario chess set. Unfortunately I landed on this idea before I knew a Mario chess set would cost $40 dollars. However, looking back it was a minor price to pay to get an amazing image and at the same time, giving my son an experience he’ll never forget.

The Violin Shop would be the location of The Hit Points’ showcase. Once my son and I arrived, we were ushered to what seemed to be the smallest workshop in Middle Tennessee. Somehow we managed to set up a 9FT wide background and three lights. While my son set up the chess board, I started taking test shots. It’s very important to get the lighting just right when you’re pressed for time. Miyamoto had no idea I was going to take his photo. So if I got the opportunity, I had to be quick.

The boy did a great job setting up the board. I knew if I actually photographed the Mario creator, there’d be someone out there who would know if the chess pieces weren’t in the correct squares. Once the board was ready, I photographed the boy and it looked great.

After Miyamoto arrived at The Violin Shop, I walked over to his interpreter and showed her my son’s photo. I explained that I’d like to photograph Miyamoto the same way. She got his attention, pointed to the back of my camera, spoke Japanese, then nodded his head. I don’t speak Japanese, however I know nods and that was a big one.

At the end of the night, we guided Miyamoto back to the workshop and squeezed him behind the chess set. He seemed genuinely amused with the chess board idea and that only made my job easier.

Miyamoto was enthusiastic and extremely in to the process, even picking up the Mario king piece and saying in a thick Japanese accent “chessmate”. Talk about an exclamation point on my night.

After less than 10 minutes of shooting, we cleaned up the workshop by moving chairs and trash cans back to their original place. After which my son and I walked back in to the main room.

We had no expectations of the night getting any better.

Until………my son asked Miyamoto to sign the chess board, and that was probably the best moment of the night for me as a father. He took the board, then methodically drew the face of Mario and signed it.

The look on my son’s face was worth me quitting college in my freshman year to pursue a career in photography.

Mario Creator and Nintendo Designer, Shigeru Miyamoto and the boy.