01/01/2018
New Years Day...normally there would be a different kind of post here, one with a few more photos attached. For those who care, here's the deal:
One year ago I posted "My Favorite Photos of 2016". A week after that I began a four month project with my day job requiring back and forth travel out of state.
Photography quickly became the lowest item on my list of priorities.
After the project was over in April and I returned to my "normal" life, I realized that I just didn't have it in me anymore. Sure I made some posts, but these were the exception. For any type of photography, but especially live music photography, you have to have a significant amount of passion for it. Live music photography is getting great shots in spite of the environment. You have to want to navigate drunk crowds, the volume (even with ear plugs), rapid fire changes in lighting, and tons of other environmental factors that are working against you.
I loved the challenge of it all, until I didn't.
There were other factors, sure. The time investment is significant, specifically the editing. And there have been some lifestyle changes I've made over the last few years that have pushed me to pursue other interests. Ultimately though after 5 years and over 500 bands, I think that it was a pretty good run.
As far as the future of the this page, it's not going away. I'm leaving it up as basically a historical record of live music at Planet Rock/The Music Factory in Battle Creek, MI from 2012-2017.
Just below this post I went through and re-shared all of the "My Favorite Photos of..." posts from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Feel free to to sift through them and relive the memories as I have done. There's a lot there.
Quick thanks: Thank you to all of the bands that shared pictures, albums, and my page. It was gratifying to see the subjects of your work appreciate what you did and to share it with their fans. Thank you to all the fans that engaged with what I did. It's still kind of crazy to me that a page about music photography based in Battle Creek, MI could reach so many people. Shout out to Another Lost Year for fulfilling one of my design dreams in creating the album artwork for "Alien Architect". That was easily one of the most artistically satisfying projects I've ever worked on. Finally, thank you to Jeff Harris and the staff at the Music Factory for treating me and my wife like one of the family and allowing me to pursue this as long as I did.
Farewell.
- Aaron Avila
