Dese'Rae L. Stage

Live Through This on ZirZameen

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:14:05 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with Sahar Sarshar to film a segment for ZirZameen, a Persian and English series she created about underground artists and activists. I wrote about it a little more ambiguously here (that’s Sahar in the first image). I even got to help with filming some of the b-roll! Take a look.

April Instagram Roundup

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:15:07 +0000

Here’s April’s Instagram Roundup. Two-thirds of these images were made in San Francisco. Most noteworthy is that little guy on the top right corner. His name is Zed. He’s a deaf Boston Terrier and a companion dog. His mom, who is awesome, runs Walk on, Pup!, a biologically appropriate, behaviorally sound daycare and walking program out of Oakland.

I’ve been following the pack on Instagram for well over a year, and when I asked if I could meet Zed while I was in town, momma agreed (because she’s badass). Her photos are pretty amazing. How do you even walk seven dogs and photograph the action at the same time? Check out Walk On, Pup! on Instagram, and if you’re not following me yet, click here.

San Francisco Update | San Francisco Travel Photography

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:30:59 +0000

I spent the entirety of the week before last working on Live Through This in San Francisco, as I mentioned a couple of days ago. It was quite the test run, I have to say. I met 19 amazing humans with equally amazing stories. We met in coffee shops, bakeries, in the sunlight outside a Vietnamese sandwich shop, in Dolores Park (where I got half a sunburn). I worked with Wendi Koble of Swoon Films for two days. I even traveled to Oakland and Berkeley. I streamlined my process, learned more about my limits and the importance of self-care, and experimented with a tiny ethnographic-esque survey (thanks to my friends at the Neurocognition of Language Lab at Columbia University’s Teachers College).

In the evenings, I drank bloody Marys, spent too much money in bookstores, and drooled on things at Amoeba (I’m wearing my new Amoeba shirt, my one San Francisco souvenir, as I write this). The Meet & Greet was a pretty wonderful experience, too. It was the perfect mix of old friends and new friends. My only regret is that I didn’t get to have longer conversations with everyone, which was a running theme for the week. On the last day, I rested. At the beach. And it was good. Except for the part where we happened upon a pair of geese who were distressed because one of their goslings had gotten swept away by the water. By the time I realized the nature of their calls and made a rescue attempt, the gosling was no longer with us. I’m still sad about this.

While I did make 19 portraits which I will slowly unveil over time on the Live Through This website, I didn’t really have time to photograph much else. Here are a handful of my favorite shots from the trip: some from my North Beach pilgrimage to City Lights, some from our day at the beach.

Live Through This in the Associated Press

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:32:02 +0000

As I was preparing to fly to San Francisco to work on Live Through This (the first of many trips happening over the next year or two), the Associated Press published an article on suicide attempt survivors as prevention resources that featured the project. I think David Crary did an incredible job with it, and appreciate his thoughtful approach. Take a look.

B-roll

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 03:49:35 +0000

Last Thursday, I started my day with Sahar Sarshar, being filmed for an interview with ZirZameen on Live Through This, and ended it with an interview on gay divorce for two Columbia Journalism students. Both times, I was asked to pretend to photograph something while shooting b-roll. B-roll, for those of you who don’t know, is “supplemental or alternate footage intercut with the main shot in an interview or documentary” (thank you, Wikipedia). Both times, it started out feeling incredibly awkward.

Here’s why: I photograph people. Initially, I was at a loss. I had no people to photograph! I tried shooting a tree, some squirrels, traffic. It was suggested that I try a stranger, but I balked. I’m too shy for that. In the end, I realized I had perfect subjects right in front of me the entire time. Meta.

March Instagram Roundup

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:29:21 +0000

Like pretty much anyone else with an iPhone, I use Instagram religiously. I’m easy prey for retro filters and square formatting (insert hipster joke here), but I also find that it’s a really fun tool for keeping my eyes open when I don’t have my camera with me. I’ve been toying with the idea of a roundup of my favorite images at the end of every month for awhile and never got around to doing it, but no more! Here’s the first installment. Click here to follow me on Instagram.

Shanna Sharp at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting | New York City Concert Photography

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 02:59:00 +0000

Shanna Sharp is both one of my favorite people and one of my favorite musicians. We also happen to share a birthday, which means, clearly, that our love was meant to be. I cry myself to sleep every time I miss one of her shows. Luckily, I didn’t miss this last one at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Here are a few shots of that.

Afterward, in celebration, we gorged ourselves on BBQ and drank disgusting shots (por ejemplo: picklebacks (a NYC classic!), cake shots). It was magical.

Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra at Webster Hall | New York City Concert Photography

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:02:51 +0000

Amanda Palmer and her new band, the Grand Theft Orchestra, played a show at Webster Hall in New York on 9/11 last year. I happened to be there as a spectator, but I find it impossible to see Amanda live and NOT photograph the affair, so I did. It was amazing to see her perform fleshed out versions of songs like “Trout Heart Replica,” which I’d only heard rough versions of at live shows past (every incarnation has managed to make me cry, no matter how fleshed out). Clearly, since it’s nearly April, it has taken me forever to get my shit straight, but here are some of my favorites.

Kickstarter Success | A Win for Suicide Awareness

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:18:55 +0000

WE DID IT! At about 7pm last Tuesday night, as I sat in a bar sipping a beer and reading a book (I like to call this “location scouting”), I got the email informing me that we’d reached the 100% mark in the Kickstarter campaign. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I still don’t. What I do know is that Live Through This will officially be funded as of 11am tomorrow!

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed financially or behind the scenes, who shared and shared and shared, and who cared about helping me make this thing a reality. My mind is blown. I’m ecstatic and so grateful. I want to hug all of you.

I’m so thrilled, and I can’t wait to get to work. The first stop on the Live Through This tour is San Francisco. I’ll be there from 4/14-4/20, so if you would like to participate in the project, be sure to email me at des@livethroughthis.org.

If you haven’t contributed and want to do so, click here. You’ve got until 11am EST tomorrow morning!

sami.the.great – Unchained Melody

Dese'Rae L. Stage — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:47:44 +0000

I made this video about a year ago on a trip to California that became known as my “divorcation” (a good time). I’ve always loved it, but hated the warm tone of the original. I’ve wanted to learn video for a couple of years now, but the skill set feels so far outside of my realm of knowledge that it’s intimidated me all this time. No more! I nabbed my very own copy of Final Cut Pro, and this video of Sami was the first thing I fiddled with. Really minor edits here, but it’s a start. I love it, so I thought I’d share.