Tenth Avenue North | Struggle Tour | Maple Grove, MN
An amazing night at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, MN with Tenth Avenue North. You should have been there… I hope you were!
music
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Paul Nye | Musician and Songwriter | Studio Portrait Session
Paul Nye, is a Musician, Singer, Songwriter who resides up in Walker, MN. He is putting together a new CD which will be released this Spring. The more I learn about Paul the more impressed I am. I just noticed on the liner notes of his last CD that he played almost all the instruments. I don’t know about you but that just blows me away. His newest CD, as his previous release, is a collection of songs for children. Parents and children alike will love this music and I encourage you to check it out here. He also has his own website. Paul also puts on some 80 shows during the Summer at the Woodtick Theatre in Akeley, Minnesota. If you get up to that neck of the woods I encourage you to check a show out. Deb and I are planning on it this year.
Paul and I had been in contact for a couple of weeks and he let me know he was headed to the Twin Cities and wanted to connect and get some shots. I was grateful to have the opportunity to work with him. I had a great time getting to know him and look forward to connecting again soon.
Here are some shots from our time together that afternoon.
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PFR 12 in 2012 Opening Concert | Minneapolis Event Photographer
On January 27th 2012 PFR once again came together. The occasion was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first release. The tour is dubbed “12 in 2012″ and kicked off at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, MN. You should have been there. I admit my familiarity with PFR was non-existent until I met Deb 8 years ago and she introduced me to their music. We had seen them the last time they were together here in the cities which I am guessing was like four years ago (Correction make that three years ago. Thank you Erin Bennett!). It was an awesome concert that night but I did not head there with a camera. This time was different… alot different. There were film crews and another photographer running around. With all the activity going on I tried to limit my photography to the first three songs of the concert. I think I probably dipped into number five but then I set the camera aside. My intent was to focus on the event, not an individual with my photography. It was a wonderful night. I loved the Beatles tune… awesome! Totally unexpected.
Lets all hope we get to see them again soon. Thank you guys for blessing us one more time with your gifts and for putting that delightful ring back in our ears. Sweetness!
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Songs of Redemption | Bill Greenwood
My friend Bill Greenwood has returned to the studio and put together a new CD. Twelve Songs for the Twelve Steps and it is entitled “Crooked Path”.
I have personally known Bill for about five years now. I was also blessed to be the photographer at Bill and Tami’s wedding. I have witnessed him going through some tough circumstances. Not going around, but going through. He has inspired me through our relationship and I can say that his latest release “Crooked Path” will inspire you too.
This recording was four years in the making and during that time I got to hear a handful of the songs, which Bill performed solo on piano. The lyrics have such depth and Bill is just a wonderful piano player. He is accompanied by several musicians on this disc and the music is rich and full. He also adds some other voices to his, including his wife Tami and his daughter.
I received the CD about 24 hours ago and have listened to it numerous times. Bill’s voice may take some getting used to for some of you as it sort of reminds me of Joe Cocker but Bill’s voice is all his own as are his words.
I could go on and on but I won’t. Just get out there and but this disc. You can check it out on Bill’s website or CD Baby.
Lastly… I did about a 20 minute portrait session with Bill a couple of years back. You can see some of the images on his site as well as in the liner notes for the new CD. One image that seldom gets seen is the one I have included here. It is my favorite of all the shots we took in those handful of moments. It’s a storytelling shot… the kind that makes you think and hopefully wonder. It doesn’t capture the light and funny side of Bill which is a big side of him but it does capture the deeper side of Bill as best as I can.
Now go buy his CD 
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Sara Groves | Reason To Gather Concert | Church of the Open Door
Last night we were blessed to have in our presence Sara Groves who is releasing a new CD. Here are some photos of the release concert held at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove on October 1, 2011. I did not have much time for editing as I have much work on the table right now and need to get back to it. Enjoy! Thank you Sara for sharing your wonderful gifts of song and storytelling.
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Tapestry – Threads Of Hope Concert | Minneapolis Event Photography
On September 23rd, 2011 a fund raising concert for Tapestry Pregnancy & Family Resource Center took place at Church of the Open Door (my church home). Who is Tapestry? Here is a short description from their website, which, you should check out by the way.
“With a spirit of dignity and grace, we provide life-affirming support to women and children in crisis in three areas: unplanned pregnancy, personal empowerment and humanitarian outreach.”
Three artists came together to support Tapestry that evening (actually more than that with Bruce Balgaard and Aaron Ankrum in the house) Joel Hanson was the headliner along with Elizabeth Hunnicutt and Sara Renner. All just wonderful artists carrying a heart for Jesus and the will to follow Him. They also create wonderful music (smile).
Here are some shots from the evening and while you may have not been there you can still support Tapestry anytime. Just click this link and head on over to their site.
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Stefan Van Voorst | Out Beyond | CD Release Concert
On March 25th, 2011 Stefan Van Voorst and band (Justin Sharbono, Ian Allison, Grady Kenevan and Izaac Burkhart) performed live at Church Of The Open Door in Maple Grove, Minnesota in celebration of Stefan and Band’s new release Out Beyond. The night was opened by Whozah who had more energy than a band should be allowed to have. They got the place moving and did a great job warming everyone up. Stefan and the band came on and proceeded to play songs from the latest CD. Which by the way I highly recommend. The music was great and the stories and emotions shared through songs were great messages for us all.
It was an awesome night. Here are some of the sights… the sounds… you will have to imagine.
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Joel Hanson Concert
On October 16th, 2009 at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, MN Joel Hanson released a new CD. These images are from the “What if it is” release concert. Special Guest was The Least Of These. Not knowing what to expect from the Least Of These I was truly impressed and hope to hear more from these three in the future. Keep your eye on them.
Joel’s concert was excellent, loved the new songs and enjoyed hearing the old. The new CD is great and for me seems to be his best work yet. Each song is a gem. You get your face rocked off with Sing Your Name and feel the weight of a hard goodbye in Julie’s Song, it is an amazing journey of words and music. Get it!
I shot this concert using both of my cameras (Canon 40D and 5D and made use of two lenses, a Canon 135mm f2.0 L and a Canon 50mm f1.4). The spot on Joel most of the time was really tough to work around to have images that were properly exposed without Joel being blown out… (I mean I wanted to show the band as well as him).
Hope you enjoy the shots. The complete set is available at this link.
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Andrew Peterson Concert
Okay I lied… I was going to do a post about a family birthday party but I changed my mind. I can do that right? Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot the Andrew Peterson concert at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove. I have enjoyed Andrew’s music for several years beginning with hearing “Holy is the Lord”. A song which moved me both emotionally and spiritually. I then purchased Carried Along. The Chasing Song from that album has been a song of life for me ever since I heard it. The concert was excellent and it was nice to meet Andrew ( I also worked the merchandise table for him). I think his voice is unique and to hear him in concert was nothing short of listening to a polished CD. His voice is spot on. If you ever get the chance, check him and his music out. BTW he is also an author so take a look for his writings as well. The concert took place outside with the evening sun hitting the stage most of the time. Not my favorite scenario. But here are some of the shots from the evening. Enjoy!
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Chris Tomlin – Hello Love Tour
Woo hoo… got to shoot at the Chris Tomlin concert last weekend and got some wonderful shots. Israel Houghton and New Breed kicked off the night. Had never seen Israel before but they were great and got the crowd going.
I had such a great time. I always get a bit nervous before an event like this in which I get to shoot but once the lens cap is off I am “in the zone”.
It was a wonderful night of worship and hearing about the works of our God. It was like being in the company of a chorus of angels with all those people singing their hearts out to the God who saves.
Thanks Israel and Chris and Christy for painting a picture of what heaven might be like.
“Hello Love”!
