More Than Kids

Concert for Epilepsy - Josh Turner

I have almost finished editing all of the photos from the 5th Annual Concert for Epilepsy.  Below are the Josh Turner photos with some extra photos preceding Turner's entrance.

Below this gallery is a link to my 200 or so favorite photos from the day. My wife and two kids arrived around 2:30 and stayed until Josh Turner performed. Little Big Town played before Turner. 

Josh Turner - Chad Barth Concert for Epilepsy - Images by bryan farley

 

View Complete Concert for Epilepsy Photo Gallery

5th Annual Concert for Epilepsy

Oh what a night!

The 5th Annual Concert for Epilepsy exceeded expectations. As a person with epilepsy, I loved the concert. As a photographer, I had unfair access. As a father, I gave my children an unforgettable experience. My son, who reminds me that he is 4 and 3/4's, photographed his first concert from the stage. My daughter met the band.

Before I attended the concert, I correctly guessed that I would take about one thousand photos. (I am still editing those photos.) The next morning we woke up early for the 5th Annual National Walk for Epilepsy.  It snowed during the night, and the National Mall had snow all over the ground. At the event, I took another 500 photos which I have not finished processing yet.

So, here is my first gallery from Little Big Town. 

Little Big Town - Concert for Epilepsy - Images by bryan farley

Cherry Blossom Kite Festival

While my family is in the Metro DC Area for the Walk for Epilepsy events, we are trying to do more than enough sightseeing so that we can threaten our children with another vacation if they ever misbehave again.

We think we know how we are going to accomplish our goal. On Sunday immediately following The Walk for Epilepsy on the Washington Mall, The Cherry Blossom Kite Festival begins at 10:00 am (weather permitting.) The Walk is going to happen regardless of the "wintery mix" now predicted for Sunday. Translation to my San Francisco Bay Area readers: this means "snow."

 

DC Kite Festival - Images by bryan farley

Since kites might not fly in snow, I do not know what will happen with this year's kite festival. The kite festival actually has a long name, so if it is cancelled, perhaps we will force our children to recite the official festival name. (The official kite festival name sounds like a third tier NCAA football bowl game. It is the Blossom Kite Festival presented by the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Despite the awkward name, last year's festival was awesome. After I walked around the National Mall with thousands of purple wearing people supporting those with epilepsy, all of a sudden people started flying kites.

There were hundreds of families, and last year, I missed mine.

I hope kites fly in the snow.

Chad Barth - Epilepsy USA and The Concert for Epilepsy

Last year, I traveled alone to the National Walk for Epilepsy. I left Washington, D.C. with a new friend.

This year, my wife and two kids have returned to Washington D.C. for the Fifth Annual Concert for Epilepsy. We also came for The Walk and at least four family vacations crammed into one trip, but I mostly brought my family for the concert.

and to say, "I am with the Chad."  And maybe take about one thousand photos at the Concert for Epilepsy featuring Josh Turner and Little Big Town.

If you want to learn more about Chad, read the recent Epilepsy USA Magazine Article about Chad's motivation. The magazine use one of my photos from last year's Trailer Choir concert. We cropped it slightly; I have included the complete image below. Soon we will reflect on last year's show and remember the day we had a concert on top of a building.

We felt as if we were on top of the world.

Now look at Chad.

This year's concert will be bigger, and I will probably take better photos, assuming my neurological condition doesn't cause my brain to go a little "haywire," which I know is a possibility for someone with epilepsy. In the past, I was ashamed about admitting having epilepsy. Now, with help from people like Chad and events like The Concert for Epilepsy, if I have problems,

"I feel no shame, I'm proud of where I came from... 

You can take it or leave it. This is me; this is who I am."

Portfolios and Social Media - Xynn Tii

How does someone have more than 30,000 Facebook fans? Obviously, if you look at my recently created Facebook photography page you may learn what not to do, but if you open Xynn Tii's Facebook Page you can see a social media photography master. Until I saw his page, I did not realize a photographer could have 30,000 fans. To give some context, I have about 30,000 page views on my blog, and I probably clicked a few thousand pages myself reviewing my mistakes.

But Xynn Tii has 31,593 FANS. He easily could have picked up another 100 since I started this post. (I have about 100 fans. Thanks Mom!)

One reason TII K XYNN Photography is popular: Xynn is a talented photographer. This does not make him unique, for the road to becoming a barista is littered with talented photographers.

Xynn's talent goes beyond photography. Xynn is talented at sharing and interacting. He wants to connect with people and people want to connect with him. In other words, people want to become a fan. I want to be a fan!

In my previous post, I discussed publicists' advice about "talking oneself up." I suggested that there is a better way than self promotion. I think Xynn Tii found it. Even on his about page, when he begins to direct attention to himself, (the subtitle of his page is "Yah! I finally get to talk about myself"), Xynn quickly thanks the city and people of Miami. He exudes gratitude. He encourages feedback. He writes, "I love having support; it auto-corrects a lot of my mistakes and stubbornness..."

Xynn Tii also has the most creative feedback system I can remember. He has created specific and humorous email addresses for specifc complaints.

He continues, "I welcome you to provide all of your feedback to their corresponding email fans@xynntii.com, hate@xynntii.com, opinions@xynntii.com and please send all other emails to xynntii@me.com."

Check out his work. Become a fan, and read his responses. There are many reasons this photographer has such a loyal following.

bf

Hey Bryan.

Thanks for getting in touch! I appreciate your interest. My site links are below the last response. c:

1. How do you organize your photography portfolio?

I love this question! Organization is so important to me and my photo collection because I delve into different genres all the time. The organization of my portfolio at xynntii.com is consistent will all of my social networking sites. I categorize all of my photos into 6 genres: Commercial, Editorial, Landscape, Media, Monochrome & Runway. Because my photos are displayed the same way everywhere on the Internet, this makes Web site transition easier for anyone who follows my work, may it be a client, sponsor or enthusiast.

2. Has social media changed the way you organize your portfolio?

Oh definitely, and probably in more ways than I realize. The demand alone that I receive from fans through social networks keeps me from slacking off. Demand meaning: Print and photoshoot requests, licensing and ordinary questions regarding the story behind a particular photo. In fact, it is because of my debut on the Internet with Flickr that I decided to organize my portfolio the way it currently is. Like most companies, I use these social networks to spread awareness of my work. In order to do this effectively, I find myself becoming more conscious of staying organized at all times. In addition, it motivates me to create simple and user-friendly platforms for these audiences of interest.

 3. Do social media applications provide better opportunities to represent your unique style and vision than a traditional portfolio?

Of course. Media applications, such as Facebook, carry a massive and diverse audience. All I have to do is create a Fan page and upload my photos. This differs from a portfolio because you have to bring an audience to a separate and unfamiliar Web site; as everyone knows, this requires a much more complex marketing process. Also with these media applications, artists can be expressive and more productive using expedited methods that a traditional portfolio ordinarily lacks.

Xynn Tii Imagery

- Portfolio: www.xynntii.com

- Facebook

Old: www.facebook.com/xynntii.imagery

New: www.facebook.com/xynntii

- Flickr: www.flickr.com/xynntii

- Twitter: www.twitter.com/xynntii