Another Friday night at Pickwick's Pub

Day 63: Another Friday night at Pickwick's Pub, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Friday night, my husband and I had a wonderful night listening to Bob Cowsill and visiting with friends at a local pub. But wait, who's that with Bob? She was one of the patrons last night who got up and sang a few songs and harmonized on some others.

Date Taken: March 4, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/40
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Finding My Zen

Day 55: Finding My Zen, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Illustrate your idea of peace and harmony--or maybe just peace and quiet--today with a photograph. This is my attempt at illustrating peace and harmony.

I can often find inner peace and calm through music and this song, Some Good Years, just puts me in a good place. The harmony part? Well, have you heard The Cowsills sing? Definitely harmony!

Date Taken: February 24, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/320
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

2/3 of the Rhythm Section

Day 51: 2/3 of the Rhythm Section, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Band nights with Bob Cowsill and Friends is always a good time. The band lineup can vary slighly from month to month and this month's band included: Bob Cowsill (guitar & vocals), John Cowsill (drums & vocals), Robby Scharf (bass & vocals) & Timmy Bryson (lead guitar & vocals). The really fun part about band nights is the potential for guest artists to show up and sit in and this month was no exception with: Nelson Bragg helping out on tambourine for most of the night, Rick Rosas sitting in on bass for a few numbers and Vicki Peterson, who happens to be married to John Cowsill, adding vocals to The Boxer.

This photo showcases Robby Scharf and one of the guest artists, Nelson Bragg, who together with John Cowsill were a wonderful rhythm section for the night! The photo is in black & white not only because I like black & white photos but because the lighting is really low at this pub and were very red at the time which doesn't make for the best photos.

Date Taken: February 20, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/40
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Bob Cowsill & Friends (& Family) at Molly Malones

Day 48: Bob Cowsill & Friends (& Family) at Molly Malones, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

This one is a slight cheat because I did not take this photo today. I took it last night but since I already had a photo for the day at that point, I decided to share this one today anyway.

I have loved The Cowsills since I was 11 or 12 years old. It still amazes me today that I actually know them and that I am the webmaster for their website. Bob Cowsill's son is currently in a band called The Cocanuts and they perform every Wednesday at Molly Malones in Los Angeles.

This week, The Cocanuts billed their show as having a special opening act, The Cowsills. While it wasn't actually The Cowsills, the band did have four members with the last name of Cowsill: Bob Cowsill (guitar & vocals), John Cowsill (drums & vocals), Brendon Cowsill (guitar & vocals) and Ryan Cowsill (keyboards) along with Timmy Bryson (lead guitar & vocals) and Derrick Anderson (bass & vocals).

It was a fun night with great music but man is it dark in there. I shot at 3200ISO wide open at f2.8 with shutter speeds of 1/40 & 1/50 and the shots were still underexposed! I should have put my 85mm1.8 or 50mm1.4 lens on for some shots.

Date Taken: February 16, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 38 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Adding To The Vocals

Adding to the vocals, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Is it cheating to add another photo from January's Band Night as a photo of the day? When I saw that The Daily Shoot assignment for today was Embrace the shadows today and make a photograph dominated by dark tones, also known as a low-key image, I knew I'd have some of those in the pictures I took after midnight at band night. Since I took it after midnight, it was taken on January 9th!

Band night almost always includes some guest artists. Last night was no exception. Scott Totten, who is in the Beach Boys Band with John Cowsill joined the band for a few numbers. He played Timmy's guitar while Timmy borrowed Robby's microphone to add to the vocals.

Date Taken: January 9, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Band Night Fun

Band Night Fun, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Every month Bob Cowsill and his band play at The Fox & Hounds Pub in Studio City, CA. January's band night was January 8th. Knowing that Bob's brother, John, was going to be the drummer I decided to take along my camera and capture some of the action.

If you've never been to this pub it's hard to believe how low the light actually is so I'm always happy when I'm able to capture anything without a flash. This is one of my favorite shots of the night which shows that it's not just the audience that has a good time on band nights!

Date Taken: January 8, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/1.6
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Q: Who does "The Most Interesting Man Alive" go to see on Friday night?

Q: Who does "The Most Interesting Man Alive" go to see on Friday night?, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Answer: Bob Cowsill, of course!!

There was a cardboard cutout of the Dos Equis XX spokesperson standing behind Bob last night at the local Pub so I just had to get this shot!

Date Taken: January 7, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/1.6
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Week 44: Bob Cowsill Entertains

Bob Cowsill Entertains, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

The first Sunday of November is St. Martin's Day at the church associated with our school. Bob Cowsill has provided the after service entertainment for a few years in a row.

Yes, once again a Friday photo not taken on Friday but it does start a new week.

Photo Taken: November 1, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/200
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Flash: On, Fired

Week 38: Miley Cyrus at Staples Center

Miley Cyrus at Staples Center on 09/22/09- Photos by: E Sedgwick

This week, I took my daughters to see Miley Cyrus at Staples Center in Los Angeles. I feel like I'm turning into an old fuddy-duddy after this show. Miley definitely puts on an entertaining show with many costume changes, lots of energy, great lighting, terrific backup dancers & band but sitting in front of us were a mother and her two daughters who were both 7 and under.

I couldn't help but wonder at the image that Miley was projecting with her tight corsetted tops or tank tops with her bra showing and short shorts and her dance moves. As the daughter of teen-agers, one just older than Miley, I understand that Miley is growing up but she seems to be moving herself into the world of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan yet many of her fans are still in the tween and younger set. Billy Ray Cyrus was in the audience at the show and I can't imagine as a father watching my not even 17 year old perform some of the moves Miley was making in the outfits she was wearing. It would have been disturbing to me.

Okay, enough comments on the show - this is a photography blog so on to the photos. This is a collage of photos taken by my 17 year old daughter at the show. I don't even try to take my 40d into shows like this because most venues won't allow it. The photos were taken with a Canon Powershot SX100 IS which was set on automatic mode with the flash turned off. I think my daughter did a great job with these. It was hard to pick a few favorites.

Week 30: Pushing Up Daisies

pushing_up_daisies_9278, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

As I mentioned last week, every year my daughter attends DayJams which is a rock music camp for 8-15 year olds. This year she went for two weeks and during her second week she was in an all-girl band named Pushing Up Daisies. As you can see, she played guitar this week; last week she sang. She was very excited because this was the first year where she was able to play chords instead of just notes!

Not only did she get to play chords but she actually won a Daisy Rock guitar that DayJams was giving away!

Top Photo Taken: July 24, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Fired
Exposure Program: Manual

If you are interested in more photos from the July 24th DayJams concert you can find them in my DayJams San Fernando Valley set on Flickr.

Week 29: Jim Morrison Revisited?

phat_sandwich_9162, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Every year my daughter attends DayJams which is a rock music camp for 8-15 year olds. On Friday of each week of the camp, the bands, which were just put together on Monday, hold a concert featuring songs that each band has written during the week. This week, Phat Sandwich, and especially their lead singer, were very entertaining to watch. Do I see a young Jim Morrison wannabe?

Photo Taken: July 17, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/125
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Manual

If you are interested in more photos from this concert, check out the slide show of all of the photos I took:

Week 20: The Set List

Set List, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

I have made a lot of friends at Cowsill.com and one of them was visiting from Arizona to celebrate her birthday. She brought a small notebook with her to keep track of the set list for the night. In this photo, you can see a few of the songs sung by Bob Cowsill on Mariann's birthday!

Date Taken: May 15, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
No Flash

Week 15: Cowsill Trio Smooth

Cowsill Trio Smooth, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Another Friday at the Pub enjoying music from Bob Cowsill. Recently, Bob has been joined for his first set by his son, Ryan, on keyboards and harmony vocals, and his nephew, Brendon, on guitar and harmony vocals. I had seen Brendon & Ryan play with Bob before but this was the first time I had been in since the younger generation of Cowsills had started to sing as well as play.

This was another try with high ISO and no flash with a point & shoot camera. I am impressed with the IS on this camera but my 40d is definitely the clear winner with noise and high ISO especially with my fast lenses.

Date Taken: April 10, 2009
Camera: Canon PowerShot A590 IS
Exposure: 1/8
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 7.9 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off
In camera sepia with curves adjustment in Adobe Photoshop CS2

Week 8: Friday Night at the Pub

Friday Night at the Pub, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Bob Cowsill spends his Friday nights entertaining people at a pub in Woodland Hills, CA. I also spend many a Friday there enjoying the music and once in awhile I take a picture or two, too. I have been a fan of The Cowsills since I was 11 or 12 and I first walked into this Pub in 1990 to see Bob and his sister, Susan. I've been a regular there ever since and now I am even the webmaster for The Cowsills. Amazing the twists and turns that life can take.

I took this one with a point and shoot that I recently purchased to use at school. It went to Catalina with the Middle School chaperones and I wanted to try it out to see what kind of results I would get in a low light situation. I discovered that even though it goes to ISO 1600 there's no way I can take photos without flash at the Pub.

Date Taken: February 20, 2009
Camera: Canon PowerShot A590 IS
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/5.5
Focal Length: 23.2 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Fired, Red-eye reduction (which didn't work!)

Day 35: My Favorite Things #1

This week, as the song goes, you'll be seeing pictures of a few of my favorite things. First up is my iPod nano. For this shot, I took a piece of lime green paper outside and set my iPod and headphones on it and snapped this shot.

Date Taken: February 4, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 21 - Another from the house concert

Yes, again I'm featuring a photo not taken on the actual day. This is another one from the house concert that I posted about on Day 20. The concert started at 4pm with Jason & Jackie who were then followed by Susan Cowsill. After Susan played, there was a jam session and this photo is from that and features Susan and Bob Cowsill.

Date Taken: January 20, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/2.2
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

And if you haven't ever been to a house concert and someone in your area hosts these, you really should get to one. They are a wonderfully intimate way to see a performer.

Day 20 - Have you ever been to a House Concert?

Susan Cowsill held a house concert on Sunday the 20th and her opening act was the duo of Jackie Jae & Jason Cowsill. Jason is the oldest son of Bob Cowsill and he and Jackie sing at various venues in their hometown of Eugene, Oregon.

Date Taken: January 20, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75f2.8
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 66 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 19 - More Cowsills

Okay technically this wasn't taken on the 19th but late on the 18th so close enough. On Fridays, Bob Cowsill has a regular gig at a pub in the San Fernando Valley so after the Florence Henderson Show taping, Paul & Susan Cowsill along with Susan's husband, Russ Broussard joined Bob at the pub. This is Paul Cowsill.

Date Taken: January 18, 2008 around 11pm
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 17 - And it's more music!

The next few days are all likely to be music related since this is a big Cowsill weekend in Los Angeles. This one was taken at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, CA and features Susan Cowsill.

Date Taken: January 17, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/2.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 16 - Hey it's not dance!

I am so busy these days I didn't have time to even edit anything so I'm sharing something I took earlier in the month. One of my other favorite things to photograph, other than dance, is live music. I think I enjoy the challenge of capturing things in low light situations. So, here's one of those taken in a very dark pub.

Date Taken: January 5, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire