Divided by Friday: Santa ain’t the only one who flies

In May of 2009, I photographed a young band from North Carolina called Divided by Friday. They were on a tight schedule and I was in the middle of a very busy week, so they skipped class (shhhh!) and I came straight from school (still wearing a button-up shirt and khakis) and we had a shoot that I blogged about last year. Well, 2010 has brought great things for the guys in Divided by Friday. Earlier this year they released their first video and in November they announced that they’d signed with Hopeless Records. With the signing came the need for new pictures, and we were thrilled that they called us up.

Shooting a band is oh-so-slightly different than shooting a wedding, and it gives us a chance to play in ways we normally don’t. We love the playful aspect of shooting musicians, but the other side is that there are a lot of clichés to avoid (think railroad tracks and brick walls).  For this shot, we decided to draw inspiration from the same source that the band did.  The title of Divided by Friday’s new EP, The Constant, is a reference to Lost–specifically the fact that Penny (the one whose boat it isn’t) is Desmond’s constant–the thing that keeps him anchored in time/reality/whatever was going on. If you haven’t seen Lost, go ahead and watch all seven seasons. The rest of us will wait.

Okay, I guess you’re back. Wasn’t that great? Well, yeah, maybe not the last episode, but otherwise, awesome!

Anyway, Wendy and I were discussing the idea of a constant–something that draws you back to a central point, like home. We decided that food is something that draws people together (think holidays like Thanksgiving), and it could be cool to see the guys drifting away, yet pulled back together by the fellowship of a shared meal. Admittedly, I also liked the idea of putting a rock band in my mom’s kitchen (thanks, Mom!). This is what we got:

If you have some free time, feel free to use this like a Highlights magazine and circle all the floating food in the image.

If you prefer your band pictures with more gravity and fewer calories, here’s another from the shoot:

Now, the event that actually inspired this post is the release of Divided by Friday’s latest video, their version of “O Holy Night”. Are you looking forward to Christmas? Do you like to rock? Yes? Then check it out!

After that, go check out the rest of their music on Myspace.