The Lens and the Eyebrow

Mutantspaceboy at Soda Bar, 1/31/12

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:50:48 GMT

Mutantspaceboy is a much more interesting instrumental band than some other, more popular ones in town. It's an updated, shred version of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Santana, or something.

For this set, I didn't want to convert to black and white. I wanted to find a way to balance flash with ambient and leave it in color.

OK, maybe I pulled the blues and greens out of some shots, and the reds out of others.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2012, All Rights Reserved.
Please ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Awakeners Group Shoot at TIn Can Ale House, 1/26/12

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:41:21 GMT

Awakeners before their show at Tin Can Ale House.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2012, All Rights Reserved.
Please ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Ian Tordella Group at 98 Bottles, 1/21/12

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:11:47 GMT

Ian's new music and some of my new night photos were on display Saturday night at 98 Bottles. Robert Bush described the night perfectly, so I won't bother to add anything. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

OK, one thing is that I wish he chose a more interesting Squarepusher song to cover. Iambic 5 Poetry is a relative dirge compared to TJ's more dextrous efforts. I wanted to hear some blast beats.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2012, All Rights Reserved.
Please ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Dublin, Ireland, 12/17/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:10:00 GMT

I found myself in Dublin with one free day, no plan, and no car. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

I was in the Temple Bar area, which must be called that because that's all you find here; old churches and even older bars.

St. Patrick's Cathedral. They charge admission to go inside.

The dogs looked as Irish as the people.

I followed the signs to the Old Jameson Distillery, where it was all made up until 1971. The bar sat above the original supports for the stills.

At this point, I realized that I'd been out shooting for almost 6 hours and the sun was still in the same position. Wow, Northern latitudes.

What's this, two magical elixir birthplaces within 10 minutes walk of each other?

The top floor Gravity Bar had a great view of Dublin.

Everybody says that Guinness tastes better in Ireland, but it tastes the same to me.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2012, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Lunar Eclipse, 12/10/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:24:50 GMT

Southern California got a perfect view of the lunar eclipse last month. With thousands of other people capturing this on camera, I knew I wanted to do something a bit different, and make the dark red moon part of a landscape.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Fletcher Cove, 12/3/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:46:08 GMT

I had an hour to kill in Solana Beach over the weekend, so I went to the closest beach I could find, Fletcher Cove. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Kyuss Lives, The Sword at House of Blues, 11/17/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:14:53 GMT

You might have seen some of these shots of Kyuss Lives show up on Soundiego a couple weeks ago, but I thought I'd post them here too. For completeness. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

First up was The Sword.

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Kyuss Lives played all their hits, borrowing heavily from my favorite, Sky Valley. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

You might recognize the bass player from some other bands.

The singer still sounds the same.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Dub Trio at Casbah, 11/15/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:42:00 GMT

Brooklyn’s Dub Trio have played San Diego many times before, but Tuesday night was their first headlining show here. After stints as the backing band for Mike Patton and Matisyahu, they brought angular metal riffs peppered with dub breakdowns to the Casbah. The subwoofers got a workout, as did the audience’s ribcages.

As frantic as the music is, they don't show it on their faces. Stoic looks the whole time, which made it tough to get dramatic shots.

Did Casbah get a blacklight?

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Munich, Germany, Nov. 2011

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:24:15 GMT

Work brought me to Munich this month, and I was able to bring my camera out a couple nights during the trip. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

The food and drink was excellent, but really rich.

The locals are warm and friendly.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Sirhan Sirhan, Archons, Marsupials at Soda Bar, 10/31/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:27:48 GMT

I'd been looking forward to this Halloween show for a month, and after trick or treating and too much coconut, I was even more amped up. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

Marsupials started off, but I wasn't able to get many decent shots since I left my primes at home and they played under dim red lights.

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Archons came on stage to tolling bells and flowing robes.

Scott looks good with hair.

Towards the end of the set, Chad busted out a 12-string bass. It sounds like thunder and lighting together.

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I'm not sure, but I think that the last time I shot Sirhan Sirhan might have been their last SD show. It was great to hear some old favorites as well as new songs.

I used off camera flash for this set to try and balance the red lights with something a bit more dynamic. I didn't want to drown out the red lights, but at the same time I didn't want to drag the shutter so much that I would get trails.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

North Carolina, 10/8/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:57:32 GMT

It's been a month since I posted, miss me?

I was in North Carolina for a couple weeks, training for my new job. Over the weekend, I drove through Asheville into the foothills of the Appalachians, stopping at the North Carolina Arboretum for the evening. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

Inside the building was a Bonzai Tree event.

I don't use selective colorization often, and I know some photographers have a serious aversion to it, but every once in a while it works.

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The next morning, I woke up early to drive the Blue Ridge parkway, a highway that sits at the top of a huge mountain range.

I never paid attention to fall colors when I lived in Ohio/NY, but I have an appreciation for them now.

Who says that you can't use a telephoto for landscapes? Sure you can!

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

East Coast Trip, Fall 2011

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:57:12 GMT

We booked our fall trip six months ago, and had no idea that our two-week vacation would include a job interview in NC and several trips to hospitals and nursing homes for two of my grandparents. Stressful is not the word....

I did manage to fit in a little bit of shooting. I'll be damned if the $25 bag fee they forced me into paying at the security gate will go to waste. In NY, there's a fantastic arboretum just down the street from the in-laws house.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

A rare 30-second self portrait:

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In Northport, Long Island, I took the sunset colors to an extreme. This is actually not too far off from the coloration of the RAW files out of the camera. 10-stop ND filters tend to pass just a little more red than other colors. Over the 30 second exposures, that small color cast adds up.

It's a constant balancing act to find the right shutter speed that provides sufficient exposure and blur to the water, but holds sharpness in the vessels, which are bobbing up and down in the water.

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Cleveland was more depressing than normal, so I barely brought out the camera, except to shoot my friend Xela at a coffee shop gig.

We came back to a puny harvest and some dead plants.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Sleep Lady, Swore at Tin Can Ale House, 8/25/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:51:23 GMT

Thursday night was the free Soundiego party, where I had a chance to see Old Tiger and a bit of New Mexico before heading to the Tin Can. I got there just as Immovable objects was tearing down. Oops.

Swore was the first band to get a new black and white processing look, using flash and some new software. What do you think?

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For Sleep Lady, I pushed the shimmery-sharp look to the extreme. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

Might as well see what all those buttons and sliders do!

Bye Mauni, I hope to see you again really soon.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Yellowstone trip, Day 2, 5/27/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:40:54 GMT

Hey, remember when we went to Yellowstone this spring? Here's day 2 in Yellowstone. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

I woke up before sunrise to find snow on the ground and a lone buffalo roaming the fragile hot springs.

The springs are eerie in the morning, steaming rivers of calcified water depositing themselves on everything, killing plantlife slowly enough to see them react to the pain.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Five Guys Burgers, 8/23/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:24:19 GMT

Shooting at Bird Rock all morning worked up my hunger, so I drove into PB and ended up at Five Guys Burgers for the first time.

I couldn't see how they could improve on the In-n-Out Burger niche, but I was pleasantly surprised. While waiting for my order, I helped myself to the free nuts and soda refills. I hardly ever drink soda, but once in a while, it's good to let go.

The burger arrived in a greasy bag, under a mountain of fries. Upon unwrapping, it didn't look very pretty. The fries were damn good though, seasoned with some cajun spice.

After a couple bites, I found it to be tasty, especially with my free add-ons of mustard, onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. I'm not a multi-patty kinda guy, so I went with the little hamburger. Bring able to customize a delicious burger is a big deal to me, and I'll be going back to try some more adventurous combinations, at least when I feel like spending 2x the In-n-Out price.

I did take that greasy bag of fries home, where it provided three more side dishes of crispy cajun fries, after a quick reheat in a pan.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Bird Rock, 8/23/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:36:11 GMT

It's incredible how a 70 million year old rock can break in half instantly, geologically speaking. A whole opened up in the middle of Bird Rock in 2007, and by the time I first saw it in Spring of 2009, it had rapidly expanded.

When I came back a few months later, it seemed like the whole was a bit bigger. A year later, it was a verifiable arch.

Half the rock finally collapsed under its own weight this past winter. I only found out a couple weeks ago, and waited for a foggy morning to shoot the -now smaller- Bird Rock. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

I processed this set using a new B&W conversion plugin, and I'm amazed at the power of this software. I'm still getting used to what all the buttons do, so these photos are my first test prints.

I always use a polarizer when doing daytime long exposures. One twist of the filter can give me a milky smooth water, or one churning with rocks just below the surface.

The added structure and sharpness does wonders for the rocks, but it brings out more detail in the water than I would like. 30 seconds might not be a long enough shutter speed to fog the water for the effect I'm after.

My grandfather has been around my whole life too, but it seems as though I'm getting on a plane soon to see him for one last time. In both cases, the cracks showed up a few years ago, but it seemed like it was something that would still happen "in the future", not this week. Being 3000 miles away makes me feel pretty helpless, since my mom is bearing all the burden on herself with little help. I haven't been there for her the way I should have, but it hurt me to hear how much pain she was going through, so I didn't call her as much as I should have. But I'll be there for her very soon, when she really needs me.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Jamie Shadowlight Group at Anthology, 8/14/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:49:05 GMT

Jamie Shadowlight and her electric violin brought the music of Hendrix, Santana, and Zeppelin to Anthology last weekend. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

The thumb in that photo makes it for me.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Schitzophonics, The New Kinetics at Eleven, 8/12/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:03:28 GMT

You can't take a bad picture of Birdy Bardot. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

Brian Reilly went back to basics after leaving HSG to form The New Kinetics with his wife.

The happy couple in action:

The sound is like a kitten with claws.

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But tonight was the Schitzophonics' night, with them releasing their first CD. Pick up a physical copy so that you can also enjoy the lovely band photo on the back.

One thing I miss about Radio Room is that they gave half a crap about lighting the stage. Nowadays they just point the lights at the center of the stage which sucks from a photo and fan perspective. I see this happen at upscale venues too, where you can't see half the band, but the singer is blinded by spotlights.

Maybe I was especially grumpy at this show thanks to the drunken idiot who spent half the time banding on a cowbell, and then jumping around like a fool. If you can't handle your liquor, don't go out drinking. You ruin it for the rest of us.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Big Business, Torche, Sleep Lady at Casbah, 8/8/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 05:46:27 GMT

Sleep Lady spilled over yet another stage that's too small to contain their members and pedals. Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

The bass shook the room so hard that a light fixture fell off the ceiling, right where i was about to stand for a shot. I almost wish it fell on my head, I probably could have got in for free from now on.

As a fun little experiment, I tried adjusting brightness instead of exposure so much. Can anybody tell, because I can't?

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Torche lit up the stage with blistering speed sludge. I was really impressed with this band.

The new lights at the Casbah are brighter, but now the other side of the stage is left in the dark.

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Big Business put the hair lights on the side of the stage to good use.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.

Red Fox Tails CD release party at Surfindian, 8/6/11

michaelklayman@gmail.com (Michael) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:28:39 GMT

The Red Fox Tails finally put out their much-anticipated debut CD of surfy soul jazz. The party was at Surfindian in PB.

They expanded the trio and added some horns and vocals.

Click on a photo to go to the full gallery.

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All Images Copyright © Michael Klayman 2011, All Rights Reserved.
It's nice to ask for permission before downloading or linking to them.