27 PHOTOS OF BURGERAMA III 2014

I went to Burgerama III twenty-fourteen and these are some pictures from it. This was my third Burger Records event (thanks very much to Makenzie Goodman and Curtis Harding). Although I didn't get to see or photograph every band that I wanted to on the lineup (not enough time), I still witnessed some really incredible musicians.

SEE PHOTOS HERE

www.hilaryswift.com/#!/portfolio/G0000Aygnmq3fYJA

I have also attached links to some of the musicians below the link. I have about 70 more images I feel as if I could have posted... so maybe there will be a Burgerama III part II album... who knows.

Featured artists include: 

BLACK LIPS

FIDLAR

MAC DEMARCO

DEATH

ALLAH LAS

SLEEP

CURTIS HARDING

TOGETHER PANGEA

KOOL KEITH

Also be sure to checkout: 

THE GROWLERS

BLEACHED

and really just everyone on this BURGER RECORDS lineup....

St. Patrick's Day at Benchwarmers

Hello all!

       I don't really want to put these on Facebook or my blog because everyone can steal them that way... but I thought I'd share some photos from St. Patrick's Day here at the Benchwarmers in Ventura. I think I might be starting a series on the people of Ventura dive bars so this might just be the beginning to a bigger project. But take a look!

Thanks friends, love you guys

Also, look forward to photos from Burgerama III within the next two days!

http://www.hilaryswift.com/#!/portfolio/G0000ZFlE6Fd6yOE

http://www.hilaryswift.com/#!/portfolio/G0000ZFlE6Fd6yOE

29 PHOTOS OF NEVADA. Check it out. Give me feedback.

Over the weekend I went to Nevada for the first time and fell in love with it. I think what draws me to this state over the rest of the Southwest is the history. Remnants of cowboys, gold miners and outcasts litter the land like cigarette butts on a California highway. A place that was condemned as inhabitable by many of the early settlers, Nevada now offers the only remaining glimpse into earlier American history.

I didn't intend to go to this place and start a project... but it seems as though I must. This is just the beginning. The first draft.  I took too many pictures for this to be final but I'm too eager for feedback not to post now.

Two years ago this week began my photo-journey. An indelible moment at a concert followed by a catastrophic personal event drove me into the welcoming arms of photography as both a coping mechanism and an obsession.

Anyway, HERE ARE MY PHOTOS. Give me your thoughts please.

http://www.hilaryswift.com/#!/portfolio/G0000wgMUJ8gl3lQ

17 Pictures of Nevada (work in progress)

Hello!
      This week has been our "Spring Break" at Brooks. In dire need of a long drive to somewhere mountainous and given the fact that I'd never been to the state, I chose Nevada. The trip isn't over and I'm headed out to go shoot more now (and go to a casino for the first time)... so I'll write more later!

SEE THE PHOTOS HERE

www.hilaryswift.com/#!/portfolio/G0000wgMUJ8gl3lQ

Lessons from a four month loss

Hello friends.
      As many of you know, my car was broken into. Aside from this being slightly horrifying and a total invasion of my illusion of privacy I learned a lesson more valuable than what was stolen from me. I hadn't backed up my hard drive in about four months. So [dramatic pause] I lost four months of work.

     Initially, I was absolutely devastated and on many levels I still am. I lost projects that mean more to me than many of my friendships. Not to mention, during those four months I experienced a great amount of both photographic frustration and artistic growth. A visual progression I will miss being able to see.

     But what I've gotten out of this that I didn't expect was little amounts of relief. Of all the times to lose work in my life, it is now. Before I have paying clients. Before I'm off somewhere strange where I am relying on that work to sustain me.

      In an attempt to rebuild, this loss has inspired me to shoot ferociously. As I am still applying for internships, I need to have some kind of portfolio. Although, I am lucky enough to have regained some jpegs, which is helpful.

     MORAL OF THE STORY. Back up your hard drive. Do it often. Make sure your friends are backing up. Most people already know this, I was just silly enough to keep putting it off. Don't be like me. Back it up.


These are two images out of a take from Monday. The first additions in four months to my old Lightroom catalogue. Thanks so much to Tris & Ben! If you're in the market for a surf board or boat, these are the guys to ask.
Check out Ben's work here!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CACoastalWoodCraft


See my website here

26 Pictures of Ballerinas–– which ones are your favorites?

I went to a Ballet Practice and it was pretty cool. I know I have too many photos in here (26) but I don't know which ones to take out! Tell me which are your least favorites and most favorites. SEE THE PHOTOS HERE

OR HERE

Whichever you prefer

http://www.hilaryswift.com/#!/portfolio/G00000SnY4htPalU

12 Photos from SBIFF––an update

          For the past few days I've been photographing the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in Santa Barbara, California.  As some of you might remember, I did this last year too and once again it is craziness.

        However, this year I am much more fortunate as I am working alongside three incredible photographers (one of which I also happen to live with): Sarah Bourchied, Dougal Brownlie, and Jake Longstreth.
   
         Nothing is ever as you remember it or wish it could be. Despite the long hours and high expectations of festival life, I must admit I love the intensity of everything. From the early morning screenings to the late night VIP parties, it's a world that remains very foreign to me. A world I get to probe and explore without joining, remaining a quiet observer.
   
         Anyway, I ramble on too much. HERE, take a look at what I've been doing so far... and then checkout these websites:

Sarah Bourscheid     (I live with her)
Dougal Brownlie
Hilary Swift              (that's meeeeee)

Click HERE to see the rest!