Ryan Jones Photography

Hey man, you got a nice camera, can you take some photos for me?
One more person who says this shit to me will get a slap to the face, it's NOT the camera, it never will be. Next time compliment me on my fashion sense or cologne, you will have more chances of not pissing me off

Sooooo Ive been working within close quarters with what is quite easily one of the best up and coming Australian Heavy Metal bands named Aventine Hill , and from that Ive met some amazing people and have gained some of the closest friends I have ever found in my life so far, if you want to read up about my love Ive found head on over to my discontinued old Tumblr blog here.

Anyways, this is one of if not the last piece (maybey forever! :( ) I made up for them.

First time I have ever used Adobe Premiere, but everyone seems to like it and I think it came out pretty decent for something that wasnt even planned. I recored all the video footage at the last minute after spending about 3 or so days in the studio with the guys taking photos. After realising I literally had to many photos I started shooting video not knowing what I was even going to use it for, but considering it was going to be the last time these guys were all together AND also in the studio, I figured it was the least I could do as far as capturing the memories for them.

So some people have already seen it but here is the video! :)

Oh also one last thing, my little rant about the Soundwave Festival in my last blog post, Im sorry about the amount of typos that were in there, but I was blogging it from my iPhone while we were waiting in the carpark to be let out.

Thanks again guys!

Until next time

Ryan

So soundwave Sydney Australia 2010 was an incredible fail, the lineup was pretty damn amazing, paramore, afi, faith no more, James addiction, Jimmy eat world, Alexis on fire, HIM, all round a pretty spiffy lineup. Here's what was a joke, no shade, all the toilets were either in the over 18's section or at the front of the venue which If you walked there from the back of the venue would take you a good 20 mins if not more allowing for crowds, they ran out of food and water, we were told we couldn't sit "there" and to move down, after me askig down to where, they said down there where we then sat only to be told to move later another 5 times.
Staff didn't have radio contact with each other, my girlfriend was having an asthma attack and my brother passing out from heat stroke, I found staff only to find that they had no way to call medics to our location..... 10 minutes of me running through crowds to find the medic tent only resulted in me being told that it's not their area and to go to the other medic tent which was a good 20 minute walk, by then my girlfriend could have passed out alog with my brother.
We didn't even wait until the very last band and decided to leave early to beat the rush, we have now been sitting in the car park for over an hour and honestly have not moved an inch and if I was to wait until we were out to post this blog then it looks like about another 3 hours according to the police here.

Soundwave, I know that you can't help alot of the things that happen at these events, and the organisation of the events seemed fine, it's was just the lack of simple common fucking sense.

SORT IT OUT

It's gonna have to be one he'll of a lineup next year for me to pay $160 for a sun tan, heat stroke headache, hours long wait to leave, and to put up with bands being behind about an hour if not more, a groups of blind folded todlers pissing on a piece of paper would create a better looking project management plan that this trash.
Last year was fine, why did you not only change the layout of this years but also introduce more bars which ended in bottlenecking crowds just like last year and also cutting off valuable land space, toilets and water at those bars since all the other ones ran out.... AGAIN!

On another note, the one thing that blew my mind was the music and lifestyle appreciation I saw here, from the mixed age groups and no bullshit happening between event goers, but one thing that stood out was me watching a couple, one wearing an Anthrax tshirt and the other wearing a trivium tshirt, both dancing to paramore. Also my brother who is into heavy metal very heavily (excuse the punn) enjoying acts like Placebo, Jimmy eat world and Paramore.

Having said that that was the thing I enjoyed from this years soundwave, I can find the exact same thing from hanging out on a music appreciation forum on the net, or speaking to my muso friends, so I'm not going to thank soundwave for that either.

I'm trying so hard to keep this blog to a photography / personal photography journey so here it is, a 9 photo panorama shot, stitched and edited 100% on my iPhone, I think that this is amazing that I can do things with a phone that we were all struggling to do with actual cameras only a couple of years ago.
I've been planning on posting a blog all about iPhone-ography and which apps I use and also recomend but there are already plenty of sites out there and I just can't find the time at the moment.

Ryan

Alrighty then guys, so leme just say right off the bat that even though I dont shoot alot, or have an incredibly huge or impressive portfolio, or make a living off of my photography, I count myself as a photographer, and an artist.

Constantly thinking about shutter speeds, Fstops, ISO, ambient vs studio lighting, locations, themes, pricing, branding, equipment, if Im not talking about it, Im thinking about it.

If you see me sitting still doing nothing, or I go quiet all of a sudden, Im probably either sleeping with my eyes open or thinking about anything to do with photography and what my next step has to be.

We all get in our little down moods, its human nature, but when all the answers to all the questions your asking point to more money, more time, more this, more that, it gets exhausting.

With so much to know, and no knowledge where to start, and, or, no money to pay for that knowledge, it has turned me to the internet, a large, dark, scary place full of NeWbZ and rOfLkOpTeRs along with all the other garbage found here.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel (or behind my LCD's in my computer screen in this case) and that light is so inspiring that I cant stop looking.

This has fueled my love and passion of people and photographing them. Where Im going to take this? Only time will tell, and that has alot to do as to how hard I push it I know.

But with so many obsticles in my way, even as small as what lens do I need for the job?Am I using the right lights? Is there such a thing as right or wrong?

So many other questions, so many dark places to lurk and try and help myself at this amazingly huge all you can eat buffet known as the Internet.

Im tired, tired of constantly thinking and not knowing which direction to go, who to talk to and who to ask for help.

Wondering if my mentors and inspirations have that look or style to their art because they were faced with the same limitations of gear, lack of creativity, or lack of open minded people to take photos of.

Did the worlds top landscape photographers become landscape photographers because they have incredibly bad social skills? Or was it because they just didnt know how to use lighting set ups?

Do the portrait artists I adore and follow have that certain look and feel that makes their work stand out from all the others because they dont know how to white balance? or color correct? or anything else that you can think of?

Should I throw in the towel and go and do a TAFE course in I.T and sit behind a desk the rest of my life telling people to turn the computer off and try again, and just take photos of my kids and have all my friends think of me the way they think of me now and that is, Ryan, that guy with the nice camera.

Should I be offended when someone I know approaches me and says "Hey man, you got a nice looking camera, could you shoot my wedding?" assuming that because I have spent a certain amount of money on a camera, or that it "looks pro" that the photos that are produced by this portable computer with a mini telescope attached to it are going to look good? And that it has nothing to do with knowing what adjustments to make or what buttons to push and when to push them?

If only we could all pay the un relentless pile of bills that we all gather by "looking pro" or looking impressive.

Ever feel youve reached the end before you ever even began the race?

The video I've included from one of my favourite photographers Zack Arias, sums me up, not my lifestyle that Zack has, but more along the lines of the questions, the feelings and the mood that wanting something and being creative and not knowing where to go or who to turn to can create, or in his case, reaching what many people only dream of and work so hard to achieve only to fail, and yet still find yourself asking if your worthy? Is it all real? What the heck do I do next?

People like Zack Arias, Chase Jarvis, Lithium Picnic, all these people that have inspired thousands, if not more, Im sure all questioning themselves, abilities, or choices.

After watching Zack post this video, but continue to stay in the game is incredibly empowering.

Chase is always so upbeat, positive, creative, and fun, which is something Im still trying to dig down and find within.

Watching Lithium Picnic on twitter, doubt if hes "Still got it" or not, and thinking about maybey just taking one long ass break is a very scary thought.

I know that these photographer / internet personalities know they have lots of people interested / following their every online move, but I wonder if they actually know what sort of an impact they have on the people they have opened up their lives to?

From people like me, who live in a small western suburbs town, lacking so many things that I could really do with right about now, surrounded by people mowing their lawns on sunday mornings, coming home, cooking dinner, watching TV and going to sleep, because, well, thats just what you do right?

Gotta keep pushing, until I hit the first goal, to be paid to take photos, the photos I want to take. But then what? push to get more clients? push for more gear? push to move to a different country that I think just MIGHT help me in so many ways?

Who knows?

But for now, an incredible video from Zack Arias, that Im sure all people, both creative and "regular" alike all feel at some stage.

Ryan.