Steve DeMent Austin photographer Joins at SXSW 2013

This year, Austin photographer Steve DeMent decided it was time to throw his hat in for Austin’s biggest live music event, South By Southwest.

 

“I have been shooting musicians and live events for several years and decided to volunteer this year for the official SXSW photography crew,” says DeMent. “I participated in five shifts over the course of five days and photographed about 30 bands throughout the festival.”

 

Possibly the largest event in Austin all year, South By Southwest attracts about 50,000 people to Austin each year. Visitors come from all over the country to enjoy performances, panels, screenings and more, all pertaining to music, film and the interactive industry.

This year’s event ran from March 9-17 but DeMent participated from March 12-16.

Prior to the big week, DeMent says the volunteers were required to participate in orientation meetings, and all photographers had to attend additional crew meetings to get an idea of what type of photos the organizers were looking for.

“I worked every day for a lot of hours very late into the evening, but it was one of the best gigs I’ve ever done,” says DeMent. “I saw a ton of bands I’ve never heard of and a few that I’m a big fan of.”

Participating in the festival also opened Dement’s eyes to a new music genre— Nerdcore rap.

“It was really interesting — a lot of songs about Star Wars and Harry Potter and math and nutrition,” he says.

DeMent says his favorite act of the week was Vintage Trouble.

“They had an old school mo-town sound with a lot of energy,” he recalls. “It was like seeing a young James Brown on stage.  I went out and bought all of their albums on iTunes after the show.”

DeMent’s images will be on the SXSW website, publications, and advertising sometime around September or October.  Images that he took at other venues and festivals can be seen on his Flickr site.

 

Simple Black and White Color Contrast

The third photo shoot for Elluminize came upon me pretty quickly. My schedule had been crazy with New York and Brides s at work, so I was very exciting to be able to take a break from all of the craziness and do a fun photovshoot. When I arrived at Steve DeMent’s studio to get ready, I had no idea what was in store for me. Ize Calina walked in not only with the garment I would wear for the shoot, but also with an adorable brunette bobbed wig!

We focused on creating harder lines on my face with the makeup, giving me a slightly more rugged look. Steve wanted to try for a more noir feel this time around, so we went with a monochromatic look- white collared shirt, with a beautifully structured jacket over it. Looking at myself in the mirror before we began shooting, I felt very much like Liza Minnelli in her ‘Liza with a Z‘ days. I absolutely loved it! Liza always had such a versatile look, and always showed so much life in everything she did. I really wanted to try to embrace that during our shoot.

We started with some close-ups as Steve tested out the setting we were going to use. With a pretty groovy girl power soundtrack going on in the background, it was pretty easy for me to  lip into a comfortable place, and the shooting went really quickly! With the simple black and white color contrast, the photos came out really beautifully!

Elluminize Male Model Search

Elluminize is looking for a male model/actor. This is a paying gig so only serious and experienced  applicants. Please submit  one headshot and one full body shot  and resume to info@elluminize.com. We will contact you if we would like to further interview you.

Qualifications

Height- 6’0-6’5

Hair Color- Dark Brown or Black

Eye Color- Brown, Green, Blue or Hazel

Body Type-a waist of 26–33 in (66.04–83.82 cm) and a chest measurement of 32–40 in (81.28–101.60 cm).

Age- must look between the ages 25-35

Model must live in the United States

Must  have some experience in modeling and/or  acting. If you have experience in acting please email video or link.

Note- Model must submit exactly what Elluminize requires to qualify. Friends/family submission will not qualify model.

Model in picture Marcus Schenkenberg

Music of March Showcase

 

Each year, thousands of excited fans descend upon Austin, all eager to hobnob with the talent drawn in by the ever-growing South By Southwest Music and Media Festival. For some, the annual festival is pure chaos, but for a seasoned photographer like Steve DeMent, the March madness of SXSW holds a unique allure—the promise of capturing South By’s particular brand of excitement in his photography.

In the past, Steve has taken it upon himself to capture and chronicle the essence of the music festival, but this year he kicked it up a notch and became a volunteer for the official South By Southwest photography crew, submitting his work to a South Austin exhibit titled Music of March 2013.

The exhibit is meant to “showcase the photography from previous South By Southwest events and the level of artistry of the photographers who will be working the event,” says Steve, who had two images selected to the prestigious showcase. “A very limited number of images were selected for the showcase, so it was a real honor to be part of it,” says Steve.

In addition to the South By Southwest photography on display, the gallery features never-before-seen outtakes from photographer Kirk Weddle’s iconic cover shoot of Nirvana’s 1991 album, Never mind. The photographer was present at the gallery to discuss his work.

The Music of March exhibit opened March 1 at Photogroup Austin Studios in South Austin and will be available for public viewing throughout the month. Online versions of Steve’s images, along with some of his favorite live event shots from 2012, can be viewed on his Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdement/sets/72157632535358237/

“This is my second major gallery exhibition, and I am very proud to be a part of it,” says Steve.

Our Test Shot

Once the new year got started, I had my next photo shoot with Elluminize to look forward to. I met with Ize a few days before the shoot, to discuss what looks we would be doing, and how I was enjoying learning about everything. I was very excited for the next shoot, because I really felt I had a long way to go in order to become the best model for Elluminize that I could be.
We started prep for the shoot pretty early, but I was so excited to be back in the studio. This shoot was going to focus more on mood and personality, which would give me the opportunity to really have fun and get comfortable with my new team. Instead of worrying about what was on my face, or what I was wearing, we decided to keep it simple, and shoot what I look like naturally. Steve really wanted to work on bringing my personality out of me, to break me of being timid in front of the camera. We started out with simple headshots, while Ize fired a range of emotions at me to copy. At first it was a little exposing to me, and I was a bit nervous. After a few tries we really started to get a good pattern going, with Ize or Steve calling out an emotion for me to portray, and then taking several frames. We turned the radio on to add even more environment to the studio. I find that music is very inspirational to me when it comes to photo shoots. A simple melody can put me in the right mood quicker than someone explaining it to me. A product of my musical training, I suppose.
With music blaring in the background, Steve kept clicking away as Ize tried to get me to express an entire range of emotions. After a while, we were all laughing and having a great time, and getting some really interesting pictures, in the process! The most amazing part, to me, was that we didn’t use any makeup, or wardrobe, for this shoot. We just shot me in front of the camera, in the clothes I arrived in. It felt real, and honest, not perfected or glossed over. It was about who I am, not who somebody wants me to be . An interesting concept for a model. I really wish more people had the opportunity to shoot things like this, with no extraneous details. It is a very liberating experience! Especially coming from someone who tends to hold their emotions close, revealing them in such a manner seemed to put me more in touch with who I am. Ize and I went over the pictures from each segment as we shot them, and I could really see myself opening up on camera, in front of my eyes! I am very glad to see my photos getting better, and to know that I have a long way to go, and so many things to learn with Elluminize!

 

Steve DeMent shoots Rollergirls’ 2013 marketing campaign

When Steve DeMent was asked to take individual headshots for each of the teams in the Texas Rollergirls Derby, he leapt at the opportunity. Now his images are the face of the Texas Rollergirls’ 2013 marketing campaign, appearing in posters and on life-sized cardboard cut outs displayed throughout Austin.

The goal of this campaign is twofold: to create excitement about the upcoming season and to introduce spectators to the teams and skaters. Steve’s images will appear on the website, Facebook, marketing and advertising materials, posters and game programs.

“I was honoured and excited to be part of this,” says Steve, who has been volunteering as a league photographer with the Texas Rollergirls for nearly 5 years. “These women work very hard to produce the bouts and have helped develop a sport that is exciting, fresh, and fun to watch. I love being a part of it.”

In all, Steve spent a little over three days taking individual shots in the studio and an additional day on images for marketing materials. Retouching and finalizing the images took another couple weeks to complete.

Other creative personnel involved in the 2013 campaign include the Texas Rollergirls’ marketing director, two graphic designers and four other official photographers who work with the league. “I could not have done this without their help,” says Steve.

The first bout of the 2013 season took place Sunday, February 10^th at the Austin Convention Center. Tickets to see the Texas Rollergirls live can be purchased online at www.texasrollergirls.org.

 

DeMent closes out 2012 with “One Last Dance”

Our good friend and photographer Steve DeMent waved goodbye to 2012 showcasing his work in Bad JohnPaul’s “One Last Dance.”

“The show was designed to be a showcase for several photographers’ work.  It was meant to celebrate the end of the year at a great venue and show off the work we had produced over the previous year,” says DeMent.

He first learned of this fabulous opportunity back in November when fellow photographer Bad JohnPaul mentioned that he was producing the showcase and asked DeMent if he wanted to join in.

“This was my first opportunity to publicly present my work at such a large forum, so I agreed and signed on to the event,” he says.

The showcase, which took place on Dec. 28 at Haven in Downtown Austin, also featured performances by Sabra JohnSin and the Austin City Showgirls.

“This was a fun show,” says DeMent. “In the digital age, having physical prints of my work on display was really impressive and gave me a great sense of accomplishment.”

DeMent and JohnPaul’s photos were presented alongside the works of five other photographers, Shawn Collie, Chris Clark, Julian Humphries, Jeremiah Newton and Phillip Leach, making the event a fun-filled night of talent and stunning visual elements.

“All are respected photographers and good friends, which added to the sense of camaraderie and the festive atmosphere,” says DeMent.

He says thanks to this event, “I’m motivated to showcase my work more often.”

The year 2012 has come to an end, but 2013 is sure to bring even more excitement and creativity from the lens of DeMent. We sure can’t wait to see what’s in store!

DeMent’s work from “One Last Dance” can be seen on his Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdement/sets/72157632543727356/

Please visit to schedule an appointment

http://stevedementphotography.com/