So read up to hear Phoenix talk 100 Monkeys, Jackson Rathbone, the Rathbone family, and everything else related to his incredible photography. This guy has EXTREME talent!!
PS.I am totes in love with the Sugar Mafia photo.
xoxo.
Rachel.
Phoenix Taylor: Why Twilight fans should know who he is
Phoenix Taylor: Why Twilight fans should know who he isEver heard of Phoenix Taylor? He’s a local Dallas Photographer, although his photo’s have been published nationwide. You’ve probably seen his pictures on the net and if you haven’t, then you are missing out! Wondering exactly why Twilight Fans the world over should know or care about a photographer based in Dallas? Other than the fact that he takes some visionary shots of some fantastically beautiful people, he’s also had the opportunity to shoot 100 Monkeys and Jackson Rathbone and has some surprises in store for fans coming soon.
We interviewed Phoenix recently about his life, his photography, his pictures of the Rathbone Family and his upcoming projects that will thrill Twilighters and 100 Monkey’s fans
To jog your memory 100 Monkeys fans, you’ll probably recognize these pictures of the band
Phoenix is truly a gifted photographer and we here at IFeltHope really wanted to know how he got involved in this art form. Throughout the article we'll be talking about and showing his work as well as his history.
Alright Phoenix, let’s start with the basics so readers know more about you. Where were you originally from and what is your full name?
I was born in East Tawas, Michigan and my name is Phoenix James Crichton Taylor. Named after my Grandfather.
Your myspace lists a background in graphic design, so how did you get involved in photography?
Well, that is actually an interesting story. I have a friend named James Landry. I have known him since I was merely 11 years old and am still a friend of him today. He was going to school for photography and I was going to school for graphics. In the program I was taking they taught us a lot more manual art skills then digital (since they did not really have digital available back then).
When I got out of the program I found out that people wanted to use photos combined with logos and text more than they wanted to use just illustrations. At first I tried to contract out photographers to help me finish projects and jobs but I would never get the work from them that I was asking for. So, as a default... I started taking the pictures myself with a point and shoot camera. Before I knew it, people were much more interested in hiring me for my photography than they were merely just for graphics. I would get request for weddings and local bands... even school pictures! So I have been doing photography ever since, but I only left my "real job" to pursue my art three years ago. It is now my only source of income.
Phoenix Taylor: A photo of Alice, just not the Twilight Alice. This picture captures me every time I see it
Model: mosh: make up: herself: outfit: herself: alice in dallas
Do you reconize this lovely lady? It's none other than Kelly Garrett Rathbone, Jackson's sister.
Wow! I'm always impressed at artists that have been trained in both manual and digital photography since most people today use digital art forms. Starting at such a young age, What made you decide to pursue this full time, ie, is there a defining moment that convinced you of your talent?
Well... there was. I hate to even give her credit. She is kind of a child, but at once she was my world. Samantha Collie. I was dating her for three years and very much loved about every second with her. She was a driving force behind me. She stood by my side when I would do everything but my own art for money.
I was afraid.
I was working as a "loader" for the Rooms to Go warehouse. Waking up around 5am to get to work by six and spend my entire day loading and unloading furniture into semi trailers. She always asked me why I did that when I had so much talent and I would make every excuse under the sun. But, the truth was that I was scared. I was not afraid of failing at things that did not matter. You know what I mean?
If I was fired from being a "warehouse worker", who cared! That was not what I wanted out of life. But, if I tried to be an artist and did not make it... it would be so self realizing that something that I held so sacred, such as my art... wasn't good enough and I would not be able to escape that knowledge, so I was refusing to even try.
Kelly Garrett Rathbone By Phoenix Taylor
She believed in me more than I did and for my birthday she ended up getting me an expensive camera and some equipment and she would pose for me and let me get the needed practice as well as giving me some real encouragement. I would like to say that that was when I walked away from everything and walked towards my career but it was about another year before that happened. I was working as a bar manager at Spike in Mockingbird Station and posting all my practice photos on Myspace, back before Myspace had other photographers. Pretty soon I was getting so many request for photos that I had to start charging just to make up for all the work I was having to miss. The next step was inevitable... I had to quit and just do photography. My first month in business I made almost 10,000 dollars! I have never looked back since then and have even got a lot of tattoos to make sure that there was no way of going back to corporate America!
What is your opinion on post-processing, especially enhancing pictures? Some of your work seems very raw while others have more post-processing and additional elements.
This is what I think about this... "to each their own". But... I CAN NOT STAND PEOPLE WHO HIDE BEHIND BEING TRADITIONALISTS!
Now, let me explain. I have several times ran into "photographers" that try to preach and preach about how you should 'capture everything inside the camera' and they do not 'believe in using photoshop'. The truth is... those same people just don't understand photoshop, they don't have any knowledge and they can not be bothered to educate themselves. Their work suffers from it… like it or not this is now a digital age. There is very little to no difference between developing tricks and properly executed photoshop post work tricks. So, that is all just a bunch of garbage spewed from lazy people.
Me personally, I think that my images are only half done in the camera. I see them finished as I am taking them, but I am very aware that that is only half the job. My work is mixed media. Half photography and half graphic design. That is my style. That does not mean I do not have several people that I look up to that are using film only.
Kali Ann wearing 'SUGAR MAFIA' Necklace. Photographer: PHOENIX:T:PHOTO
What would you say inspires you the most (music, art, beauty, other photo’s?)
Music. Without a doubt. Music. I have wanted to do a series of images that are significantly linked to songs that have changed my life. I wanted to surround myself with certain bands or songs and just let the music soak into that part of me that creates and then let it flow back out of me in the form of a photo. Then name that photo the song title it is inspired by. See what happens.
In general, during a session, how many pics would you say you take to find "the right one"?
I am now a partner in a company that does photosets of models, so more often then not I am looking for 80 good pics. But, I would say it takes me about 11 to get the right 1.
What person would you love to photograph, living or dead?
Oh my God! I would just die to be able to shoot Ellen DeGeneres, Maynard from Tool, the band Placebo and the Golden Boy Stephen Colbert! Got a connection? Please!
You have a wide collection of both personal friends as models as well as orchestrated shoots like weddings. Do you prefer friends and familys as subjects or strangers?
Very interesting question… I don't think I have a preference. Both are just as risky. I have worked with some strangers lately that were so great that they are now friends and then again I have worked with some other people that I did not know prior, that I now wish I would have never taken that call!
BY: Phoenix Taylor
By: Phoenix Taylor
You spent some time with 100 Monkey’s recently during Twicon. Describe what that experience was like especially from a photographer’s point of view.
In one paragraph of an interview? Yeah right! I will have to say, I spent almost 8 days with the 100 Monkeys and I would relive those days everyday again and again, like Groundhogs Day, for the rest of my life.
Well… maybe that is too much. But, you get the idea. There was not a moment with them, living with them, working with them, seeing them with their fans, cooking with Uncle Larry (barely) and just chilling with them that was not an amazing experience. I can not stress enough the amount of character the band has, let alone Jackson Rathbone! And, I know that is who people want to know about. The man was born for great things… from his music, to his acting and to his character as a human being. I don't think I have met a man that could have more of a chip on his shoulder and yet there is absolutely NONE to be found! And, that alone speaks volumes about these guys!
I was welcomed in as one of them, asked my opinions, heard and then released to seek out my vision for the band and they did everything they could to be what I needed them to be… which ironically, was just themselves!
How did you get the chance to follow the Monkeys and how long were you with them?
I had a random chance of fate. I just moved to the Deep Ellum district of downtown Dallas. I bought an old bar and was turning it into an apartment/studio. Lots of work! I had been spending day and night gutting, painting, buying furniture and hanging light fixtures for a few weeks in a row and needed to get outdoors before I went crazy. So I dressed up and stepped out of my place and noticed a large group of people gathered at Hal Samples Art Gallery just three doors down from my place. I decided to go check it out and headed in to the gallery.
It was the third night of the opening of Kelly Garrett Rathbone's gallery showing and she happened to be in attendance that night. I did not know who she was… even when I stood with a female friend of mine slightly checking her out from across the room! "She is pretty hot… not like slutty hot but much more a very classy hot. What do you think" I asked to one of my models/friends that goes by the name of Cupcake, who had been shooting with me most of that day. "Totally. I agree" she replied.
Now this is not uncommon for me. As a photographer I take notice to just about everyone. I then made my way away from the live music where I had originally seen her and down towards the gallery. Once I got down there I found her standing by the base of the stairs. As I walked by her I heard someone say "this is an amazing gallery Kelly, I am so proud of you". And, my heart kind of skipped a beat. All the sculptures that were taking my breath away were all made by her. I instantly wanted to talk to her but was kind of intimidated by the quality of her work. So, one of the staff members there that I had happened to meet a few days prior brought her over to me and we instantly hit it off. I still was not aware of the "Rathbone" connection.
Well, we traded numbers and she came and saw my place that evening and admired my work. She was in love with mine just as much as I was hers. It was flattering. A few days later I called her and invited her to see Transformers 2 with me and she accepted. Well the trailers for that movie included Twilight: New Moon and The Last Airbender. Kelly had not seen either of those trailers yet and she was ESTATIC to see her bro on the big screen not once… but twice (well his name was up twice)! She explained it to all of us and that is when I found out about Jackson and the 100 Monkeys.
With her love for my work and our mutual appreciation for each other and the 100 Monkeys trip to Dallas planned for Twicon, she decided to put the shoot together and it was all done on her end. It was literally that much of a 'right time at the right place" situation.
You have a connection to the Rathbone family- how did you meet the family?
Well, I have kind of explained this with the story of how I met Kelly. After I met her the rest of the family came to Dallas to Twicon and the Palladium show. I was instantly brought right into the circle and I can not say I love anyone more than them! I have now been out to Randee (I call her mom) and Jack's (I call him Jack) place in West Texas twice! And, I have to say… it is almost my home away from home! They are the greatest people I have met in a while and I am not just merely saying that to pander to them. I mean it.
Phoenix Taylor himself and Brittney Rathbone, the youngest of the Rathbone siblings
Also, Mom would like all the tabloids and Twilight Magazines (including TEEN DREAMS) to find better pictures of her son! Thought I would pass that along! LOL! She loves the work I had done with him, but every time we open a magazine all we see is candid shots of him looking like he was unaware that there were photos being taken! So… if you are listening magazine companies… STEP IT UP! I got some photo stock if you need it
Do you have a website to view your work outside Facebook or Myspace?
It is www.phoenixtphotography.com and it will be up by the 1st of Oct. You can also check his Myspace here or FaceBook
You’ve had your work used in multiple publications- which were you most proud of?
Virgin Records used my work as the entire book, cover and every thing in between for an album that went international with the band dEAf PEdESTRIANS.
Album Art for deafPedestrians by Phoenix Taylor
24. Do you have a favorite model or subject
MOSH www.themoshroom.com
and
KALI http://www.myspace.com/kalixoxo
also… 100 monkeys!!! I loved those guys and those images.
(Editor note, Mosh featured earlier in the Alice photo, Kali in the glitter photo)
So Phoenix obviously spent time with the band and at this present time, he is planning to release his pictures of his time with the 100 Monkeys and the reality of life as an artist. We are hoping for a photo album type book with personal stories from Phoenix about his experience and tons of brand new exclusive pics of Jackson and the rest of the gifted 100 Monkeys. Until then, here are a few exclusive pics given to us by Phoenix, just to get your senses tingling while we all anxiously await the rest!
Pictures taken by Phoenix Taylor, courtesy of Two Playgrounds, LLC.
You maynot use these photo's in blog posts or in any other form. You may link back to this blog for photo viewing. These photo's are the property of Phoenix Taylor and Two Playgrounds LLC are are only being approved here for use by express written consent from Phoenix Taylor
Pictures taken by Phoenix Taylor, courtesy of Two Playgrounds, LLC.
We will have 2 more to post tomorrow, and we guarantee that one of them tops them all! We also have more specific information in the second half of the article detailing his time with the 100 Monkeys and more about his upcoming project. Keep checking back for the next two Exclusive pictures and the second half of the article from Phoenix Taylor
As Phoenix gets closer to release of the 100 Monkeys Book, we'll bring you more updates. To bide your time, check out Phoenix's myspace, facebook and website! Drop him a line and let him know what you think! Please remember not to use any photo's as Phoenix is creating the 100 Monkey's photo album for fans and these photo's are his property
Exclusive from IFELTHOPE
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
1 comments:
Chida IMFORMACION e interesante XD
Post a Comment