Bryan Farley Photography Educator

This is the first school year that one of my children have not attended Melrose Leadership Academy since the school began it’s dual immersion program in 2009. I have been taking pictures of the school before my kids started attending.

During the first year of the dual immersion program, my daughter was a kindergarten student. I began photographing all the kindergarteners. When my son started at MLA, I continued photographing the kindergarten class.

When the school moved to the new site, I kept taking pictures. After my kids left the school, I did not know what to do. Eventually, I decided that I would continue. My kids may have left the school, but I will always feel connected.

This year, Harold Lowe helped me when I photographed the kindergarten class. Harold has three children at MLA. Harold and I have become friends; our children are friends too. To view the gallery from this year, click the link.… Read the rest

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The 2018 Bay Area Derby roller derby season started this Spring with two bouts at San Francisco’s  Palace of Fine Arts. I photographed a bout in March and another in April.

This is the first season that Bay Area Derby has skated at the Palace of Fine Arts. BAD changed their teams, uniforms, and regular season home. The Palace of Fine Arts was originally built for the 1915 World’s Fair. It is one of the few remaining structures; it is definitely the most recognizable.

I have been photographing roller derby since 2011. Sometimes I wonder if I have been doing this too long, but I felt younger next to some of the structures at the Palace of Fine Arts.

My fourteen year old daughter attended the first bout between San Francisco and Berkeley. When she first started watching derby, she liked the vendors. Now she is looking for the opportunity to join a team.… Read the rest

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Last month, I photographed Skinny Lister during their current United States tour. Will Varley opened at The Independent in San Francisco.

Photo Gallery Here.

This was my third time seeing Skinny Lister. Before the show, I asked people at The Independent how they had become fans. Many people had similar experiences to my own. We had seen Skinny Lister perform as an opening band or at a music festival. One person saw Skinny Lister play during the 2012 SXSW in Austin; the played on the sidewalk.

I first saw Skinny Lister in the Summer of 2012 during the Vans Warped Tour. I photographed about 30 bands that day. At a festival known for unusual performances, Skinny Lister was different. I wanted to see them again. In 2016, I saw them in San Francisco. I photographed their show and wrote an article.

Despite the dark venue, I took some decent pictures.… Read the rest

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One month ago today, I spent the morning in Reedley, California with my children and some of our good friends. We visited four generations of their family. The oldest is about one hundred years older than the youngest.

February 19th is the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. More than 100,000 Japanese Americans were “relocated” to camps during WWII. Some of my friends’ family were removed from their homes and sent to camps. Aunt Thelma, who is almost 102 now, was one of those people.

I met Aunt Thelma four years earlier at a weekly card game. I realized that she was short, but she was full of life. Life’s circumstances had not appeared to diminish her enthusiasm for life.

Thelma helped raise her niece and nephew, so Thelma is closer than an aunt.

All the relatives seem closer when they are around Aunt Thelma. (I feel closer when I am around her too.)

Even my son wanted to discuss Thelma’s energy afterwards.… Read the rest

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Last Friday night, I traveled to my old home town to photograph Brad Paisley‘s Weekend Warrior Tour. In addition to photographing Paisley, I also photographed Dustin Lynch, Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell. I reviewed the concert for Stereo Embers Magazine, so this post will mostly include photos with links to photo galleries.

In the concert review, I mentioned that Paisley included a visual tribute to Salvador Dali on one of his album covers. The Time Well Wasted cover was inspired by Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory.” The Dali album also included a duet with Dolly Parton and, for surrealism, excessively corny outtake tributes to Hee Haw.

Paisley is married to the actress and author Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Kimberley wrote the best-selling book “Where the Light Gets In” that discusses how her family struggled with her mother’s rare form of dementia. When Brad Paisley performs, it is easy to forget that he is part of a family too.… Read the rest

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New Year’s Eve, 2017

Pt. Richmond, California

“A day is a span of time no one is wealthy enough to waste.” – from my son’s fortune cookie after our photo shoot

This year is the fourth year that I have photographed Christine Findley and her daughter. Each year I photograph them around Christmas. It has become our tradition. The first year, we met in Clayton, California on Christmas day. The last three years, we have met in the East Bay. I create a photo book and give it to them.

2017 Findley Family Photos

I am pretty sure that I get more out of our outings than I give. This year my son Mason joined us, and in the spirit of New Year’s Eve, I began creating resolutions.

I often look at the world through my camera. Some people question if I am missing out on something, but when look through my camera, it’s as if I am viewing the world through a kaleidoscope.… Read the rest

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