VIVAAAAA Las Vegas!

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It's time to party! I am going to the Fabulous Las Vegas with my amazing friends in the Photogen Inc. Crew. It's the annual WPPI conference and trade show at the MGM Grand Hotel. We'll be meeting tons of photographers, making new friends, going to parties, the trade show (which I'm told is going to be bigger than I can imagine), meeting up with other local photographers, taking awesome pictures, and causing all manner of shenanigans, tom-foolery, hullabaloo, and pandemonium. In short order, it's going to be an amazing time of fun, and gaining perspective on the industry that surrounds my passion for photography.

You can follow what's going on on twitter. I'll be updating about my experiences on @tdeBruyn, and what it's like to be part of the awesome @photogeninc team on @eliesaspeople.

There will definitely be a blog post with videos to follow.

Cheers,

Tom

Discovering Something New

Hey all,

Last week a began a journey that is going to drastically change things around here. Time will tell where this road leads, but this is where it has gone in the past couple of days.

I am super excited to see where else this journey of creativity takes me, I hope you'll stick around to find out.

Cheers, and God Bless!

Tom

Red Pens: LIVE at the Kitty Cat Klub in Minneapolis

Valentine's Day this year was amazing, despite the fact that I did not receive a Hug-e-gram. I did however go to an awesome concert at the Kitty Cat Klub, by Minneapolis local band, Red Pens. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the night!

You can read my full length review here.













Cheers,

Tom

Re-invention, Inspiration, Collaboration

I've been feeling incredibly inspired and driven these past few days. I want to bring something true, something genuine to the table in the coming year. Not only do I want to bring something true and genuine, I want to bring something meaningful. So, I am putting my ear to the ground to hear who is making the biggest vibrations. My hope is that I will learn not only from and about other artists, but also from and about you. Who's work resonates deeply within you?

Here are some of my own places of regular inspiration.

Feature Shoot: This is an awesome site for regular inspiration and new artists' views of the world.

Chicago Artist, Chuck Anderson

Wedding Photographer, Jeff Newsom: Voltron of Awesomeness Check out his bridal light writing portraits. So wonderful.

Wedding Photographer, Ben Chrisman: His use of intense color and composition reflects the mystical and ethereal quality that true love gives to life. I can't think of a more appropriate use of such vibrancy than a wedding of two people who are enthralled with each other. I hope to talk with you someday soon Ben.

Rustica Cafe - Amazing Espresso from Minneapolis roaster, Bull Run Coffee, it's a thing of beauty. You may run in to me here some time.

Writer, Annie Dillard-- Holy the Firm: This is a short, and deep read. Annie wrestles with the question of suffering and the human condition in the most beautiful way. I hope to visit the shore she wrote from in Washington one day. I'm sure it's remarkable.

Photogen Inc.: My most significant source of inspiration and motivation this year. My wonderful boss, teacher, and friend. Thanks so much Eliesa! You are the best!

My Mom, Maureen deBruyn. She has inspired me by helping me believe in my dreams and believing in her own. deBruyn Designs

Last and certainly not least, The Bible. I can't say how much God has used this book to touch me deeply. He shapes me into the person I am every day with the words He has given us through this book.

This post is a place for photographers, artists, writers, friends and family to put their two cents in for their biggest sources of inspiration. Please leave your comments below, and tweet this far and wide. The more people comment, the more we can all learn from each other.

Much love, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year,

tom

Finally, here's a little thing of beauty I captured this summer. I hope you like it.

One Thing I've Learned From Assistant Shooting Weddings

I've been thinking about what I've learned over the past year, and one thing keeps coming up. But first, a word of thanks.
My friend, and fellow assistant of Photogen Inc., Cadence Cornelius, asked me not long ago if I could assist her in photographing one of her weddings. I was thrilled! I have such amazing friends in this industry and I am given so many opportunities to grow in my craft. I can't wait for the days to come when I will be able to give back. Thanks for this opportunity Cadence!
This week I looked over the work I have done this year. I noticed one thing I am continually drawn to as a second shooter is details. I don't just mean pictures of the rings, the cake, and the bouquet. I mean the quiet moments that pass the main photographer by as they are focused on getting all the shots on the "checklist". I love looking for these moments, I hope I continue to develop an awareness of them as they happen at weddings and throughout life.



I love Cadence, and working with her is so much fun. I can hardly wait for WPPI this year in Vegas.
P.S. I have been trying some new editing techniques. If you are a follower of mine, let me know what you think. I'm pretty pleased with these overall. But I'm definitely excited to receive critique and grow.

The Best Couple

When Mike Best and Kristin Gruber asked me to give them some engagement photos, I was so excited. Mike and I were very close friends, and room mates in college, and I got to know Kristin as they started dating our senior year. They do life together so well. I can only hope Mike will write some kind of book about how to date the Best way, or how to bring out the Best in every relationship, that will be filled with all kinds of tips and tricks about how they keep things running so smoothly. Mike and Kristin, I wish you the best of luck, and I'm so excited to shoot your wedding in June, knowing that the best is yet to come. Ok... Ok... my friends, I'm done with the awful puns... and here are my favorite pictures of the best lovely couple.

Cheers,

tom

A fun concert, and a review for my followers

Hey ya'll! I went to this awesome concert with Sufjan Stevens a few weeks back, I thought I would post my review here for you to read first! It's not yet published at Pop-Damage.com but it should be soon. This is something that I get to do pretty regularly, and I haven't shared this part of my life here very much. But I'm thinking about doing it a on a semi-regular basis, let me know what you think! Here are four of my favorite shots, and the review. Happy reading!

Sufjan Stevens – 400 Bar Minneapolis

I approached the club on the first of many drizzly and cold fall days in Minneapolis. From the outside it looked like the typical dive bar you would find on the edges of a busy city. As we approached the door we saw two friendly looking fans wearing butterfly wings, holding a box with a cake inside, shivering eagerly at the front of the quickly forming line. They came ready to thank their favorite musician for a night they wanted to remember. This place must have something truly special about it to attract an act like Sufjan Stevens, I thought. I was wrong. It was exactly what it looked like on the outside. A small, dingy dive bar with peeling paint on the ceiling, odd decorations adorning the walls, and insufficient space for the excited people waiting in the cold. My friend, Emily Barrera, and I repeatedly asked each other, “Why here?” After the opening band Cryptasize left the stage we got our answer.

Sufjan had something a little more special planned for this night than he would typically deliver to his concert goers. He and his band were testing out some new material. As he took the stage he poked fun at his often-mispronounced name saying, “Hello, I am Suff-jan Stevens.” Most laughed, some just stared back in acknowledgment of a truth they have known for a long time. Emily and I had the chance to hear not only some of his new material, but also take in performances of older classics like, “Chicago”, “Jacksonville”, “Casimir Pulaski Day”, as well as “Happy Birthday” from his 2000 release “A Sun Came” sung for and dedicated to Nedelle Torrisi of Cryptacize.

A few songs into the set Sufjan’s drummer asked the sound guy to fix a crackling in his monitor. After a few moments of tinkering, he concluded in a British accent, “I think that’s just the sound it makes.” It was refreshing to know that even the staff at 400 Bar knew that this place wasn’t anything special. As fans chuckled through the tension, I thought to myself, “Why here, Sufjan?” In that moment I found the answer to my question. They knew this wouldn’t be the easiest show. Maybe he wanted it to be a trial by fire. If the new material could play well here, they could play it well anywhere.

In the days of mobile facebook, and twitter, there is a huge temptation to let everyone know about anything new as soon as it happens. With the coming of Google Wave, we will no longer have the amount of time it takes to compose our 140 character message to consider its impact. Our thoughts will be published at virtually the exact moment our fingers type them. How many of us can say that what we have to offer is worth saying without first testing it? I certainly can’t. My writing needs editing. My photos need coaxing to bring out the vision I have for them as I capture moments. And my life must be refined by fire regularly in order to be changed into something good. Was the performance perfect? Not totally, but it was necessary. The new songs Sufjan has to offer will be better as a result of this “practice session” and I am thankful to have been there to experience it. It also taught me a lesson. When I know I’ve got something good I want to let everyone know. Perhaps it is best to take it for a test drive before I settle in and tell the world.

Despite the difficulties of playing new music at such an awkward venue, Sufjan and friends warmed the crowd with their genial stage presence and wonderful musicianship. They closed the night with a 10 minute epic called “All Delighted People Raise Your Hands.” I couldn’t help but follow their instruction. I was delighted in so many ways. Thanks Sufjan for putting on a great, yet challenging show.

Cheers,

tom