I was asked what makes their work unique in this virtual sphere known as the internet where an unfathomable amount of photos and videos arise from an untold number of sites. Maestro brings a unique camera angle that is hard to describe but simple to see (evident in all his videos). He has a great, distinctive style in general, too. He showcases his friends (won't do an episode with someone he doesn't know) and their talents. For him a day filming is just a normal day enjoying good times. A very positive message and approach to life (hence the nonstop smile). With 13th, whether it's the lighting of his shots, exposure, tint, colors, angle, or anything; he finds a way to make it his. Not the typical photos you come across online either, both in terms of what I mentioned above as well as the content. He actually does videos, too (which are also top of the line). Recently, they formed a duo that will lead to all sorts of creative goodness called MK 13. Watch out for them as they are progressing at extraordinary levels. More importantly, they are able to do something they love every day and make a living off of their respective careers. That, in itself, is a grand and noble accomplishment.
Anyway, they did a collaboration shirt which was a picture of Maestro taken by 13thwitness. They had a release party/meet-and-greet for both the shirt and 13thwitness' calender at a store downtown called Reedspace (run by the legendary Jeff Staple) last Saturday night. I went and they were behind the counter and would talk to each person as they made their purchase. I talked to Maestro for a few minutes (short - but still incredible). Then, I was able talk to 13thwitness for a bit about photography and all that jazz. He's actually on tour with musician John Mayer at the moment. They were really nice and cool, humble guys. Treasured time. After conveying my feelings of inspiration and talking with them, I gave them both my business card (and exchanged with 13th). Not to mention, Maestro signed the shirt and 13th signed the calendar.
This post marks the second installment of my Artist Inspiration series (check the first one here). I'm constantly inspired but these types of posts rarely go up as I try to keep it fairly close to just I.D. material. I mean it is related, as my inspiration is a big part of what drives me, but I'm talking about my own original creative content. So no general schedule to this series, but definitely expect more entries to be added in the future (and how often will depend on feedback).
Here's some recommendations but this is just a glimpse as there's much more tremendous content by both of them:
Maestro Knows Episodes: ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR. FIVE.
13thWitness Photographs: ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR. FIVE.
13thWitness Videos: ONE. TWO. THREE.
Stay inspired folks.