KBev Photography : Events : Festivals

Festivals Galleries

Tattoo Arts Fest Entertainment (NSFW) (Mar 13) : Chicago Tattoo Arts 2013 was at the Crown Plaza again. This time, the entertainment was all in the ballroom. Playing around with some new gear made it really tricky to shoot. In any case, here are my favorites from the evening. Four favorites first, then in this order: Penguin Boy, Rigor Mortis Revue, Body Suspension, Olde City Sideshow, and the Show Devils (Serana Rose).

This year, I got to see some new performers. Penguin Boy was certainly unique. I didn't get a chance to talk with him, but I did see him inking up a few people at the booth. Maybe next time, I'll see if he's up for a conversation and his own gallery. His act was a good carney act and he just did his thing without much fanfare. The uniqueness of his condition was not something he spent much time talking about, although a good bio online would be nice. Then again, I guess it is none of my business. Rigor Mortis Revue was also a new act for me and I didn't know what to expect based on what I saw online. Time was short so they basically did their thing quickly. "What's their thing?" We, the photos will show more than I'll write.

The Suspension didn't include Ms. Crash this year, but did include some suspensions I hadn't seen before - including a knee suspension. Stitch was the "wild one" this year and she was crazy up there. Giving her boyfriend a lift was pretty intense. I didn't get many pix of Olde City, since I had great pix from last year. As for Show Devils, they were such a rush that I didn't get much of them either. I actually got great shows last year, and this year's were not good enough to make the cut (except for a few of Ms. Serana Rose). I couldn't believe I didn't get any good ones of the Enigma (at least none that I liked).

If you performed, let me know. I have a whole 'nother gallery of unedited pix.

Enjoy.

Tattoo Arts Fest Entertainment (NSFW) (Mar 13)

Tattoo Arts Fest - Artwork (Mar 13) : Even after going to a few of these, I am still amazed at some of the artwork. For that same reason, I took a lot fewer pictures, but tried to find the art that I really liked. My favorite ones are first. I didn't meet as many artists as usual, but here are some shots of the evening. I have more in a private gallery. If you were there and want to see them, email me.

Peace,
Keith

Tattoo Arts Fest - Artwork (Mar 13)

Bud Billken Parade (Aug 12) : This Fall I made the trip over to King Drive to check out the Bud Billiken Parade, a long time Chicago tradition. The photo ops were plentiful and the weather was great. I spent a few hours walking around and checking out the performers.

Sadly, towards the end of the parade, the knuckleheads were in full effect and kept the cops busy. We even had an appearance from the eye in the sky.

Bud Billken Parade (Aug 12)

InkFest Live CHI (May 12) : For the 2nd time in two months, I attended a tattoo show here in Chicago. The event had a jam-packed weekend of music, art, entertainment, dance, and more. This was the first InkFest I had been to and I plan on going back. i saw many of the people I had seen over the last few shows and once again, the vibe was really friendly. That doesn't mean "kid-friendly", but some parents though body suspension was OK for kids. Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend. Thanks to everyone for letting the guy with the camera hang for a day.

Side note: the crowd was a bit smaller the day I went - despite having great artists, a BBoy battle with some of the best from Chicagoland, and body suspension by Miss Crash. Next time you are in a city where one of these is happening, you have to swing by.

Note #2: BBoy competition is in the "Hip-Hop--> BBoys" section. Miss Crash is in the "Events ---> festivals" section.

InkFest Live CHI (May 12)

An Interview w/ Miss Crash @Inkfest NSFW (May 12) : InkFest Live was a great mix of art, BBoys and performance. On this day, Miss Crash, who I had seen last month, was there and did some body suspension for the crowd. Like last time, she got more into it the longer she was up there and took her time talking with fans afterwards. Unlike last time, she was the only performer in the set. I figured rather than do some corny captions, why not ask Miss Crash some of the questions I had and that people asked me when they saw the other gallery.

One more reason Twitter is a wonderful thing: Miss Crash agreed to answer the questions and I decided to use those for captions instead of my dumb a** observations. This is official the first "Interview Gallery" KBevPhoto has done. This might be something I try to do more often if it goes well.

Big ups to Miss Crash for agreeing to do this. Follow her at @MissCrash or visit her sites: Http://www.misscrash.com and Http://www.studioservitu.com

KBev note: The only thing I asked of Crash was the (1) She be honest (2) She try to keep in mind the diversity of people that browse the site (e.g. language) and (3) she rest assured I wouldn't edit her responses.

An Interview w/ Miss Crash @Inkfest NSFW (May 12)

Chicago Tattoo Arts - Artwork (Apr 12) : Here is the first of two galleries from the Chicago Tattoo Arts show. This gallery contains pictures of the art and the people from the evening. As always, everyone was really chill and nice enough to let a guy with a camera shoot some photos. Certainly had a great time meeting the peoples. I will post a link to the unedited photos online shortly. The link will be on the Facebook page and Twitter feed when I do. The other gallery contains photos from the Entertainment and will be NSFW. I am working on that now.

For now, relax, peruse, enjoy the pix. Share a link to the gallery if you like what you see. Support the hobby - buy your prints 8-)

KBev

Chicago Tattoo Arts - Artwork (Apr 12)

Chicago Tattoo Arts - Entertainment/ Body Suspension NSFW (Apr 12) : NOTE; This gallery isn't safe for work. It probably isn't safe if you have a weak stomach. that said, enjoy.

The 2012 Chicago Tattoo Arts Show not only had great art and nice people, it had some live entertainment. I am torn on how to show this gallery (I usually go favorite first), but here's what I'll do: I'll sort the photos by each of the three acts.

ACT ONE: Show Devils (@showdevils) -- Coming through with some new acts and jokes, Serana Rose (@seranarose) and Mr. Enigma put on their usually freak show of stunts, comedy and oddities. They were kind enough to hang out for a a while before the show and chat with people and pose for pictures. Both were really cool and enjoyed the crowd. Watching Serana drink the regurgitated Blue drink was still as "moving" as it was the first time i saw it at Freedom Expo. Enigma mixed it up by showing his musical inclinations on the trumpet. Once again they put on a show to remember.

ACT TWO: Olde City Side Show (@OCSSPhilly) -- Danny Borneo and Marty Ling abuse themselves and each other for the second act of the night. Lighting cigarettes with a face full of spark, bouncing on glass, hanging hooks from eye sockets, and insert sharp objects into your head via your nose are all things I don't recommend. That said, they are thing I recommend you see. Marty and Danny were also rally nice guys before and after the show. Well played, gentleman.

ACT THREE: Body Suspension (photos in order of the show) -- I had no idea what to expect when I saw this on the agenda for the night. I had seen pictures, but had not seen it live. For this one, they moved us into a separate room where Miss Crash (@MissCrash) emceed the first two ladies that would fly. Miss GigiMonstar (@gigimonstar) was suspended by her elbows (triceps side) and kicks and swung violently back and forth. She was seriously into it and got the audience somewhere between "hyped" and "amazed". When she was done, ChristinaXO entered the set and was suspended from her abdomen. Unlike Gigi, her contact point meant that she was more laid back and chill when she finally let go. It was quite a site and she was in the zone. Finally, the headline, Miss Crash asked the crowd is she could do her thing - which included burlesque, dancing, piercing and body suspension. Two surprises were in store for us: (1) at one point, one of the guys in her crew grab hold and went for a ride as they were both suspended by HER back hooks and (2) after swinging, jumping and flying around, Miss Crash had one of the lines cut and did some more with one hook. How it didn't rip is beyond me.

Fun, non-typical night of entertainment. Well done by all acts. Next time any of them are in the CHI, you should check them out. Bring your camera!

Unedited pix are in a "private' gallery. I will post the link on my Facebook page. the link is above. If you like what you see, retweet and share. If you want what you see, support the hobby and order prints. it takes time to get them the way you see hem (vs. the unedited versions).

Peace.
KBev

Chicago Tattoo Arts - Entertainment/ Body Suspension NSFW (Apr 12)

AFA Festival (Sep 12) : Here are a few shots from the 2012 African Festival of the Arts. It is still my favorite festival in all of Chicago. I will spare you all the commentary. Enjoy the photos.

AFA Festival (Sep 12)

Festival Cubano (Riis Park, Chicago) (Aug 10) : Looking for something to do on lazy Saturday, Google turned up Festival Cubano's inaugural event. We took the drive up north to check it out. Although it was early in the day, a good crowd was already on hand. The drum circle was cool. The main stage sound system was also well done. Next year, they will hopefully have more vendors with Cuban art. That said, my Cuban sandwich was awesome.

Here are a few shots from the day... Enjoy.

Festival Cubano (Riis Park, Chicago) (Aug 10)

RPM Car Show - Chicago (Just cars) (Jul 10) : First time out to a car show... Although I am sure there are good ways to shoot cars, I didn't figure it out. Aside from tough outdoor lighting, I usually had no idea what I was looking at in the cars. That said, I did manage to get a few nice shots.

The "other gallery" has some of the "obstructed view" photos from the day. These women kept blocking the cars...

RPM Car Show - Chicago (Just cars) (Jul 10)

Carifete - Hyde Park (Aug 10) : For the third year, I made my way to the Carifete Festival on the south side. Although the first year was the best year, this was was an improvement over last year. They have 4-5 countries representing and only started the parade about 4 hours late. That's right, 4 hours! Why have people in the heat from 1pm when you know (at least based on three years of data) there is no hope of starting that early? Beats me. Either way, it was a great day and the people had a good time.

Here are my favorites from another colorful, muscal Carifete! One unplanned highlight included a guy that scaled a huge crane and stood on top waving the crowd. I'm not sure what happened to him, but it was a long way down. (see photo)

Email me if you want a link to the "unedited" gallery that includes the full 300 photos.

Thanks
Keith

PS - Support the hobby! Order your prints. 8-)

Carifete - Hyde Park (Aug 10)

RPM Car Show (cars plus) PNSFW - Chicago (Jul 10) : I went to a "car show" to see what they were like and check out some guys from Chicago Tribe. The Tribe's battle was canceled and these women kept standing in front of the cars... Go figure. here are some of the better shots from the day... There are a bunch more in another gallery, so if you want access to those, just email me at keith@kbevphoto.com

Thanks, and enjoy... PS if you want your name (website) in any of the captions, let me know.

RPM Car Show (cars plus) PNSFW - Chicago (Jul 10)

Freedom Expo - Chicago (May 10) : If you want to get photos most people don't get, you have to go where most people don't go. Freedom Expo '10 here in Chicago was the venue for a great night of shooting. Once again, a diverse crowd was really cool and deserving a "Thank you".

Overall, fun night and not for the feint of heart. Corset piercing, scalpeling, and other activities were in full effect.

*** Warning: if you see photo thumbnails of women that look like they may not be fully clothed, you probably shouldn't click on it at work. The rest of the photos are fine. I moved the potentially NSFW ones to the end of the gallery to be safe. No nudity though. Don't blame me 8-)

As always, this gallery is locked down. If you can support the habit, order your prints. If not, but you want the photos of yourself, just email me and I'll get it to you. There is another gallery with 300+ unedited prints. If you want that URL, email me. If you use the prints, please credit "kbevphoto.com"

Thanks

Freedom Expo - Chicago (May 10)

Carifete - Hyde Park, CHI (Aug 08) : After living in Hyde Park for 7 summers, I finally realized that "Carifete" happens a few blocks away! I spent the day shooting the parade and here are 30 of my favorite photos. 6-8 groups performed in front of the judges booth, where I sat front and center. Jamaica, Belize, Antigua, Haiti, Trinidad, and a few others were doing their thing. I am not sure who won, but Belize had the crowd support, Jamaica got their freak on (I left those photos out), and Haiti had a good time. Enjoy.

Note all photos are copyrighted. Contact me if you plan to use them.

Email me and I can send the link to the other gallery of the plain photos. There are 300 or so that are not on the public part of this site b/c they weren't among the best!

Carifete - Hyde Park, CHI (Aug 08)

Carifete - Hyde Park, CHI (Aug 09) : Photos from Carifete '09 in Hyde Park... A lot smaller this year, but people still had a great time.

Note: if you are in one of the photos and prefer not to "support the habit", email me, and I'll get your the photo. Also, if you have any names to include in the captions (first names only) please email me....

Comments welcome

Carifete - Hyde Park, CHI (Aug 09)

AFA '08 - Festival scenes : The African Festival of the Arts came back to the South Side on Labor Day weekend. I was fortunate enough to stop through for some time on each of the four days. There are four galleries from the concerts (Events --> Concerts section), but here are some other photos from festival. Photos from the South Shore Drill Team's are in a separate gallery and combined with their "Peace March".

AFA '08 - Festival scenes

Texas State Fair (Oct 07) : During a 2-day meeting in Dallas, I took the gear to a hot, hot, hot day at the Texas State Fair. SInce it was a weekday afternoon, it was pretty dead. Not much to shoot, but I did get a few that I liked.

Texas State Fair (Oct 07)

Puerto Rican Fest (Humboldt Park) (Jun 07) : I spent a few hours at the Chicago's Puerto Rican Festival in Humboldt Park. People were really cool and I wish I had gotten there earlier. Here are some from shot on the first day out with my 17-55mm/2.8 lens.

Puerto Rican Fest (Humboldt Park) (Jun 07)

San Rafael Street Painting (June 06) : While out in SFO for a meeting, I took advantage of a the 1/2 day "free time" to go to a street painting festival in San Rafael. This was a cool way to spend an afternoon. These are some of the 150+ I took that day. The big thing for me? I shot most of these manually, which was a first. I think I did OK. These are all non-edited.

The D70 and 28-105mm Nikkor (with some help from the 70-300mm Nikkor) put in the work. Too bad I didn't have a ladder.

San Rafael Street Painting (June 06)

AFA '09 - Festival Scenes : Once again, the African Festival of the Arts came to Hyde Park over labor day weekend. In addition to some great concerts (see the events --> concerts section), there were plenty of people to see throughout the weekend.

If you are in any of these photos (or want the link to the other ones), and want a copy, please email keith@kbevphoto.com.

AFA '09 - Festival Scenes

C2E2 Comic Show (Mar 11) : On a cold sunday afternoon, the dads took the boys to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (AKA C2E2). It was my first comic convention and I'll be back to one soon. Lots of color and friendly folks walking around "in character". I could have shot a lot more, but this was a day to hang with the fellas.

Enjoy the pix. if you were at the show and want to see the other gallery with a ton of other shots (unedited) from the day, just email me.

Thanks,
Keith

C2E2 Comic Show (Mar 11)

Nashville Pride (Jun 11) : Looking for something a little different (for me) to get into in Nashville meant spending an afternoon at Nashville Pride. I hadn't been to a Pride Fest before, but figured it'd be a good time. As expected, it was a good time with good people. I didn't take as many photos as normal, but here are a few of my favorites.

Suffice to say the Music City Sisters and the Play Dancers made for some interesting photo ops. Hip-hop artists God-Des and She did a nice job on the stage too, they are in the hip-hop section.

I hope you enjoy the pics, and consider going to a Pride Fest near you...

Nashville Pride (Jun 11)

Comic Con (Aug 11) : After C2E2 a few months ago, I figured Comic Con would be another good chance to shoot some photos. I was shocked at how crowded it was on Saturday morning. The traffic was unreal and the police "directing traffic" were ZERO help. After finding a way to bypass the line outside (30-min wait if you already had tickets!), I was in...

There were lots of standard celebs that drew a lot of attention - especially Capt. Piccard from Star Trek. Then there was a curious list of older celebs and people you probably haven't seen in a while. The "kid" from the Terminator movies, former WWF guy Ted DiBiase, Vivica Fox, Eric Gray (from Buck Rogers), and tons of others. The costumes were crazy and zombies continue to be a favorite among grown folks. Here are some of my favorites from the day. I tried to label the characters I knew, but if I missed some post a comment or email me and I'll correct the caption.

Highly recommend going to one of these to see the spectacle of it all! It was good fun (just crowded)

Comic Con (Aug 11)

Available Feeds

Recent Galleries:

Atom |

RSS

Recent Photos:

Atom |

RSS

Recent Videos:

Atom |

RSS |

AppleTV