December 31, 2011
Well here it is…….my end of the year photo review for 2011.
In a year of unprecedented access, the highlights for me were the Bonzo tribute shows at the Galaxy and Key Club, Big 4 in Coachella, the NAMM convention, Rush at the Gibson Amphitheater, the Sunset Strip Music Festival Red Carpet. But without a doubt, being able to shoot Roger Daltrey at the Nokia Theater, and Paul Rodgers at the Pacific Amphitheater were my favorite shoots so far in this short career. I’m really quite blown away at how much I’ve done in such a short time.
This was no easy task either. Many hours were spent pouring through folder after folder, file after file to come up with this collection of images. It seems I shot a lot this year. In the last twelve months I’ve covered over 100 shows, 200 bands and at least 50,000 shutter clicks. All that was in addition to working more hours at my “real job”, than I have ever worked before in my life. A very busy year indeed. But I have to say, it was by far the most rewarding and satisfying. Even with as many shows I went to, there were many more shows I wish I could’ve gone attended.
As you look through these photos please tag and make comments as you will. One glaring deficiency you may notice: the lack of surf photos. I spent way too much time chasing concerts and access, and my original love took the toll. My surfing suffered as well. I’m looking to change that in 2012, as I hope to re-dedicate myself to getting back in the water more and shooting just a bit less.
I’d like to thank some of the many people who have helped me this past year. Without them, I would never have gotten to do any of this. First and foremost I’d like to thank Shawn Perry and Julie Richards of VintageRock.com. They made things happen for me and I am fortunate to be able to call them my friends. I love you both. Andrew Bansal of MetalAssault.com, the most knowledgeable and prolific writer I know. Trina and Frank at the OWL Mag for letting me shoot shows when I can. Carlos Morales at OCMusicMagazine.com, and special thanks to Kris Heineman at OrangeCounty.com. Getting the call from Kris is always a big deal for me.
Others who had a big impact in my life this year are: Junkman Jordan West of KNAC.com and his girlfriend Karen LeBrun, J.R. Ewing of Nederlander Events, Joe Sutton of Club Vodka, Eric Castle, Briian Tichy, Vinny Appice and Joey Wester, Frank Simes and Lisa Verlo, the VaultmeisterJoe Travers, Melissa Dougherty of ECC, Tony Catania of JBLZE, John Salanoa, and Gene Shoulder for the inspiration and critique. It’s well deserved and never taken lightly.
Well that’s about as much writing as I’ll do for the year. Thanks for checking out my photos. Without you, they are just a bunch of ones and zeros on a microchip.
Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year.
Ronnie
Long Beach, CA
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