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...
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
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.
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.
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,...
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...
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...
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....
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...
