NOTES
She Dances without Clothes
Photos of burlesque dancers throughout New York City and New Orleans.
I don't know how far back the art of burlesque goes but I know that it's entertained generations of men and women. The first time I saw a show was probably in the mid 2000s at some late night party, in the bowels of Brooklyn. It was probably dimly lit in close quarters. I was probably drunk too. The scenario may not have been so different than what perhaps my grandparents experienced so many years ago.
These photos were made throughout New York City and New Orleans.
Email: info@carlosdetres.com
The Last Time New York Was Hardcore: B-Sides (Photos)
The b-side photos and backstory of my experience shooting The Last Time New York Was Hardcore written by Michael Stahl for Narratively.
Mike Stahl wrote an excellent article on the NYC hardcore scene of the 1990s that was published last week by Narratively. He'd been working on it for a long while before he asked me to get on board to photograph the story. He and I began freelancing within a year of each other and in all this time, we had yet to do a project together. I was excited to finally work with my friend on this story.
He and I had grown up on hardcore punk. Most of the bands I listened to were from California and Miami although we had some overlap with artists such as Sick of it All and Madball. Much of the NYC hardcore world didn't make it south to Florida so I discovered what I could. Biohazard was a big one, a band whose bassist previously replaced me in a band that I started in high school. There were other ones as well but that world was very far away during the pre-social media days.
This story began for me in Santa Monica, after a phone call with Mike Stahl when I offered to cut my monthlong West Coast trip short to photograph this piece. I had to. It was a subject I cared about and the chance to work with my pal was too good to pass. I was able to complete my trip uninterrupted. Once I returned home to New Orleans, I was back on a plane heading north to New York.
******
A group of ten to twelve people had gathered around a tour guide who was explaining the history of St. Marks. "This is where punk bands, you know, like grunge, played in the 90s." Mike and I chuckled as we passed them. We were walking to meet the subjects of his story in front of the former location of a music club -- now a sushi restaurant. Many of the people in the story trickled in, greeting each other, some for the first time in several years. I was able to put faces to names of those I had read about in previous drafts of Mike's story.
We walked to several of the old locations, all turned over to the dark side of New York; a gentrified reconstruction of a developer's idea of how the modern residents wants to live. Nearly every location we visited was polished, varnished; a smooth coat of stucco on the wall or worse. It was my romanticized vision of New York in the '90s that I missed but these men and women who went throughout town to see their favorite bands or play shows at these venues actually lived it.
I imagined gutter aroma wafting in the air, triggering a memory of a beer stained, old bar. A broken window or a smashed face, blood on the walls, a rumbling street, heaving with the energy of wandering hardcore fans going to church. That was all gone now and that's okay. New York changes. We change.
My favorite moment was walking into John Varvatos, the former location of CBGB's. The new store preserved a surprising amount of the old space that CBGB's had occupied, including the bar, wall paneling, fliers tacked onto the walls, and even the stickers on the air ducts. I watched these musicians and fans who played their asses off here, drank with friends, saw unknown and favorite bands, that smell of that stinking legendary bathroom, recall memories and seeing, for the first time, what this high end clothing store had done with the old place...THAT was special. There wasn't any amount of photography I could do to capture that. You had to be there. You had to drink it.
I knew that many of the photos from our trip to CBGB's wouldn't make it into the final cut of the article. Some of the context didn't make editorial sense. These photos were for us -- Mike, me, Lenny, Cesar, Dean, Kent, Alan, Virginia and whoever else's name I've forgotten.
Enjoy.
Email: info@carlosdetres.com
My 10 Photos of 2015
10 photographs that I had a lot of fun making in 2015 with clients ranging from liquor brands to hair salons.
Two thousand and fifteen was the year I experienced the most creative growth of any year throughout my career as a photographer. Maybe it was the gris-gris bag I had especially made (to help with "creative insight") in February or just months of diligent work and study or maybe a little of all of the above. These images are a bit better than what I did in 2014 but not a complete representation of the work I did with so many talented stylists, models and makeup artists or projects that were shot from November-December.
Clients and projects featured: De La Mer, Brugal, Die and Let Die, Black Ink
The Macallan at Soho Grand
A recent shoot with MBooth and The Macallan.
This was a quick event I photographed for MBooth and The Macallan when I was in New York last week. The view from West Broadway was grand.
More performance photography with the Fujifilm x100s
A little chat about what the Fujifilm x100s can do in low lit, musical performances. Featuring LODRO of Brooklyn, NY.
To say that I'm obsessed with this camera could be an understatement. I often carry it with me even when I'm not taking pictures. While I love the Nikon D800, it's mostly used for work which relieves any stress I have taking it out at night, especially with the crime we have in New Orleans.
What I like to show is the capabilities of this camera under low light, fast paced situations as well as the quality of the dynamic range of the camera and photographing musical performances is the one of the best methods of showcasing the Fujifilm x100s' ability.
The photos below are from a rehearsal I shot with LODRO last year at their studio in Brooklyn, NY. The band has great energy and are natural performers on the stage. The performances match the intensity of the music. Although the lineup has changed slightly, they're still great. If you get the chance of checking them out, do so!
ADULT. at Verboten...last year
Shooting ADULT.'s show at Verboten with a Fujifilm X100s. Restricting yourself with a fixed lens could be good for you.
I didn't do a whole lot with these photos when I shot them last year, despite getting some work after the first time shooting a show with a mirrorless camera (Fujifilm X100s). When I've shot shows in the past, it has always been with a DSLR, however I really enjoyed the look while limited to a fixed 35mm lens.
I love this camera. I love this camera so much that it's probably my favorite one to shoot with. I enjoy the limitations of a fixed lens. I've recently acquired a 50mm equivalent lens for it and am debating on whether I made the right decision. Again...the factor of limitation really expands creativity. Do more with less.
So, last year, I went to see ADULT. with some friends and my wife at Verboten, a wonderful and newish music venue in Williamsburg. It was an ideal location to test the X100s' ability to perform under low light.
Will pictures look Rolling Stone quality on this thing? I don't know but I love the aesthetic that I'm able to achieve with the Fujifilm X100s. I highly recommend playing with one.
Turning Your Brand into a Lifestyle Photo Shoot
Your brand's story and how to highlight what you do.
How to highlight what you do
The photos in this post were commissioned by ProHairKit.com to display the looks that can be had through the use of the hair tools they sell. It was a smart decision because it allowed them to broadcast beautiful, inspiring imagery through a story they could share with their network. It is one part portraiture and one part documentary, which is also how I photograph for clients such as Brugal, The Macallan and emerging artists.
My specialty in providing consultation and photography for social media marketing is bookended by my belief in the power of a photograph and its story. Many artists and companies are catching onto this, which is why this is such a HUGE part of my business.
In recent years, I have had the freedom to make my professional work my personal work and as a result, I have gained new clients in New York City, Miami, North Carolina and New Orleans. Whether you're a musician or a business, I will work with you to develop a concept that is true to the heart of your brand through artistry, technical and marketing knowhow.
Inquiries are FREE so email me at info@carlosdetres.com and let's see if we can build the right project for you. You can visit my site to view more samples of my photography.
You can view the rest of the photo story HERE.
