If you caught me on a normal day, meandering down the street, my hair a total mess, face unshaven, jeans worn for their 6th day in a row, you might mistake me for some loveless loser who has simply given up. I don’t pull off that dirty-indie-hipster look very well. And even on my good days, when I have a presentation to make at school and I get all dolled up, one might mistake me for some arrogant prick that doesn’t acknowledge the smiles and flirtations of girls passing by, trying to look cute in their summer dresses.

The fact is, I’m the exact opposite.

I have someone special, but she lives far away. 237 miles away, to be exact. I never look my best on a normal day, because who do I have to impress? I don’t acknowledge saucy winks at bars or by those chicks with huge sunglasses and overpriced Coach bags on Walnut St, because ladies, save your swoons, this boy is spoken for.

I met a heartbreakingly beautiful girl while on tour with Foster two years ago. They were playing a show in Albany, NY at a little hole-in-the-wall type venue called the New Age Cabaret, with Hand of Hope Records‘ artist By Autumn’s End. I remember this band distinctly, because they had a massive jug of Gatorade filled with pee sitting outside their tour van and porn scattered all over their van’s dashboard. Such a romantic setting.

I sat at the merch table for most of the show, laughing at the various anti-drinking propoganga that God-fearing Christians had brought to the show, and decided to pass out to the kids and bands. Jim, the drummer of Foster, especially loved the comic.

While I sat at the merch table, laughing at the comic strip and thinking about how sauced I would get later that night, I found I couldn’t take my eyes off this one punk rock girl, with her dark brown eyes and long chestnut hair that danced over her face, that had come over to the merch table. Small talk was made and she walked off with her friend, and I had sighed to myself, hoping maybe I’d get to talk to her later.

After the show, the promoter and his friends invited us out on the town. We explored downtown Albany and passed by pimps with flashy automobiles, nightclubs, and bars. Jeff, the guitarist of Foster, and I walked by the legendary Palace Theater, where a Whitesnake concert was just getting out.

Finally we all settled on this place that had a live swing band playing and had a fairly young crowd. The promoter and his friends, which included my brown eyed girl, were ready to party. In just an hour, everyone was drunk on music, dancing, and alcohol. We found ourselves at various tables, talking to different people, sharing tour stories and rock and roll adventures. The promoter, Russell, danced on one of the tables, and people stuffed dollar bills into his tight, punk rock jeans.

The brown eyed girl asked me to dance, I sat at the table with my Smirnoff Ice, too nervous to say yes. She danced with Brian, who was incredibly intoxicated, and I watched, cursing my cowardice. I took a photo of them dancing, an image that did her zero justice. Through out the night the guys in Foster kept lying to various girls, telling them I was their keyboard player, in order to get them to talk to me. I’d laugh awkwardly and return to my drinks.

After we all stumbled drunkenly to a nearby pizza place, I nervously asked my brown eyed girl for her AIM name, or a myspace, that way “I could, uh, you know, send um… pictures, from the uh… show and… stuff…” to her. She smiled and I carefully typed her screen name into my phone.

The band hopped in the tour van where we sat for a few hours, playing old school Nintendo games on Tom’s Dreamcast (he was the undisputed champion of Tetris), waiting to sober up before going to the next show.

I kept losing at Tetris. My mind was somewhere else and my heart was a flutter. I couldn’t wait to get home and talk to her. It’d be another two weeks and ten states before that would happen.

But it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The dudes in Foster have since snagged real jobs, long term girlfriends, and still record and play out occasionally, but don’t really tour. They’re still great friends of mine, and Jeff recently hung out with me and The Junior Varsity.

People often ask, why? She lives in upstate New York. That’s 237 miles away. How can you possibly make that work? I know a lot of people can’t understand this, and truthfully, I feel sorry for them. Because they don’t know what it’s like to adore someone this much. Sure, what we have can be complicated and sometimes a bit undefined, but that’s okay with me.

The fact is, I’d rather be with this girl once a month then anyone else every single day of the year.

Can’t wait to see you this weekend. I’ve missed you.

So this weekend was extremely productive. I photographed a Suicide Girl, and her photo set came out absolutely beautiful. I’m really psyched to see them online. It’s always interesting seeing the array of emails / IMs I get from yad00dz…

*Yad00dz - [yah-dood] noun - meathead type guys with an IQ hovering somewhere around their shoesize, constantly flirting with girls out of their league, mentally and physically. No one likes them.

… who want me to introduce them to the girls, or want advice on how to become a photographer, but not because they’re artists, but because they want to see naked punk rock chicks. They also tend to think they have a chance with them.

Here’s the thing guys, nothing ever happens between me and the models I shoot. Ever. Grow up, most of these girls could snag any guy they want. The last thing they want is some pervert posing as a photographer trying to get in their pants.

I’ll post up some of the non-nude ones in the near future.

I also had an amazing unsigned band over, Atlantic Victory, for a quick press shoot in my apartment. It was a lot of fun, and the images still need a lot of touching up, but I thought I’d post one of my favorites.

Kam, the guitarist, really wanted to pose with Ash for one of the solo shots, so I happily obliged. Who says rockers aren’t sensitive? These guys have a lot going for them. Keep an ear open for their EP on myspace, and an eye open for the photos, which aren’t going to be posted or released until their EP drops. Sorry kids! They look nice though, I promise.

Updated the press photos gallery. Hope everyone had as fun a weekend as I did.

Listening: Brand New - The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me

Watching Playing: Just Cause for XBox 360.

So I’ve been working this amazing job for the past few months and realized that my cubicle was positively barren. For those of you who know me well, you know that simply isn’t me. So after looking around, I decided to do something about it.

I mean look at this place! Does it look like Eric Smith works here?

Hmph! Certainly not! The only decor in this photo is a disshelved looking green apple (it’s not even round, it’s almost potato shaped, wtf Trader Joes) and a list of emails next to my lappy. It’s time… for change.

*cue triumphant sounding music*

Two very important things. My bunny and the girl I adore. Aw. There’s also the kitten who likes to walk on my face while I sleep.

OMG! Space Invader!!! Made up entirely of Post It Notes! SKILLS!

Also note the framed robot prints. I’d like to thank the ever talented Anthony Clark for those. If you haven’t heard of this guy, do check out his website at Nedriod.com and his blog, Nedroid Comics @ Livejournal, where he makes daily updates. Dinosaur Warlock is currently my favorite thing. Ever.

What will I be up to this week and all weekend?

Reading: Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion by Jane Austen, all in that order, during the next six weeks. My head hurts a little. The joys of graduate school.

Listening: Socratic - Just Turn. Self Against City - Telling Secrets to Strangers. Boys Like Girls - Self Titled.

Watching: Pan’s Labyrinth. A hundred times.

And counting the weeks to being on tour.

So I’m going on tour with the band
She said “stay for the summer” but she don’t understand
That the radio plays what they want you to hear
and I want them to play you your love song this year
Something Corporate

So I’m hitting the road for a week in June. I’m really excited. It’s officially been an entire year since I’ve last been on the road with a band, that being the Sleepaway / Believe In You tour (which also featured Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer, The Transit War, and River City High on select dates).

Click on the tour image to check out the full poster. The Over & Out Tour. How exciting!

I had a lot of amazing tour opportunities through the year, many of which I had to turn down due to college and having a real job, some I still think about, because they would have been absolutely amazing. But oh well. Such is life.

I’ll be spending a week on the road with my good friends Upper Class Trash (School Night Records) and two other great groups, Farewell and Forever The Sickest Kids. Farewell just signed to Epitaph, home to bands like Bad Religion and Motion City Soundtrack, and FTSK just inked a deal with Universal / Motown. I first heard of Farewell when the insanely talented Josh Hofer did their press photos way back when. Go check him out at Corrupted Lens.

So I’m psyched, it should be a fun week full of little rock and roll adventures. The tour spans the entire month of June and covers most of the east coast and mid-west, however I’ll just be on some of it. Grad school and work, sorry kids.

6.19.07 – The Troc – Philadelphia, PA
6.20.07 – Washington Ave – Washington, NJ
6.21.07 – American Legion – Manchester, NH
6.22.07 – Toquet Teen Center – Westport, CT
6.23.07 – The Dungeon – Watertown, NY
6.24.07 – Funk N’ Waffles – Syracuse, NY
6.25.07 - Jaggard UMC - Altoona, PA

These three bands will be seriously breaking out this year, and I’m thrilled to be there at the beginning. Friends and family often ask why I hit the road with smaller, often just-signed bands. When you’re someone who really believes in the power of music, who lives with the mentality that rock and roll can save the world, it really is a powerful thing watching your little secrets suddenly become mainstream successes.

Friends from New Jersey, I hope to see you when I’m in our lovely homestate. And new friends in Philly, you’re all invited to the party I’m going to have on the 19th at my apartment, which is literally a few doors down from The Troc.

Listen on Myspace: Upper Class Trash / Forever The Sickest Kids / Farewell

I go to the blog Cuteoverload.com just about everyday. Meg has made one of the most popular, and simply adorable, blogs on the web. She’s won a plethora of awards for the website and has added several words into my venacular, like “snorgle”

When I picked up Ash, I took several photos of his homecoming, and this one was one of my favorites. His little ears sticking out of the box the petstore gave him to me in, which happened to be an eBay mailing box.

Check out Ash on Cuteoverload.com. Paw printed autographs will be available upon request.

Thanks Meg!

This makes me extremely happy.

If you haven’t listened to Permanent Holiday (or as Best Buy has decided to call them, Permanent Rock), you’re seriously missing out. I absolutely love these guys, musically and as people. They’ve done some serious touring over the past year and my goodness, I am so proud of them.

Their EP, As The City Sleeps, is out now on Rockout Records, which is also the home of my buddies Echo Screen.

I did press photos for these guys late last year, and lo and behold, that is one of them on the cover of that CD, sitting inside stores everywhere nationwide. It’s an awesome feeling. Ive done album photography for a few other bands, but none of them appeared on the cover of the album. Obviously it’s been altered graphically to go along with the concept art, but I’m still psyched.

Here’s another one of the photos I did for these guys, all touched up via the whoever the super talented graphic designer was. This was used in ads, and always brings a smile to my face when I catch it in a music magazine, or on someone’s myspace. Click on it to check out the full size image. It’s quite nice.

It also reminds me that I have to get off my ass and update my portfolio section, in terms of press photos. Seriously, I have so much to put up there.

Shot a wedding this weekend in a loft in New York City. It was beautiful and full of candles. Photos from that soon.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always in a panic when I can’t find a quality pimp suit for under $200 on my laundry days. Sometimes Saturday night rolls around and I realize, with the utmost horror, that all my favorite digs are at the cleaners. I can’t go around properly slapping people ‘upside their head’ without one.

Thank goodness for the amazing suit store on Market and 2nd here in Philadelphia.

Seriously, just walk by the store front. It’s amazing.

On another note, I’m done with my first year of graduate school. Unbelievable. I have two summer courses coming up, Important Authors: Jane Austen and The American Short Story. Take a wild guess at what one I’m psyched about. Hint, it’s the class that doesn’t involve me watching… er, I mean reading “Pride & Prejudice” and “Sense & Sensibility” in one month.

I suppose I could rent Pride & Prejudice, the new one that is, with Keira Knightley. I wonder if she shows boob like in Domino? I wonder if Matthew Macfadyen is as badass in Pride & Prejudice as he was in Grindhouse? Ah, so many questions, and chances are the answer is a resounding “no” to both of them. Bah.

That being said, here’s a picture of Aurora and Ash, best friends for life.

If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be purchasing a pimp suit, which I will wear while watching Pride & Prejudice, hoping for some Keira Knightley boob, while hanging out with two kittens and a bunny.

My life is awesome.

So yeah, I’ve been so caught up in my ramblings about school, moving, and my job, that I forgot that hey, this is a portfolio too. Lack of wireless internet at my new place makes it hard to update / upload photos though, but I’m trying.

Updates: I’ll be shooting two different album covers for two amazing bands, one of whom is creating quite a buzz in the indie rock community, and has several labels looking to ink a deal with ‘em. I’ll also be working with TWO Suicide Girls this month, shooting both of their first photo sets. I’ll be posting a gallery of the first Suicide Girl model I photographed later this week.

And speaking of former shoots, I’ve added a link to my photos of The Junior Varsity in the studio (recording their newest album for Victory Records) to the gallery. I’ll also be adding the album photography I did for Echo Screen, Permanent Holiday, and Southcott, along with the full photo shoot for Southcott’s new group, Thieves and Villains.

I have tour plans in the works for late July / early August. I can’t wait to hit the road for, what will probably be, one of the last times.

I know, I know. Everyone asks me why I keep saying that this is my last year for touring. Truth is, I’m turning 25 in October, and while that isn’t old by any means, when you’re on tour with bands who have fanbases consisting mostly of high school scene kids, you definitely start to feel old and out of place.

Two of my friends have new websites up. Check out my pals Gary Darna and Lindsay Brown. Gary is an insanely talented artist and Lindsay is a great photographer who, at 18, is better then I am.

I’m going to be helping two bands, Moraine and Hear Me Roar, release their EPs this summer. I’ve been close friends with both of these local Jersey groups for a really long time. In fact, Moraine was the first band I ever did press shots for. Moraine recently toured with The Bleeding Alarm (Immortal Records) and my friends Socratic (Drive Thru Records). Their EP was produced by the famous Bob Freeman of Hidden In Plain View fame and sounds unbelievable. I’m thrilled to be involved.

Keep checking back for photo updates of awesome bands and sexy models. Life is good.

Suggested listening: Permanent Holiday / Upper Class Trash

Suggested reading: Beartato!

And with that, have a great weekend everyone.