2017 Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival

Dec 19, 2017 | Culture, Photography

2017 Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival

Day 1 at Tradewinds Hotel Pavilion

Day 2 at Sadies by the Sea Hotel

Day 3 at Tisa’s Barefoot Beach & Bar

Photos sponsored by Bluesky

This was my 3rd year as the official photographer for the Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival. And even though I see many of the same faces year after year, and have made friends with the musicians, I still get nervous to take the stage and put on the “Official Photographer” badge. I’m always worried I’m blocking people’s view, or being a bother, or that I look like I don’t know what I’m doing. I always wear all black (something I learned from my time working for GradImages) to not draw attention to myself. And it really helped to take photos and meet the new musicians at the mixer event the night before, so I was familiar with who the musicians were, and they were aware that I’d be invading the stage periodically to take their photos. Last year I took almost all the photos without a flash, which is ridiculous. This year I brought my Altura external flash and brought a bunch of extra AA batteries just in case. The photos turned out SO much better thanks to the flash. Here is a clickable gallery of photos for the 3-day Jazz festival. Photos sponsored by Bluesky.

Let’s Jazz Things Up

Nov 6, 2017 | Culture, Lifestyle, Photography

It’s that time of the year again. Early November means Jazz Festival in American Samoa – or at least that’s what this time of year means for me, as of the last three years. I’ve been the official photographer for the Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival for the last 3 years in American Samoa leg. The 3-day jazz festival starts in American Samoa on the first weekend of November, and is followed by another weekend in Samoa.

This also means that it’s been a long weekend for me. I’ve been photographing and editing photos pretty much all weekend. These are just a few photos from the Meet & Greet night at Paradise Pizza the day before the festival began. The bands all got together for food and drink, met the sponsors, and the board, and it was a good time.

2016 Samoana Jazz and Arts Festival

Dec 9, 2016 | Culture, Photography

8

DEC 2016

I love jazz, not in the way that fancy people love jazz, but in such a way that I have a jazz playlist on my iPod and I listen to it a bunch (especially when I’m making brunch—two very exceptional things on one playlist, score!) yet I don’t know any of the artists.

Last year when I was working for the Department of Commerce, the Samoana Jazz and Arts Festival organizer came by asking for assistance with the jazz festival. My boss volunteered me to be the official photographer and that’s a whole other story altogether.

This year, now that I am working at Bluesky as the social media and sponsorship coordinator, I met with the organizer again and this time volunteered myself to be the official photographer for the festival again. I went much more prepared, compared to last year when I almost cried over my insecurities as a photographer next to a cocky official looking guy with a ginormous camera. But that’s beside the point. It also helped to know the musicians this time around because it’s a lot more fun taking photos of people you’re comfortable with.

This is the 3rd Annual Jazz Festival. Every year it opens in American Samoa in the first weekend of November, and then travels over to Samoa for the following weekend. The musicians are mostly local to American Samoa and Samoa, and the style of jazz is localized and includes much more than just jazz music. There are more young bands participating and they have added their twist on jazz (think Valerie by Amy Winehouse, but more jazzy).

The first day of the festival started off with an ethnomusicology forum held at the American Samoa Community College, and then was followed by a corporate event in the evening. The second day is themed “Young, Gifted, and Jazz” for young musicians and artists to share in the spotlight. And the last day is jazz on the beach at Tisa’s Barefoot Bar for a roundup of music, fresh food and drinks.