Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum

Back in October, when the leaves were still on the trees, I went out on a photo shoot with my good friend Jon Dittert.  Jon and I have been hanging out together for several years now, and one thing we’d casually discussed in the past was the idea of combining our respective skills of drumming and photography.  I’d get some nice photographs for my portfolio, and he would recieve a nice set of  images that he could use for any advertising adventures in the future. 

Now that time is on my side, at least in an immediate sense, there really were no excuses for not making this happen.  Over the course of a couple hours we shot two locations, one in a field near a barn, and another in the woods, with autumn leaves as the backdrop.  The shoot went well enough that we are discussing ideas for the next iteration.

Those of you who are familiar with my compositional work, know that I like to juxtapose out of place objects and settings with one another; taking two familiar ideas or objects, and creating something unfamiliar.  Not only does it lets you know that the image was constructed, but also gives the viewer something interesting to look at, something new to think about.

In these images, Jon and his drums find themselves in locations where no self respecting drum set would find itself.  Jon seemed at ease in the woods, and I think those images really project that.  In my mind, and maybe for those of you who know Jon, they speak of a place Jon yearns to be.  Free of societal convention and social norms.  Free from the murmur of the crowd.  Free from any expectations or commitments.  Trite?  Maybe.  I’ll let my readers be the judge.

Also, you can go check out Jon’s burgeoning drum blog at www.jondittertdrums.com.  It’s still in it’s humble beginnings, just like this very site, but it’s off to a good start, and a great place to go if you live in the Lexington area and are interested in picking up drumming.

Ryan