One of the fun things – though, is not just my faves – but my most popular images – over time. Honestly, they are often not my absolute faves, nor technically best – but there is something about the images that make people look again, and again, no? Whether it’s just the popularity of the artist(very common – they don’t call ’em “pop” stars for nothing!) or great SEO, or luck – whatever it is, it’s kind of fun…

Also – it takes a lot for the newer images to break through – but the ones that do – also a surprise… I would say the winner of those this year – probably LIGHTS and maybe Never Shout Never?

Never Shout Never aka Christofer Drew Ingle – 2010 – teeny bopper fans were lined up literally around the block for this guy…the average age was probably between 13-15 – and girls were fainting in excitement and likely dehydration in the crowd leading up to and during the show…

A couple things I use to gauge popularity are flickr stats, blog/site stats, and google rankings of various images. On the latter – SEO on the first 2(flickr/site) directly impact. Doing it right in those places leads people to find my images who would otherwise never know to look there… And that’s great – otherwise, it’s just my friends looking – which is great – but you know, we all want world wide fame…ha ha!

I have done pretty well on google for sometime – even before I shot much live… Google likes me I guess;) Even now, I am not the most prolific shooter in Seattle – far from! But, for various popular searches, my photos turn up with frequency.

Oh, and I finally have images when you search my name >>google: elisa sherman<<…yay me (total vanity moment – apparently this isn’t true for everyone, and hadn’t until recently shown up for me!)

Of course – all that is to say, if the subject is popular – then they get googled – and if you label / SEO things well – you get that perfect storm – all the labeling, indexing, etc doesn’t matter if no one cares about the subject – I mean there is the art of it, sure…but that only goes so far, and honestly, it’s just my friends or photog followers that look at my photos because they’re cool/pretty… Fans, press, bands, etc, all are looking for more particular subject matter. So for that reason – I practically obsessively google shows I shoot after, to see if my images are scoring high in google/google image searches. They usually are…either from flickr, or my site – photosbyelisa.com, photoshelter, facebook, twitter, the pub am shooting for, etc. I don’t care how they find them – only that they find them. They are out there – and that’s the whole point, no?

All of this search bits – and whatnot, is maybe just a vanity project, who knows – but if nothing else, it shows me what is actually popular – and feedback, emails etc I might get from bands or other interested parties, reinforce for me that it does matter.

Will I ever be a rock star of a photographer? Who knows – as in actual pursuit of music, luck has more than a bit to do with that…I mean, there are a milieu of gorgeous, iconic images of live music out there. It’s hard to stand out, get noticed, etc. But, I’ll continue to shoot rock stars, because they inspire me. They are the epitome of drama – amongst the glowy flashing lights and fog…They sing, they play, they bang (drums, etc, lol) to the masses that throb and cheer for them…then they turn into regular people, but always with a little twinkle in their eyes, because they are rock stars when they are up on that stage – whether in front of 5 people or 50thousand. My mission is to capture those in between moments. Not to match everyone elses images – and not to be the technical best.

Will I ever be most popular? Maybe not! But google will still love me, and that’s ok with me;)

Some of my most popular music images (2006-2010) – what do you think?

Kate Voegele – 2009 – perhaps best known for her turn as rising star on TV’s “One Tree Hill” – had fans lined up hours before the show…played to a packed house at Neumo’s.

Bat for Lashes – 2009 – performed in near darkness most of the night – so I decided to find the drama and go black and white with the set – eclectic performer – and she seems to have quite a following – on top of the interesting stage name!

A couple oldies – quality is definitely in question – but, again, it’s not necessarily the best photos that get noticed, it’s who, what, where when…but good ones keep em coming back!

Storm Large – 2006 – Some of my most earliest favorite music images are of Storm – all shot with my old Olympus point and shoot…she’s gorgeous, expressive, and well excessively photogenic. This one gets the most hits still from the archives…Also, one of the first times my images were used for anything – in this case, accompanying an interview with said Ms. Large.

A few more popular oldies, Daughtry – 2007 & Blake Lewis – 2007 – both of American Idol fame…no wonder they are popular!

INXS – 2006 – Of course, I can’t leave out some of my most popular to date images are due to what got me started in all this – INXS – 2006-2007 Switched on Tour, front row again and again…Who by the by, are getting together once again, dropping a re-imagining of their hits performed by contemporary artists – Original Sin, and back in league with their 2005 RockStar INXS winner and new lead singer, Canadian, JD Fortune – in this world, a little bit of INXS must fall! The following image of said INXS newcomer, JD Fortune – was a great subject, and no wonder, this is what enticed me to shoot rock stars!


And then there are the images that get noticed – the following have all led to something beyond just that days shooting…usually from the unexpected subjects!

Foxy Shazam – 2009 – this my first piece of CD artwork – the band contacted me, and had to have it! They were a surprise needless to say…fun for sure – and I was at the show(Sounds headlined) to shoot the second opener, Semi Precious Weapons


Toad the Wet Sprocket – 2010 – a surprisingly popular set…perhaps not so surprising? They have been around a while, and it was a short tour – so a very limited amount of images…lot’s of hits when they went live on SoundSpike, as well as feedback from the band that they were some of their favorite photos. They clearly love what they do – and their fans appreciate them! Their fans have been around for a while, and they prove that not every popular muso requires a teen audience…

Psychedelic Furs – 2009 – this images featuring their drummer (who I didn’t get any shots of at the 2010 show) has been used by the band in their newly launched website. Definitely Pretty in Pink!

Next up, in a week or so – 2010 Year in Review – my fave images, and thoughts on the year and next, coming, soon-ish;)

One of the fun things – though, is not just my faves – but my most popular images – over time. Honestly, they are often not my absolute faves, nor technically best – but there is something about the images that make people look again, and again, no? Whether it’s just the popularity of the artist(very common – they don’t call ’em “pop” stars for nothing!) or great SEO, or luck – whatever it is, it’s kind of fun…

Also – it takes a lot for the newer images to break through – but the ones that do – also a surprise… I would say the winner of those this year – probably LIGHTS and maybe Never Shout Never?

Never Shout Never aka Christofer Drew Ingle – 2010 – teeny bopper fans were lined up literally around the block for this guy…the average age was probably between 13-15 – and girls were fainting in excitement and likely dehydration in the crowd leading up to and during the show…

A couple things I use to gauge popularity are flickr stats, blog/site stats, and google rankings of various images. On the latter – SEO on the first 2(flickr/site) directly impact. Doing it right in those places leads people to find my images who would otherwise never know to look there… And that’s great – otherwise, it’s just my friends looking – which is great – but you know, we all want world wide fame…ha ha!

I have done pretty well on google for sometime – even before I shot much live… Google likes me I guess;) Even now, I am not the most prolific shooter in Seattle – far from! But, for various popular searches, my photos turn up with frequency.

Oh, and I finally have images when you search my name >>google: elisa sherman<<…yay me (total vanity moment – apparently this isn’t true for everyone, and hadn’t until recently shown up for me!)

Of course – all that is to say, if the subject is popular – then they get googled – and if you label / SEO things well – you get that perfect storm – all the labeling, indexing, etc doesn’t matter if no one cares about the subject – I mean there is the art of it, sure…but that only goes so far, and honestly, it’s just my friends or photog followers that look at my photos because they’re cool/pretty… Fans, press, bands, etc, all are looking for more particular subject matter. So for that reason – I practically obsessively google shows I shoot after, to see if my images are scoring high in google/google image searches. They usually are…either from flickr, or my site – photosbyelisa.com, photoshelter, facebook, twitter, the pub am shooting for, etc. I don’t care how they find them – only that they find them. They are out there – and that’s the whole point, no?

All of this search bits – and whatnot, is maybe just a vanity project, who knows – but if nothing else, it shows me what is actually popular – and feedback, emails etc I might get from bands or other interested parties, reinforce for me that it does matter.

Will I ever be a rock star of a photographer? Who knows – as in actual pursuit of music, luck has more than a bit to do with that…I mean, there are a milieu of gorgeous, iconic images of live music out there. It’s hard to stand out, get noticed, etc. But, I’ll continue to shoot rock stars, because they inspire me. They are the epitome of drama – amongst the glowy flashing lights and fog…They sing, they play, they bang (drums, etc, lol) to the masses that throb and cheer for them…then they turn into regular people, but always with a little twinkle in their eyes, because they are rock stars when they are up on that stage – whether in front of 5 people or 50thousand. My mission is to capture those in between moments. Not to match everyone elses images – and not to be the technical best.

Will I ever be most popular? Maybe not! But google will still love me, and that’s ok with me;)

Some of my most popular music images (2006-2010) – what do you think?

Kate Voegele – 2009 – perhaps best known for her turn as rising star on TV’s “One Tree Hill” – had fans lined up hours before the show…played to a packed house at Neumo’s.

Bat for Lashes – 2009 – performed in near darkness most of the night – so I decided to find the drama and go black and white with the set – eclectic performer – and she seems to have quite a following – on top of the interesting stage name!

A couple oldies – quality is definitely in question – but, again, it’s not necessarily the best photos that get noticed, it’s who, what, where when…but good ones keep em coming back!

Storm Large – 2006 – Some of my most earliest favorite music images are of Storm – all shot with my old Olympus point and shoot…she’s gorgeous, expressive, and well excessively photogenic. This one gets the most hits still from the archives…Also, one of the first times my images were used for anything – in this case, accompanying an interview with said Ms. Large.

A few more popular oldies, Daughtry – 2007 & Blake Lewis – 2007 – both of American Idol fame…no wonder they are popular!

INXS – 2006 – Of course, I can’t leave out some of my most popular to date images are due to what got me started in all this – INXS – 2006-2007 Switched on Tour, front row again and again…Who by the by, are getting together once again, dropping a re-imagining of their hits performed by contemporary artists – Original Sin, and back in league with their 2005 RockStar INXS winner and new lead singer, Canadian, JD Fortune – in this world, a little bit of INXS must fall! The following image of said INXS newcomer, JD Fortune – was a great subject, and no wonder, this is what enticed me to shoot rock stars!


And then there are the images that get noticed – the following have all led to something beyond just that days shooting…usually from the unexpected subjects!

Foxy Shazam – 2009 – this my first piece of CD artwork – the band contacted me, and had to have it! They were a surprise needless to say…fun for sure – and I was at the show(Sounds headlined) to shoot the second opener, Semi Precious Weapons


Toad the Wet Sprocket – 2010 – a surprisingly popular set…perhaps not so surprising? They have been around a while, and it was a short tour – so a very limited amount of images…lot’s of hits when they went live on SoundSpike, as well as feedback from the band that they were some of their favorite photos. They clearly love what they do – and their fans appreciate them! Their fans have been around for a while, and they prove that not every popular muso requires a teen audience…

Psychedelic Furs – 2009 – this images featuring their drummer (who I didn’t get any shots of at the 2010 show) has been used by the band in their newly launched website. Definitely Pretty in Pink!

Next up, in a week or so – 2010 Year in Review – my fave images, and thoughts on the year and next, coming, soon-ish;)

xoxo
~ems

Originally posted by my friend Cheryl:

TVweek.com just published an article about reality shows that should be renewed, and guess which show is leading the online voting? Rock Star is far in the lead, currently with 79% of the vote!
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/adalian_column_no_new_reality.php

If we want the show to come back, we need to show CBS how popular it
is – and the best way to do that is to VOTE, and leave no doubt that
Rock Star is the show most deserving of a time slot in the coming
year.

The current buzz is that Led Zeppelin is considering doing the show.
How do you feel about that? Would you watch? Would it be a smart move
for the band? Do you have a better idea?

However you feel, make your voice heard! Make a comment or two both at
TVweek at the end of the article AND at RockBandLounge.com – every
comment counts!
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/adalian_column_no_new_reality.php
http://www.rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=9829

CBS is listening and we have a platform right now with this poll to
make our voices heard. So please, take the time to go vote and to post
a comment or two. It’ll be worth it, when our favorite show comes back
next year. After all, once Brooke Burke wins Dancing with the Stars
she’ll need her “regular” job back!

Cheryl Spelts
RockBandLounge.com

Read about it: RockBandLounge.com Big Letter Writing Campaign

It brought us the extremely talented musicians: JD Fortune, Marty Casey, Ryan Star, Lukas Rossi, Toby Rand, and many more …It brought INXS back to us…I can’t wait for it to bring me more more more!

It’s time to start cranking out those letters again…the iron is HOT

WRITE ‘EM NOW!!!

Ghen Maynard
Executive Vice President
CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group
7800 Beverly Boulevard R
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Conrad Riggs
Mark Burnett Productions
640 North Sepulveda Boulevard
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Go to Top of Page

Mark Burnett talking to bands for Rock Star 3
February 8, 2008

http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/104033/burnettrockstar_news.
php

quote:So what’s the current status of Rock Star, and will it be back for a third season? Here’s what Mark Burnett revealed to us about the future of Rock Star:

“Yes, it’s funny… you look at these online studies and one of the most requested shows to come back, from anything I’ve done, is Rock Star. And yes, I’m in discussions with various bands. But there is one flaw as a business in that you have to find a suitable rock band that actually wants to find a new lead singer. So you’ve got a barrier to entry, but yes, we are in discussions and people do want to see that series again.”

LOL…

It is here…no doubt about it…

My friend Tamara and I sat down with Storm, and intermittently her Balls…before a show, November 18, 2006…

That afternoon, I saw a truly lovely woman, of strong spirit, much vulnerability, and good heart. A woman who embodies her talent, in a real way…She pulls no punches, tells it like it is, and you just can’t help but fall in love with her…

Her stature, her voice, her sheer presence on stage is stunning. But face to face, hanging in her dressing room…it is where you see, that she is truly beautiful…in mind, body, and soul…

Enjoy…

RockBandLounge.com Storm Large Interview

Pictures for the show are all >>Here<<

Slideshow:

What do I have to say about this show…here were the first impressions I posted on Rockband Lounge after the show:

Show fucking rocked. He made the right choice to turn down Fuel.He was way toorock for AI. AI did not show his true presence and talent. While I preferred
him, over the rest of the AI bunch, I never thought he was that great from a rock perspective. Tonight totally won me over. I am really glad I went. We will not be seeing him on a small club tour again, it was a once around chance I think! You know, as much as I am not a fan of idol, he got alot more exposure on that show than say Rockstar. And, he is using it in the best way possible. I think he totally has cred. This was a straight rock show. Oh, and he did a couple covers in addition to the album songs. One notable one was Sunday Bloody Sunday. They rocked the shit out of it just right. I was impressed, and I am a U2 fan, so, that is saying something. Of course, it made me really want to see U2 as well………one of these days.

My thoughts after a month…not so different. It was a really good show. Daughtry, and Chris as the front guy have IT. They have a serious fanbase, thanks in large part to AI…but what they definitely have is a guy who can straight up sing…and front a rock band. That is the bottom line, and will be a very successful combination. I wish them much success and I will see them again, given the chance.

Storm and the Balls 2/24/2007 @ the High Dive

Pictures for the show are all >>Here<<

Slideshow:

I posted a bit from the show at >>Rockband<<. These were my thoughts:

Just saw Storm and her Balls, lol, in Seattle…and they were so good. The most impressive bit of the night was this italian song she sang a capella. Her voice is so, so strong, pure and just outerworldly. The lady has pipes. She sounded like full opera singer quality, vocally. It was stunning. Wow.

I later found out the Italian song: “O Del Mio Dolce Ador”. Per Storm, posted at the Ballz Board

Roughly translated , it is a song of desperate longing for someone who is credited with keeping breath in the body of the one who loves her … ie ..
without her , he dies , so , when she dies … of dyptheria or something poetic and awful like that … he’s going to the happy place and his love for her will be in his last breath … “Al fin respiro…..”

I love the Italians … besides my bias towards one in particular … they really know how to eat , fuck , live , love and die . Mmmm .

The set list per the Ballz board was:
Set 1:
1. Brain Stew
2. Brain Damage
3. Star Strangled Pushernoia
4. I Want You To Die
5. Missionary Sandman
6. Beautiful
7. Abba-Gadda-Davida
8. Tainted Love

Set 2:
9. New rocking original song
10. Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?
11. Hopelessly Devoted To You
12. Ace of Spades
13. Ladylike
14. N.I.B.
15. Where Is My Mind
16. Heartbreaker
17. Sweet Homie Mutha Fucka
18. ?

Encore:
19. Song in Italian sung a cappella
20. Total Eclipse of The Heart

Big Head Todd & the Mondsters 2/28/2007 @ the Showbox

I only took a few photo’s…

I was totally unfamiliar with this band. My biggest impression is that folks that are fans *love* them. It also looks like a really cool fan community…the band seems to encourage folks planning big gatherings, etc. So, if you are a fan, and they are in town, GO GO GO to their show. Everybody in the place (21-60) was having good time, and rocking out!

My pics of them are >>here<<, more may get loaded.

Goo Goo Dolls tomorrow!

So, much more to come!

Pictures for the show are all >>Here<<

Slideshow:

What do I have to say about this show…here were the first impressions I posted on Rockband Lounge after the show:

Show fucking rocked. He made the right choice to turn down Fuel.He was way toorock for AI. AI did not show his true presence and talent. While I preferred
him, over the rest of the AI bunch, I never thought he was that great from a rock perspective. Tonight totally won me over. I am really glad I went. We will not be seeing him on a small club tour again, it was a once around chance I think! You know, as much as I am not a fan of idol, he got alot more exposure on that show than say Rockstar. And, he is using it in the best way possible. I think he totally has cred. This was a straight rock show. Oh, and he did a couple covers in addition to the album songs. One notable one was Sunday Bloody Sunday. They rocked the shit out of it just right. I was impressed, and I am a U2 fan, so, that is saying something. Of course, it made me really want to see U2 as well………one of these days.

My thoughts after a month…not so different. It was a really good show. Daughtry, and Chris as the front guy have IT. They have a serious fanbase, thanks in large part to AI…but what they definitely have is a guy who can straight up sing…and front a rock band. That is the bottom line, and will be a very successful combination. I wish them much success and I will see them again, given the chance.

Storm and the Balls 2/24/2007 @ the High Dive

Pictures for the show are all >>Here<<

Slideshow:

I posted a bit from the show at >>Rockband<<. These were my thoughts:

Just saw Storm and her Balls, lol, in Seattle…and they were so good. The most impressive bit of the night was this italian song she sang a capella. Her voice is so, so strong, pure and just outerworldly. The lady has pipes. She sounded like full opera singer quality, vocally. It was stunning. Wow.

I later found out the Italian song: “O Del Mio Dolce Ador”. Per Storm, posted at the Ballz Board

Roughly translated , it is a song of desperate longing for someone who is credited with keeping breath in the body of the one who loves her … ie ..
without her , he dies , so , when she dies … of dyptheria or something poetic and awful like that … he’s going to the happy place and his love for her will be in his last breath … “Al fin respiro…..”

I love the Italians … besides my bias towards one in particular … they really know how to eat , fuck , live , love and die . Mmmm .

The set list per the Ballz board was:
Set 1:
1. Brain Stew
2. Brain Damage
3. Star Strangled Pushernoia
4. I Want You To Die
5. Missionary Sandman
6. Beautiful
7. Abba-Gadda-Davida
8. Tainted Love

Set 2:
9. New rocking original song
10. Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?
11. Hopelessly Devoted To You
12. Ace of Spades
13. Ladylike
14. N.I.B.
15. Where Is My Mind
16. Heartbreaker
17. Sweet Homie Mutha Fucka
18. ?

Encore:
19. Song in Italian sung a cappella
20. Total Eclipse of The Heart

Big Head Todd & the Mondsters 2/28/2007 @ the Showbox

I only took a few photo’s…

I was totally unfamiliar with this band. My biggest impression is that folks that are fans *love* them. It also looks like a really cool fan community…the band seems to encourage folks planning big gatherings, etc. So, if you are a fan, and they are in town, GO GO GO to their show. Everybody in the place (21-60) was having good time, and rocking out!

My pics of them are >>here<<, more may get loaded.

Goo Goo Dolls tomorrow!

So, much more to come!