We Waited

We waited. 


In the cold and the misting rain, just after ten o'clock, we pulled up at the Signature Hanger and joined a group of about fifteen other fans who had already gathered and were also waiting.. jittery with expection and excitement. 


Music was blaring from car radios, people were laughing and joking and there was a level of energy that is hard to explain unless you were there to experience it for yourself. The yellow, white and blue jerseys everyone was sporting with their various numbers and names made me smile and know that I was among folks who were just as proud to be there as I was. People would drive by and honk their horns and pump their fists as they looked for parking and we yelled back, happy to welcome any and all fans who came to join us. 


We waited some more. 


The information came that the plane carrying the Nashville Predators Hockey Team we were there to welcome home hadn't left when expected, and it would be another two hours before we would get to see them. No one cared... we settled in and still we waited.


The police showed up to keep an eye on the ever growing group of fans, and then a phone call from the teams management came with rules of what we could and could not do once the team showed up. No asking for photos, no asking for autographs, no stopping the players seeking to talk to them at all. We were only allowed to watch from a distance and offer our support verbally to the team that we love. 


But that was alright.... and we continued to wait. 


The group of fans swelled to about one hundred and fifty folks, and some among us were interviewed by the various news crews that showed up to document our welcome for the Predators, and we entertained them by doing various chants we voice at games, and singing television sit-com jingles, and talking about the team and the stats and the hope of bringing home the Cup to Nashville for the first time ever. 


And finally, they were here. 


The doors to the terminal opened. We shouted, hooted and chanted, clapping our hands, stomping our feet, and making noise worthy of a TV timeout standing ovation at the Bridgestone Arena sporting seventeen thousand people instead of the mere two hundred we might have been.


One by one the players started streaming out, carrying bags, tired and travel worn, but obviously surprised to see us waiting for them. Several slowed down and waved to us, smiling hugely... grins that stretched from ear to ear. The respect that we showed them was mirrored in their faces for us, knowing that we had been waiting for them out in the cold and the rain until after midnight, just to show our love and support of their hard work and effort to come home to Smashville three to one against the Detroit Red Wings. 


Respect that was shown by us in the fact that not one fan rushed them, trying to talk to them or stop them, and they were allowed to get to their vehicles in peace to head home to get some much deserved rest. I was so proud. 


It was a welcome change for me, having worked for many years in an industry surrounded by celebrities, and their fans, and constantly seeing a lack of respect from the so called 'fans' who wouldn't allow them to have their time and their space. I stood in awe of this incredible group of people that proved that Nashville does indeed, have the BEST fans in the NHL. This was the way it should be done. Always. 


The players recognize it, and they appreciate it. Pekka Rinne stopped during his walk to his car and just smiled and shook his head in amazement, his face just shining as he waved to us. Brian McGrattan walked through the crowd and bumped fists with several people, his grin was so big, it lit up the parking lot. Jordan Tootoo pumped his fist and hooted at us. When they were able to, both he and  Mike Fisher tweeted out thanks to the fans and showed how much they enjoyed seeing us there waiting for them when they got home. Trotz also came through the crowd, smiling and shaking hands, bumping fists and showing this thanks for our support in his own quiet way. Terry and Pete came out laughing and talked to several people, proud to have us there, and took pictures of us as well as some videos of us chanting for the players.


We yelled until we had no voices left. Until there were no players left. No staff left.


Then, just like that, it was over. 


We all split up and went our seperate ways, content that we had shown the team that we love the support that they need to carry the them on in their quest for The Cup. It was an amazing feeling, and I feel somewhat humbled to have been a part of it.


We waited. And we waited.


And it was worth it.  

Unreleased 100 Monkeys Photos You Say?

Wow. Has it really been a month since I have written a blog?? I am seriously slacking. Whew. 


Eh. That's probably because I've been too busy writing my Fanfiction story. My goodness people are greedy for new chapters! I try and post one new chapter a week and still people want more! 


I'll take THAT as a compliment that I must be a good writer. :)


Anyway, I digress.


I've been considering releasing a few unreleased 100 Monkeys Music photos.. but, they are all OLD now. Shoot... my last show was back in August of last year in California! So much has happened since then. 


Well.. I will dig through my archives and see what I can dig up.. maybe a 100 Monkeys Concert Review 2011. 


Stay tuned! :)

Fun With Photos!

Oh Man... a friend of mine found this website where you can take your photos you have taken and plug them into different environments and have them merged into this outrageous photo that be anything from a magazine cover to a billboard in downtown New York City. 


You know I had to have some fun with that one! 


So, below are some examples of the fun mash-ups I've created. I used mostly the Primates because they are the most recent photos that I've taken, and they are so much fun to play with. 

So far this one is the favorite on the photography facebook. What's yours?

Someone needs to make this happen... just sayin'.... 

 Yeah. I'll admit it. I would go to an art show like this one.. of course.. I might be a little biased in this case. Haha.

 Gotta love some Uncle Larry! The woman adore the King Of Smooth!

 OK. Admit it. You could SO see some of  The Booted Diva's fans blowing up one of his photos to super-sized proportions! (probably to hang up on their bedroom ceiling... heh.)

The FRO OF DEATH. Big hearts for this man... and his awesome hair.  

These next few are just some fun ones of ME. The pictures of me and the tiger picture were taken by my amazing friend Heidi down on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California.

 A billboard by the river maybe?

This one was fun because it's made to look like an old school photobooth strip. These fun pics were taken down in Hollywood last month while hanging out with a couple of friends. ;)

 Art reproduction...?

My beautifully talented friend, singer/songwriter Ms. Shanna Crooks in New York City, baby! (someday!)

So.. anyway.. just a fun, quirky little blog showing what can kind of crazy things can be done with photos and the right editing software.. which, in this case is not mine, but belongs to photofunia.com

Breaking Dawn Premiere Pics

Thanks to an amazing friend *coughsHEIDIcoughs* (oops.. I 'name dropped', didn't I? Oh well.. I'm sure she will forgive me.. *grin*) I was able to not only shoot the stars on the red (black, actually) carpet, I got to meet a vast majority of them because of that. (yes.. Rob, Taylor and Kristen too!)


As a little Thank You to those who have continued to keep up with me here, I have decided to post a few pictures of your favorite stars from the recently released movie, The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 1 from the Red Carpet event and after party. 

Me on the Red (black) Carpet

Gil Birmingham. He was sweet. Came over and said, "I think I'll just hang out over here with you guys for a little bit. How're you doing!?" Of COURSE I had to take a picture with him. *grin* 

Look at that sky! We were so lucky the rain stayed away. 

Just a few folks you might recognize!

 Daddy C and his GORGEOUS blue peepers! *swoons*

 The lady who started it all, Stephenie Meyer

 Honestly.. I have no comment about the suit.. other than, it was very ... soft. Haha. 

 I LOVED Kristen's gown. 

As a personal side note here, I have to say that after watching Kristen with her fans, I have an entirely new respect for her. Countless times she swatted her bodyguard and her publicist away whenever they tried to move her down the isle. Twice they managed to drag her away, and twice she shook them off and went back to signing before they corralled her to have her interview. As they tried to walk her away, the girls standing next to me called out, "Kristen! We've been waiting so patiently! Please come and say Hi to us!" and Kristen got this amazingly pained look on her face, threw her hands up in the air, and said, "I can't leave. I HAVE to go and talk to them. I have to." and she marched her way over to sign their autographs. When she was done there, she walked BACK the way she'd came to sign for people that they had dragged her away from prior. I was grinning from ear to ear, I have to admit. She's grown up and come into her own. It was great to see. 

She apologized over and over again that she couldn't stay or take photographs, but that she wished she could, and thanked everyone for coming to the movie and supporting her. She was amazing. 

I would post more, but I haven't REALLY gotten the go ahead yet, so this is all I'm going to leave you with. I hope you still enjoyed them. 

I was also able to watch the premiere of the movie 4 days before it's release, and attend the invitation only cast after party which was freakin' amazing. 

I took this picture with my cellphone, so it's not great, but that was in the MIDDLE of the tent as I walked in.

Fully catered, nothing but TOP SHELF alcohol, with an open free bar. It's a damn good thing that I gave up drinking 6 years ago, or I'd have been PLOWED. Just sayin'. The entire tent, which was on the top of a downtown parking garage, was decorated to look like both the wedding, and the honeymoon, complete with water, palm trees, sand and pine trees. It was incredible. Our party invitations were mini replica's of the wedding invitation from the movie. I didn't think to take a picture of it, and they wouldn't let us have them.. dammit.

 The far wall...

There was tables everywhere with food, drinks, and a HUGE table set up with so many desserts, I swear I gained 8735935221 pounds just looking at it. There was even a replica of Bella's wedding cake. 

"I thought it'd be bigger..." O_o

Later on in the evening, the hunky Kellan Lutz made an appearance, and stepped up on the sand bank by the ocean (yes, I said 'sand bank by the ocean'... O_o) and held his arms out and said with a big smile, "Who's first!?" and a line immediately formed to met and take pictures with him. He was very sweet, and stood there for several hours, taking pictures and signing autographs for whomever wanted them until his publicist finally pulled him away. Even then he was gracious and friendly, apologizing to everyone that he had to leave, and thanking people for coming to watch the movie.  

The ocean.. although you can't see the sand. Yes, the flowers and trees were 

real.  

You didn't HONESTLY think I'd pass THAT up... did you!? 

By the end of the night.. I think around 2 am, the party started breaking up, and people started clearing out. I had long since taken off my heels and was walking around in my socks, and my feet still hurt. I'd been standing on them since about 1pm.. so yeah.. it was time for them to go. We made our way back to the parking garage where we'd parked the car, and headed back to the hotel and collapsed.

It was an amazing weekend, and we had a complete blast. The chance of a lifetime.. and one I'll never forget. I am hoping that I'll get to do it next year.. since it's the last one, and bound to be pretty emotional. 

We'll see. :) 

A Small Goodbye... And A New Beginning...

I thank you all for the support you have given my photography Facebook. Please don't think that it's not been appreciated, because it certainly has. It means a lot that people like my work. I am blessed in the fact that I have wonderful friends and family who have supported me in everything that I do, and that they have brought friends and family with them that appreciate it also.


I've been waffling on it for several months now, and I've finally decided that I'm not going to be posting photos to the Parker Photography Facebook anymore. When I get my photography website up and running, with the options to purchase photos, I will link to that here as well. From now on, THIS will be the place to keep tabs on me and my photography... not Facebook. I also have a tumblr account that I will post photos on -randomly- from time to time. But, from now on, my photography is all about what makes ME happy.. the way it started out. I'm going back to my roots. 


Here, I can be myself. ALL of myself... rants and all... in addition to my photography. At least I can have some peace in knowing that the people who choose to follow me here will hopefully be following me for all that I am... and have an appreciation for me as a person, as well as an artist, and not just for the photos they want to use me for.    


So, that being said.... if you can't handle All Of Me... there is a little red X up in the far right corner of the screen... click it now.


If you think that can handle me in all my *coughs* glory, then....  welcome to the insanity of it all.


*wink*

Not Giving Up Anything....

Believe it or not, it was never my dream to become a concert photographer. 


Yeah, you read that right. *shrugs* Nope. Never was. 


I have always taken photos though...of anything and everything. I started out with my father's old Canon AE1, taking pictures of the scenery, the drag races, car shows.. whatever I was into at the time. 


I still have and old Canon AE1.. I just don't use it anymore. (Although, after a long, animated, and sometimes heated discussion with one Mr. Rathbone in Vegas back in August, I think I've been talked back into picking up the film camera again, just to find the joy in taking photos that I used to have.) It seriously needs to be serviced because it hasn't been used in probably at least 15 years. But it will use it again. There is entirely too much prettiness here in Tennessee to not capture it in photos. 


But, I digress. 


As I was saying, I never set OUT to be a concert shooter.. it just kind of ended up that way when the gorgeous Shanna Crooks liked my photos I took of her on stage. So, with that in mind, the next several shows, I TRIED to take good photos of her, succeeded, and the rest is history. 


Word spread, and soon I ended up taking photos for several people, just because they liked my photos. And I liked making them happy. That is pretty much how it started. I liked making people happy with the photos that I took, so I continued to take them. Then people started asking me to come and take photos. That made me feel GREAT. And the photos were ALWAYS appreciated. Still are, for the few folks that I take them for on a regular basis. 


But lately, I have lost the joy that I used to take in shooting the concerts I've been going to, and it has shown in the photos that I take. The quality of my work has been going downhill steadily, and I have noticed that. I have a theory on why this is, but it's nothing that I'm ready to share with the public at the moment. Just, suffice it to say.. I'm ready to step back and take a break from it all, and just.. give it up.


I still love photography.. and capturing amazing images and moments that would otherwise be lost to us. But, I think I need to just regain my perspective on it. 


When I was trying to do it for money, I lost the joy in it because it became a JOB. When I was just doing it for fun, I loved it. That is what I need to get back to if I am going to continue to take pictures. So, I need to walk away from that side of it... and give up the idea of making any money on it, and just do it because I love to do it.   


So, this weekend in California is going to be all about the fun that can be had with a camera. Gaining new perspective on a hobby that I used to do for the love of it. 


So really.. I'm not giving up anything. I'm going to GAIN more in the long run.

Another New Animation - Breaking Dawn Convention

These are silly, but still pretty fun to do... once you get the hang of it, and have decent photos to work with. Heidi made the 'good photos' part pretty easy, actually. Gotta love the 'burst' setting on a digital camera. Haha.


Anyway.. here is another new animation made from the Breaking Dawn Convention photos that Heidi took last weekend. Gotta love Rob. *chuckles*