Austen Risolvato Photography http://austen.la Celebrity & Culture Photographer Based in Los Angeles Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:41:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 On the Road With Porcelain Black. http://austen.la/2011/10/27/on-the-road-with-porcelain-black/ http://austen.la/2011/10/27/on-the-road-with-porcelain-black/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:29:23 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/?p=470

Porcelain Black poses for paparazzi cameras arriving at David Letterman in NYC.

Touring with Porcelain Black has thus far been a whirlwind of insane collaboration.  This foray into the world of a female artist - who comfortably fits into multiple genres - has been an entirely new experience for me.  Though I've had female clients here and there the bulk of my career has been documenting artists that are typically male and rock bands.  It's a man's world as they say - that can hold true in music as well.  Not to say there aren't incredibly talented women in this industry - they're everywhere.  For every one of them there's at least two bands or male artists.  Being female myself, working with Porcelain has been a dream come true.  I've found not only a strong woman and talented artist, I've found a fierce friend.  Our personal friendship certainly helps to fuel our creative relationship.  We see pretty eye to eye on most things style and creative.  So in this aspect we tend to feed off of one another.

 

Porcelain kidnapped me.

Porcelain Black on stage in Los Angeles, CA

She was passing through town when I was in Atlanta on the I'm Still Music Tour with Lil Wayne, I went to hang out with a friend in her camp.  I brought my camera along for fun.  Casually shot a few songs and some backstage stuff.  I spent the day with her and our friend hanging out, shooting her set, and going to Travis Barker's after party.  The next day I shot my friend an email with a few photos.  That night around midnight I got a phone call asking if I was booked for the coming two weeks, no - but I needed to be in Los Angeles for the last two weeks of the month (April) - why?  Less than twenty four hours later I was on a plane to New Orleans to do two weeks of the tour with Porcelain and then on to Los Angeles for the shoots I had already booked.  I went back to Atlanta in the middle of June - after three months with Porcelain.  Two weeks turned into three, which turned into a month, and a month turned in three.  Ultimately I just switched out the clothes in my suitcase and hit the road again.  I got kidnapped.

 

Porcelain Black on tour in Calgary, CAN

It turned out to work just fine for my other client to push back our shoot, and ultimately it featured Porcelain.  As November approaches I've found myself in one of the best working friendships I've ever had.  The visual implications with a female artist are innately broader than that of a man.  For one thing - check out her hair.  We've really enjoyed constantly reinventing ourselves with my camera.  It's been an adventure that I'm grateful and happy to be a part of.  Somehow in the middle of all of this I ended up moving back to Los Angeles, Porcelain and I working together has certainly played a role in that.

 

She's a bright (not as new as you think) new talent who shines brighter than most on her playing field.  She's also one of the realest people I've ever known.  She's humble and at her core, a good person.  She cares deeply about those close to her, and she keeps them close.  I'm looking forward to the next phase in our development together.  Here's to more 4AM Britney Spears and Janet Jackson dance parties in the back lounge of our bus. Check her out - now (please).

]]> http://austen.la/2011/10/27/on-the-road-with-porcelain-black/feed/ 2 The New WWW.AUSTEN.LA is Here! http://austen.la/2011/10/17/the-new-www-austen-la-is-here/ http://austen.la/2011/10/17/the-new-www-austen-la-is-here/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:40:07 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=441 It's here.  The day we've all been waiting for - by we - I probably just mean me.  But the moment has arrived.  Welcome to the new WWW.AUSTEN.LA!

 

The site has all kinds of features that are all kinds of new in the world of Austen Risolvato Photography!

 

There's menus with options, options, options!  You have the OPTION to Tweet or Like (Facebook) any photo you particularly enjoy viewing and it'll send that info straight to your Twitter and Facebook accounts!  There's a new, fun story in the Bio section and the blog is all new.

 

And so friends, I welcome you to the (newest) world of Austen Risolvato Photography!  Enjoy :)

-Austen

]]> http://austen.la/2011/10/17/the-new-www-austen-la-is-here/feed/ 0 Neglect. http://austen.la/2011/09/27/neglect/ http://austen.la/2011/09/27/neglect/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:54:44 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=367 Neglect.  That’s what’s been happening here.  But I am an adult, I can acknowledge this for what it is and move on.  My blog, I have neglected you.  But no more!  In the mean time take a gander at a shot that tells what I’ve been doing in this neglect.  In April I started touring with/working with Porcelain Black.  That’s been going strong since.  She’s dope and you should check her out :)

Also I went to Mexico, but that’s another story for another time.

]]> http://austen.la/2011/09/27/neglect/feed/ 0 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE….PHOTOS Pt 3 http://austen.la/2011/03/07/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite%e2%80%a6-photos-pt-3/ http://austen.la/2011/03/07/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite%e2%80%a6-photos-pt-3/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:51:11 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=363 This shot is of Chris Daughtry, Josh Steely, and Josh Paul of Daughtry in the pre-production writing sessions for their sophomore release, Leave This Town, in the summer of 2008.

I spent two years straight documenting these guys on their insane and unlikely journey as they toured in support of the first album.  All of them are really fantastic people, and I’m honored that they trusted me with these moments.  This shot has always been my favorite of those weeks in the studio.

]]> http://austen.la/2011/03/07/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite%e2%80%a6-photos-pt-3/feed/ 0 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE….PHOTOS Pt 2 http://austen.la/2010/12/27/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite%e2%80%a6-photos-pt-2/ http://austen.la/2010/12/27/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite%e2%80%a6-photos-pt-2/#comments Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:48:52 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=361 This photo is of Nick Hexum of 311, with his dog Jake on his bus. We shot this on the Summer Unity Tour in 2007 during the daytime prior to the hometown show. We were in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the Westfair Pavillion. During the summer this venue counts as 311’s Omaha show for the run. Whenever I have to opportunity to visit Omaha with these guys, or any of their siblings (I’ve been with Zack Hexum a couple times as well), it’s a joy. I get to learn things about the band and men that have been part of my life for the last decade. Yes, I’ve been photographing 311 for ten years.

To narrow down my “favorite 311 photos” is near impossible. There are SO many, it’s a little bit overwhelming, and slightly intimidating. However, this photo has always been special to me. Nick is a dear friend, and I love that particular dog like my own. Not much of a fascinating story behind this shot, just a great moment between Nick and Jake and I’m grateful that I was there to capture it.

Happy Holidays :)

]]> http://austen.la/2010/12/27/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite%e2%80%a6-photos-pt-2/feed/ 0 OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING MEMORIAL http://austen.la/2010/12/17/oklahoma-city-bombing-memorial/ http://austen.la/2010/12/17/oklahoma-city-bombing-memorial/#comments Fri, 17 Dec 2010 23:10:08 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=341 OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING MEMORIAL

On our trip, my friend Sal and I stopped in Oklahoma City to see the memorial and pay our respects.  If you ever find yourself with the time you should see it too. It’s a beautiful tribute to the people who died that day.  It’s quiet and emotional.  I was crying the bulk of the time we spent there.

The wall of the formerly adjacent building - now the museum - has been left undisturbed since the day the bomb went off.

The Field of Empty Chairs has a chair for each of the 168 people who died.  The smaller chairs are for the children from the daycare who died.  They’re separated by which floor of the building they were on.

The Gates of Time each bear an inscription on their outer wall, with a time stamp on the inner walls.  The inscription reads, We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever.  May all who leave here know the impact of violence.  May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope, and serenity.  The first gate is marked 9:01 - for 9:01AM the last minute before the blast, which they call the last minute of innocence.  The second is stamped 9:03 for every minute after the blast, in which their lives are forever changed.  Scroll down for more photos.

Further information:

http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org
Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 1 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 2 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 3 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 4 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 5 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 6 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 7 Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 8
 

 

]]> http://austen.la/2010/12/17/oklahoma-city-bombing-memorial/feed/ 0 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE….PHOTOS http://austen.la/2010/12/14/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-photos/ http://austen.la/2010/12/14/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-photos/#comments Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:05:42 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=338 That’s Tyson Ritter from the All-American Rejects.  Translated for the current popular vernacular, that photo by @AustenRisolvato of @TysonRitterAAR from @OfficialAAR is one of my favorite photos.

I shot it at the radio show at the Roxy in Hollywood a year ago.  Shooting a band I’m accustomed to documenting in arenas, amphitheaters, major festivals - in a 450 capacity venue is both fun and totally irritating.  But venues that size are where I got started, and they too have that story.  It’s a fun time warp for me.  The skills involved in shooting without a barricade and barely any room on stage to maneuver around the artist are totally different from the laminated all access world of an arena.

It’s guerrilla music photography, and I love it.

The terrain is rough, containing screaming girls, reaching out for anything they can grab, unhindered by the non existent barricade - the artist is there for their taking.

It was great fun and shooting these guys is always a joy.  All of them are exceptional human beings and I consider myself fortunate to have them in my life.

So that’s the first installment of this blog series.

]]> http://austen.la/2010/12/14/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-photos/feed/ 0 Change http://austen.la/2009/05/15/test/ http://austen.la/2009/05/15/test/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 21:22:26 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=242 My senior year of high school was spent at The Ben Franklin Academy in Atlanta, GA. This school was one of the best things to happen in my life thus far. One of the elements of my education there was large humanities packets that encompassed reading, writing, movies, history, science, etc. Part of the curriculum set for me individually was to do multimedia photography projects for each packet’s theme. The photo above was taken for the packet, Change.
My friend Jennifer, was forever a very tolerant guinea pig of my photography. She is seen above photographed on the streets of Downtown Atlanta around 2:00AM outside of the now closed Rich’s department store. The objective was to create an illusion of time travel. Jennifer is supposed to be outside Rich’s in the 1960s. I like to think the wardrobe indicative of a proper Southern woman on a Sunday, perhaps after church. The hat being the obvious inspiration of that vision. The correlation between this photo and the theme of that particular packet is the location. In the 1960s the lunch counter at this Rich’s location was the site of a famous moment in the Civil Rights Movement. On October 19, 1960 Martin Luther King, Jr. and members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee as well as Committee on Appeal for Human Rights were arrested outside Rich’s as part of a mass sit-in staged at the legendary lunch counter.
The photos we took that night couldn’t be done at the aforementioned counter, because by the fall of 2000 it no longer existed. However Jennifer and I had a blast time traveling in the cold autumn air on the streets of Atlanta at 2:00AM. I believe had our mothers been aware of the time we’d chosen for the shoot, neither of us would have lived to see graduation the following spring. We managed to finish the shoot unscathed, all in the name of a photo in tribute to those who stood up for what they believed, and an era of Change.
(Blog originally posted on previous site version on May 15, 2009)

]]> http://austen.la/2009/05/15/test/feed/ 0 The First 311 Photos http://austen.la/2009/04/23/the-first-311-photos/ http://austen.la/2009/04/23/the-first-311-photos/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:55:56 +0000 arisolvato http://austen.la/wp/?p=329 This photo of Nick Hexum of 311 is from November 11, 2000. I was a senior in high school at the Ben Franklin Academy in Atlanta, GA, and had been granted an amazing opportunity by way of 311 management. I was going to photograph 311 in Cleveland, OH. I, along with three friends packed into my mom’s SAAB like sardines and made the journey north

On the way we encountered a tornado in Kentucky, the SAAB getting towed in Cincinnati, and the Motel 6 in Cleveland. The latter had a sign that read “Bobtails Only” under which a woman with the most amazing mullet I’ve ever seen stood. I can only assume that she was a bobtail

I unexpectedly landed a photo pass for the Columbus show on November 10, through the tour manager of the opening band, Zebrahead, which was a blessing in disguise. I took the time to get the photos developed to find that shooting under a professionally designed lighting rig was completely different from shooting local venues on the GA Tech campus. Only three of the photos turned out. I was thus, more prepared when I picked up my photo pass from the 311 guest list at the Agora Theater in Cleveland on November 11. However based on the previous night’s disaster I was terrified, I felt the best compensation was to shoot as much as humanly possible. This show was a dream come true, I shot somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 rolls of film in three songs. I was frantic and moving as fast as I could. The local press photographers had about 30 years on me, and didn’t appear too happy to see a 17 year old in their pit.

It was these first 311 shows where I really began to learn about available light, and that I had truly found a home, and the beginning of a wonderful relationship between my camera and five men from Omaha, NE that I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to document for the nine years that have followed.

(Blog originally posted on previous site version on April 23, 2009)

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