Red Bat Photography is very proud to be the official photographer for Santa Cruz NEXT, a local organization whose mission includes “actively promoting access to and development of economic, social and cultural opportunities” and “connecting Santa Cruz’s next generation of residents to the community at large” (I got those phrases from their newly revamped website).

Recently (well, actually, two months ago, but time has a different meaning during WEDDING SEASON), this organization had a lil’ shindig at the Del Mar Theater. People gathered to chat, network, enjoy great deals on delicious beer and kombucha cocktails, and watch the premier of FOOD, Inc. The Red Bats were there to shoot the participants. Here are a few photos from that evening. You can visit the Santa Cruz NEXT site to read their post about it and see more photos.

Click here to learn more about Santa Cruz NEXT, and here to learn more about FOOD, Inc.

This Red Bat had the pleasure of seeing The Avett Brothers play at the Rio Theatre last night. Wow, are those guys ever energetic! Are they like that every time they play? How do they do it, night after night? They must be fairly exhausted after they finish a show. I was awed by their songs, their musical skills, and most of all their work ethic. They try really, really hard, even though it’s obvious we already love them. Which just makes us love them more.

Today I’m swamped with non-Avett photos needing attention, so I’ve only got time to post a few from last night. Of course I took a lot of pictures. My apologies to anyone near me who suffered through my incessant clicking (not that any of the ecstatic fan horde up front even cared). I hope I can get back to the rest of the photos soon because this band has the kind of stage presence that makes for lots of fascinating shots.

Recently I had a frustrating, painful experience with unexpected computer problems during a crucial stage of a project, so in a spirit of solidarity I’m including a few photos of banjo problems that happened during the show. Also because the phrase is inexplicably hilarious to me. From now on, when I have technical difficulties, I’m going to refer to them as “banjo problems.”

Speaking of digging through archives…I was recently doing a bit of spelunking in the Red Bat PhotoCave (TM), and came across some photos we shot waaaay back in October 2007. Red Bat Friend (TM) Peter is pals with the dudes in a band called Mr. Stitches in Sacramento, and they were playing before a movie premier. We couldn’t stick around for the movie, but we did get a few shots of the band!

Just recently we found ourselves in the Batmobile again because our friend Peter Stults wanted us to take pictures of his friends, a band called Mr. Stitches. This was my first time visiting Sacramento. It turned out to be a lovely evening for driving.

Peter grew up in Sacramento and knows the town well. He showed us around a bit, then took us to a Thai restaurant (yes, we love those.) I took pictures of Peter and Patrick, who didn’t seem to mind at all, perhaps because it was such a beautiful day.

I’m not sure what Peter is doing in this next photo.

We ate and drank and then it was time for the show. Patrick got lots of great shots, which was a relief because I got no decent photos of the band- more proof of our theory that in photography, it’s luckier to work as a team. Thanks, Patrick!