AT THE EDGE OF THE DEEP GREEN SEA

06.24.23 Spain & Portugal Photo Round Up

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea.

Hi Everyone! It’s been a sprint as soon as we returned to Vancouver. Thanks for your patience with the longer space between posts as I navigate my upcoming move. I have found a new place to live starting July, so that’s good news. The pressure cooker is that July is a mere five days away, and then we go on tour again ten days after that, so the next few weeks are going to be very full-on. I’ve been juggling a million to-dos but trying to be easy on myself when I’m feeling the crush.

Yesterday I had a chance to download the images from the tour camera. It was so fun to look through the images, reliving our recent trip. How many times have I talked myself out of bringing my camera on tour? Pretty much every time. It always seemed like an extra bit of gear to carry when you’re trying to travel light, and another item of value to keep track of when loading in and out of venues and hotels every night. Plus we all have decent cameras in our smartphones, so bringing another camera feels a bit redundant when we have them in our pockets.

Photography is my first love, and I felt like leaving my camera at home during my band adventures was definitely a missed opportunity. I wanted to be a tour photographer when I was in college, and now I’m in a touring band, and I was leaving my camera at home? Well, this makes no sense Shannon, get it together! This particular trip was a bit shorter than usual, so I decided I’d leave my laptop at home this time, and bring my camera in its place. Best decision ever.

For the camera curious: I’m shooting with a Fujifilm X-T4 body and a 35mm f1.4 lens. I like primes, and I find it annoying to fiddle with several lenses, so I only travel with one lens and use my feet to get near and far from my subject. As a film shooter, I was always so frustrated with how sterile Nikon and Canon digital images looked, but Fuji has solved this issue for me. In the camera settings I use the Classic Chrome film simulation with FX Blue on Strong. I like the depth and saturation it gives the images right out of the camera. Then I take them into VSCO Pro, add a little grain in post, and depending on the image, sometimes I’ll add the C1 Chromatic for street/landscapes or G6 Neutral Portrait film simulations to taste. Is this all Greek to you? Don’t worry, please just enjoy the images below.

Without further introduction, there are approximately 50 never-seen photos below for the enjoyment of paid subscribers. Your inbox may abbreviate this message due to the number of images, so please ensure to visit this post online for the full photographic experience!

If you are not a paid subscriber, now is a great time to take the leap, and know it goes a long way to keeping this project sustainable in the long term. Enjoy the images below. More soon. XO

Spinal Tap backstage in Bilbao. We were so jet-lagged. Jay was doing ‘Shreds’ versions of Nirvana songs, and it was so funny. Adam couldn’t breathe he was laughing so hard.

Backstage in Madrid. Bands spend a lot of time on their phones in green rooms but usually they are just sending millions of memes to one another until it’s time to hit the stage.