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Photo Highlights - Beech Mountain Resort 2023 Summer Concert Series commercial photography dsp photo projects music photography Aug 23, 2023

Another year, another stellar series of summer concerts at Beech Mountain Resort in Western North Carolina.

It's hard for me to put into words how grateful I am to be the house photographer for these events for the past two summers. It's been an absolute pleasure collaborating with the marketing...

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Do you want constructive criticism of your photos? Are you sure? marketing music photography photography instruction tips and tricks travel photography Apr 11, 2023

When you post a photo on social media, and you ask for constructive criticism (sometimes abbreviated as "CC"), are you truly looking for honest, objective feedback?

Or, is your ego getting the best of you, and you're just fishing for compliments, likes, or "thumbs up" emojis?

As a...

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RANT TOPIC: Music Event Tour Posters & Flyers marketing music photography photography industry rants tips and tricks Mar 08, 2023

Mind if I rant???

As many festivals, large and small, around the country (and the world) are dropping their line-ups, I can't help but shake my head as I scroll through my Instagram feed, wondering what century some of the graphic designers (and festival producers who sign off on their work) are...

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Music Photography - It's not about you, the photographer. (HINT - It's about your client) commercial photography dsp photo projects marketing music photography photography industry photography instruction tips and tricks Feb 14, 2023

It's not about you. It's not about you. It's not about you.

If you were to ask a random sample of music photographers why they do what they do, at least nine out of ten of them would say, "Because it's fun!", or, "I love live music, and get to see my favorite bands up close and personal!"

Not...

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One year ago today... (Brevard's Blizzard of 2022) dsp photo projects travel photography Jan 16, 2023

They say that time flies when you're having fun.

Well, then I must have had a good ole time in 2022 because I can't believe that it was a year ago today that I went stomping through my neighborhood in over 15" of fresh snow blanketing Downtown Brevard, North Carolina, on a mission to capture...

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DSP Music Photography - Best Of 2022 (Concerts, Festivals & Crowd Shots) dsp news dsp photo projects music photography Jan 13, 2023

It's official. Live music is back. And, in the year 2022, it came back with a vengeance. 

And, I've been fortunate enough to be part of that come-back, documenting countless concerts and festivals over the course of the year, mostly as part of my "house photographer" duties at the ...

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Merry Christmas Jam! dsp news dsp photo projects music photography Dec 23, 2022

The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam is back!!! (And, so am I!)

After a four-year hiatus, one in which many of us music fans thought may have been permanent, Warren Haynes brought the traditional fund-raising festival back to Asheville for 2022 as the 31st edition of the event (December 9th...

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Autumn 2022 in the Blue Ridge Mountains dsp photo projects travel photography Nov 16, 2022

Autumn has come and gone in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina and, this year, it arrived early and departed early. In fact, the much-anticipated annual color-change was so early this year (about two or three weeks earlier than last year) that it caught me off guard, and I missed...

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Goodbye Asheville! (Hello, Brevard!) dsp news marketing photography instruction Sep 27, 2022

After over 11 years of being an "Asheville photographer", I'm done. Finished. Outta here.

Sort of...

You can now call me a "Brevard photographer", as I have officially moved my business PO Box from Asheville, NC, 34.8 miles southwest to Brevard, NC (where I have been living the past few...

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Which camera should I buy? commercial photography music photography photography industry photography instruction tips and tricks travel photography Aug 05, 2022

As a professional photographer and instructor, I get asked a lot of questions. But, by far, the most common question I get is...

"Dave, which camera should I buy?"

Half-jokingly, my canned response is, "Why, the Nikon D6, of course!" (or, whatever the latest and greatest DSLR or mirrorless...

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How to Photograph Fireworks with Ease - 15 Essential Steps photography instruction tips and tricks Jun 29, 2022

Are you ready to shoot some fireworks (with your camera) this Fourth of July?

You might be thinking that’s it’s far too difficult, and attempts in past years have only led to blurry, under-exposed and un-inspiring images.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way!

Though there are a...

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How to become a much better photographer in one easy step (instantly) commercial photography music photography photography instruction tips and tricks travel photography Jun 23, 2022

I shoot a lot of music concerts, and I'm often seen roaming the venues in and around Asheville, NC with a couple of Nikon cameras hanging from my sides (two D750 bodies on a Black Rapid harness system, in case you were wondering), sporting my DSP ball cap (worn backwards, of course) and, likely,...

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