MY BLOG HAS MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY BLOG HAS MOVED AND HAS TOTALLY BEEN UPDATED TO A NEWER, SHARPER, SLEEKER AND SEXIER BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOLLOW ME TO KYHORSEPHOTO.COM...

Keeneland Fall Meet

Keeneland began it's fall meet this past weekend and I finally got a chance to upload some photos. The weather was absolutely perfect for attending the races but the clear skies also created a harsh sun and heavy contrast to the photos. Learning how to shoot Keeneland during the harsh light has been a lot of trial and error. The challenge becomes finding ways to work with the light instead of working against it. I looked for different angles this weekend and ways to make the back lighting more dramatic instead of just overexposing the background to get detail in the subject. I am posting a variety of different shots I explored and hope you like the results. The weather is calling for overcast skies and a chance of rain the next few days. I love shooting the low light and soft contrast in low light conditions. But the challenge then becomes shutter speed and depth of field. I will post some low light shots soon to compare against the high contrast shots in this post. Enjoy! 

Keeneland September Yearling Sales Photos

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale began last Monday. This is the largest yearling sale in the world and draws not only the best horses in the world but also the top owners, trainers, breeders and anyone else associated with thoroughbred racing. Standing side by side in the back show barn can be heads of state from oil rich countries such as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Triple Crown winning trainers, owners and jockeys, Amish families with young children along with hundreds of part timers, gamblers and members of the media. The early morning light has been simply awesome this week and Keeneland is in pristine condition. This is one of my favorite times to shoot in the equine industry and this year has offered up many great and unique shots. Here are just a few of the hundreds I have taken this week . Enjoy!

September in Kentucky

You can tell when it's September in Kentucky. The deer are more active in the evening, the fields of corn and tobacco are being harvested, the grass turns from bright green to brown and the barns at Keeneland start to fill with the yearlings being offered for sale at the most prestigious yearling sales in the world. I also found a broken heart someone had discarded hiding in an old tree long dead. I don't know if it died from old age, a lightning strike or if the broken heart did it in. I just thought it was interesting. You poets out there should write something about that!

Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours

I got to spend some time with Antsy McClain on Saturday doing some publicity photos and I got to hear Antsy and the Trailer Park Troubadours play later that night at a private event. It was a great show full of energy, laughs and outstanding music. They even got Eddie Mattingly up on stage shaking his, uh.....well....shaker.

All Troub fans like me are anxiously awaiting the release of a new CD due out soon, but if you have never seen Antsy McClain live, you are missing one great show! It's hard to describe the energy generated on stage when songs like "Trailer Park in Heaven", "Havin' a Good Time Tonight" or "Folkabilly Shuffle" are rockin the house. But then he can tug on your heart strings just moments later with songs like "Falling in Love in America", "Primer Gray Impala" or my favorite tear jerker "Wreck of the Bookmobile". Antsy tours heavily on the west coast and is building a great fan base back here in the east. He does a yearly fan cruise and even had a European tour earlier this year. Check out his website, find a concert near you, slick back your hair and put on your best polyester and get out there and see Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours. It's one Fabulous show!

Kentucky Evenings and Tim O'Brien

I bought the new Tim O'Brien CD, Chameleon the other day and it has been in my CD player ever since. Tim has been one of my favorite artist for years now since I first heard him in Hot Rize.

His solo efforts have been outstanding and I love to hear him sing with his sister Molly. Some of the best harmony in music today. But this latest project is just Tim alone, one instrument and one voice. No harmony, no background band or overdubbed instruments. Just pure Tim. It has some outstanding writing and soulful interpretations of the music that has a Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan feel to it. Here are some shots I took while listening to the CD. Hope you like them!

Kentucky Summer

Welcome to the heat of summer in Kentucky. The rains have slowed, the temperature has risen, the ground is getting harder the grass is turning brown. One of the best things about Kentucky is that you get a good taste of each season and right now we are getting a good taste of summer's heat and humidity. Supposed to get worse over the next few days as is typical with August. I have been trying to shoot in early mornings and late evenings recently and will post several shots and hope to have some great fog shots coming soon. August usually produces some great foggy mornings and I hope to get out as much as possible to capture some unique shots. Been doing a lot of yearling conformations lately as they get ready for the September sales. Trying to get some good morning farm shots in the process. In the mean time, here are some shots I took recently in the early morning and late evening. 

Will Callery Photos

Last week I got to meet and photograph Will Callery. Click on the Sons of Thunder link to get an in depth look at Will. He was a part of the 70s Texas music revolution with Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker and many others. Will tells about his struggle with life and drugs and then his rescue and recovery. An amazing story actually.

Nora Jones has released a version of Will's hit song "Hands on the Wheel" and does and excellent job with it. It was great to meet Will, talk with him and get a chance to pick a few and listen to a few more. Turned out to be a great day and we got some wonderful shots. Keep your eye out for Will, I think this time around will be better than the first! Will is also working on the Welcome Home Project that will offer financial support for return post 9/11 vets. It features artist like Eric Clapton, J.J. Cale, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kris Kristopherson, Willie Nelson, Lee Roy Parnell and many others.

Ryman Auditorium Photos

I had the honor of getting to roam through the Ryman Auditorium a few days ago while in Nashville. As much as I like music, the Ryman is like sacred ground to me. To absorb the history and legends of that remarkable venue is something every music lover should experience. The stained glass windows create some great opportunities to capture unique lighting conditions and to stand on the stage where the greats have stood gave me cold chills. I couldn't help but belt out a few lines of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" while hanging around the legendary mic.

The previous post showed the nightlife and some of the bars full of people who dream of being featured on the stage at they Ryman. The dream of becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry has assured those bars of a long list of bands hoping to be heard in Nashville. It is the pinnacle of acceptance in country and bluegrass music. And made a humble photographer feel honored too!

Nashville Photos

I took a few days off and went to Nashville with the family. We used it as a home base and made a few day trips to places like the Space and Science Museum on Huntsville AL. But being in a place like Nashville, I couldn't help getting out at night to photograph the unique nightlife of NashVegas. I walked up and down Broadway several times late at night absorbing the history of such an influential location on the American music scene. I window shopped at Gruhn Guitars several times, listened to some great music from the street and imagined the scene 30 years ago as the legends of country music were regulars on lower Broadway at places like Ernest Tubb Record Shop. To top it all off, a friend of mine set up a private tour of the Ryman Auditorium for me that was almost like a religious experience. I was in such awe of the place that I had a hard time holding the camera steady. I will publish shots of the Ryman later but here are some scenes from Nashville. Walking back to the hotel about 1:30 one morning, I turned a corner and found Chet Atkins sitting on a stool playing his guitar. There was an empty stool next to him so I sat down and listened to him pick Windy and Warm then chatted with him a bit before heading back to the hotel. I think that is the first time I have ever talked to a statue like that but I could literally hear the music coming right out of his guitar. Enjoy!

Acoustic Guitar Masters Concert Series 9

The new schedule has been set for the Acoustic Guitar Masters Series 9 at the Performing Arts Center in Elizabethtown Kentucky. Eddie and Carol have put together another outstanding line-up this year and I am anxiously awaiting the first concert on the schedule coming October 4th with Michael Kelsey. I have never had the opportunity to see or photograph Michael but I have listened to his music and watched DVDs of his live show. He is truly an innovative guitar player. When you add Bobby Cochran on the same night as Michael you are assured to be amazed and entertained by two awesome musicians. The next concert on November 1st features blues guitarist Mary Flower with Tim Grimm. This will be my first time photographing Mary too but Tim Grimm is one of my all time favorite song writers and I am looking forward to seeing and photographing him again. Tim has a way of pulling the emotions right out of your soul with his heartfelt, down to earth songs. His CD Heartland is one of my all time favorites! December 6th brings Stephen Bennett to the stage who is a master at the harp guitar. Steve has become known as a versatile guitarist who consistently garners critical praise and audience enthusiasm for his compositions and live performances. I have seen and heard Stephen play with others but I have never seen one of his solo performances.

February 5th TommyFest begins. Anyone familiar with this blog knows how I feel about Tommy Emmanuel. He is Mozart on 6 strings and plays the music of my soul. TommyFest is a 4 day event in the middle of winter that is as hot as a Georgia night in August. Three shows are planned this year as well as two workshops. Anyone who plays guitar will benefit greatly from a 4 hr instructional session with a master guitar player like Tommy Emmanuel. The classes are small and inviting and Tommy gives his insight into various subjects such as playing with multiple guitar players, practice techniques, music styles, life on the road and many more subjects for the novice to professional guitar player. No matter what your talent level any guitar player will benefit from this workshop where you bring your guitar and even have the opportunity to pick along with Tommy.

March 7th brings Dan Crary to the stage. Dan is a flatpicking stylist with an international reputation for innovation, taste and brilliance. He has recorded with the likes of Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Norman Blake and Beppe Gambetta to name a few with a career that spans over 50yrs. This is going to be an outstanding concert. Closing out the 9th series will be Todd Hallawell with special guest Robin Kessinger. Guitar Player magazine said this about Todd's guitar playing "Hallawell attacks his steel-strings with the precision of John Williams and punch of Jerry Reed...an extraordinary fingerpicker" Enough said!

If you are a fan of guitar music like I am, you will absolutely love every performance in this years Acoustic Guitar Masters Concert Series. I have attended nearly every performance in this series for the past 3 years and I have never been disappointed in a single show. Many times I have been not knowing the name or music of a performer only to come away with a great appreciation of their work and new favorites on my I-Pod playlist. Check out one or all of these shows if you get a chance. Here are a few shots from some of the past series.

Bella Bliss Classic Childrens Clothing

I have been doing the photography for the Bella Bliss catalog for a couple years and always enjoy the challenge and we just completed the latest shoot for the new catalog last week. Bella Bliss offers custom children's clothing with wholesome and stylish themes that are pretty enough for holidays and formal occasions yet enduring enough for the playground. The experience has helped me grow as a photographer because I have never considered myself a portrait photographer. But the challenge with Bella Bliss is to make the photos look natural without being posed which fits my style of shooting. As a result of working with Bella Bliss, I am planning on adding custom portrait photography for those clients looking for unique and stylish portraiture. Give me a call if interested. Here are some shots from previous catalog shoots.

Magical Musical Fourth

It's the Fourth of July! Independence Day! Not the movie or the song, the actual day. Here in Versailles Kentucky we have an event called the Magical Musical Fourth. An evening of families, music, picnics and of course fireworks. Rain has hampered the fireworks show for the past two years. Tonight it went off a little early in between downpours. As a result, I didn't risk my camera's on tripods pointing up at the rain for a few more fireworks shots. Here are a few that I had on file from previous events. Happy Fourth of July and remember the struggle and sacrifice our forefathers endured to gain our Independence. And pray it remains!