Weller Photography

On April 21st, we photographed and assisted in the production of BY REQUEST’s FREESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT DANCE PARTY!

The event took place at the Royal Canadian Legion in Hamilton – and did we ever party it up!

The show featured Canada’s Entertainment Specialist: Blake Belcher – who put on a DJ-Freestyle Entertainment Party unlike any other…and everyone that attended had a fun evening of Inspiration, Innovation, Imagination, and Impersonation!

We had an absolute blast, and we look forward to doing more great work with BY REQUEST soon – be sure to watch for DJ Blake with By Request Entertainment!! Throughout our  years of working with many DJs in the industry – none have ever been as dynamic, as professional, and as down-to-earth & friendly, as Blake Belcher. We would recommend Blake for anyone requiring DJ/Entertainment services for their wedding or event. We are  proud to call him a close colleague,  a wonderful friend, and a true strong alliance in business.

Here are the awesome highlights!!

Setting up the Show

Let’s Get Ready to Rock!

Thomas Weller – BY REQUEST Company Photographer & DJ Entertainment Assistant!

DJ Blake on the “Air Guitar”

Rockin’ Out the Tunes!

Kat Augustine & DJ Blake

The always fun end-of-the-night pose!

In all of our time of being community/lifestyle photographers in the Niagara area, and out of all of the special events and weddings that we have completed over the last few years, we had yet to find an alignment as solid as we have found with BY REQUEST.

Over the last few months, we have been working very closely with our good friend Blake Belcher at BY REQUEST: Entertainment Specialists.  Blake is one awesome dude, with an extremely awesome concept. He is taking his DJ services to a whole new level, which sets him apart from the rest of the pack.  We at Weller Photography have met many many DJs at the countless weddings and events we have photographed – but none of them could ever match up to what BY REQUEST brings to the table!

We are quite honoured to be the Official Photographers for BY REQUEST - and we are very much looking forward to all of the really fun things that we have planned in the very near-future!!

Here’s a little bit about the buzz!:

BY REQUEST offers “Freestyle Entertainment” to shows and events.  It is an Entertainment & DJ show with various possibilities based on music requests that the audience asks for. Blake will feel the music and the energy from the room, and keep pushing its limits with sight and sound!  He will create appearances from music icons and fashion styles of what genre of music is airing.

Those that request for or come out to a BY REQUEST show, will have a night to remember. You never know what Blake will do or who he will be next!

Be sure to stay tuned for more updates on the BY REQUEST homepage, as the site will be undergoing many changes in the next short while.  Please also check out the BY REQUEST Facebook page for updates!

There is ALSO a REALLY FUN EVENT already planned for April 21st, 2012!  This is where Blake will be unleashing his awesome show on the world!   Check out the BY REQUEST FREESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT DANCE PARTY Facebook event page here !  We look forward to seeing you there!!

Here are some of the ultra-exciting highlights from a few of the shows that we have worked with BY REQUEST !  Fun Fun!!

Stay tuned for many many more fun updates from BY REQUEST!

Our friend and client Jake Maiuri has formed a band – and hired us at the end of August to do up a fun promotional photo shoot of him and his band (along with their lovely groupies)!  The shoot was to be called “Love Struck Photo Shoot” – based around young love and the love of music.

We met with everyone at the scenic Oakes Gardens in Niagara Falls – where we all had a blast through the afternoon.

Jake needed to put together some promotional material for some upcoming releases – and is now very excited about the photos from our shoot!  We look forward to seeing more of & from Jake Maiuri & his Band in the near-future!

Here are a few of our selected epic highlights:

We met with our musician client and good friend Paul Federici in August for a promotional photo shoot. Paul had requested the shoot for press release photos as well as photos for the promotion of his music.

The shoot took place at the truly awesome Catherine North Studios, which is a beautiful and unique recording studio in an old church space, tucked away in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. We wish to thank  Michel Chambers for providing us with a fantastic experience at Catherine North!

Huge thanks and Special Shout Out goes out to Paul, who has created his website using many of the awesome photos from our shoot… Such a fun shoot it was!  We look forward to working with Paul again in the near-future.

Here are some of our very favourite highlights:

We met with our very good friend Rita Carrey this past week for a promotional photo shoot – highlighting Rita’s love for music, and to capture some fine promotional shots for her band “The Rita Carrey Band“.  Rita is also the sister of famed Actor/Comedian Jim Carrey (who by the way has a really friggin’ cool & original website-go ahead & click his name-check it out!!), and as well, Rita is the afternoon co-host along with Paul Wainwright on Giant FM.

Rita met us with her very beautiful Mustang , that we hopped into, for an awesome ride along the Niagara Parkway for some really amazing photos!

Check out some of the highlights featured below, as selected to showcase by us as well as Rita – thanks again to Rita for the always  awesome & fun photo shoots!   Click Here to see more of our fun shoots with Rita along with Popper the Penguin!

 

If you haven’t had the chance as of yet to check out the Niagara-based band “CRUTCH” – you must do so!  They have a strong industry sound, with a beautiful blend of original feel to their music – even when playing covers, many feel compelled to still watch and listen to these guys – they are absolutely fantastic!

And not to mention, they also won the 2011 Niagara Music & Arts Expo Battle of the Bands, and were nominated for Best Rock Group of the Year at the Niagara Music Awards!!

I’ve had the opportunity to work with and get to know the guys from the band – and they are awesome to chat with, as well and equally awesome to hear. The guys put on a CD Release Part at Rockford’s House of Rock in St. Catharines on June 18, 2011 – and also invited along NMA Female Vocalist of the Year Nominee Danica Bucci, The Roper Show, and Citizen – who all put on amazing performances throughout the evening! (unfortunately we could not attend the Citizen show – will catch you next time guys!)

Here are the highlights from the CRUTCH CD RELEASE PARTY – and thanks to everyone for a really fun & awesome event!

DANICA BUCCI

 

THE ROPER SHOW

CRUTCH

 

 

Our friends & clients Kathy & Hans from The Kathy G Project – a blues band from the Niagara area – had hired our musically-driven artistic eyes this spring – to capture some really awesome images for the promotion & cover of their upcoming CD!

And so we all met up one day – had a great amount of fun – and ended it off with a small jam session!

Here are the highlights from the shoot – and be sure to Check out the awesome music from the Kathy G Project at:

http://www.reverbnation.com/thekathygproject

http://www.reverbnation.com/thekathygproject

 

On April 1, 2011 – the 2011 Niagara Music Expo wrapped up it’s Battle of the Bands – with a Grand Finale night that hosted the Junior Bands and the Senior Bands!   We had already been previously involved with the Expo – as I had hosted a couple of the Battle of the Bands shows as well as was a Celebrity Judge on the Battle Judging Panel.  Kat Augustine h.ad already photographed another Battle show as well.  We had been asked to return to do the same for the last and final show – with myself on the judging panel – Jim Agar (from his mother as well as MOCtalk) – and Rita Carrey (from GiantFM – and sister of actor/comedian Jim Carrey) who was the host of the final show.

For the Juniors – it was “The Dogs” up against “Civil Hades”  – and for the Seniors – it was between “Live Bait”, “The Roper Show”, “Crutch”, and “Rich & the Poor Boys”.

All the bands did an amazing job – and the Winners were:

Juniors -  THE DOGS

Seniors – CRUTCH (with fine performance add-ins of the megaphone & the lead guitarist setting his hand on fire! – See photos below)

Thanks to Rick Rose, all of the bands, and everyone involved with and who attended this year’s awesome 2011 Niagara Music & Arts Expo!  Let’s make another successful year in 2012!  All the very best to all of the bands that participated and to the ones who won!

Here are the highlights (as taken by Kat Augustine) from the Final Battle of the Bands Extravaganza on April 1st! Highlights will include photos from “The Dogs”, “Civil Hades”, “The Roper Show”, & “Crutch” – and of course some funny ones of the Judges!

THE DOGS

CIVIL HADES

(posted under the request of Jim Agar – who is from his Mother, and from MOCtalk – who specifically wanted to see this photo online) Love ya Jim D

THE ROPER SHOW

Rita Carrey Fournier

CRUTCH

HE SET HIS HAND ON FIRE!!  FANTASTIC!

The photos within are currently under Copyright and owned by Weller Photography. Re-publishing, printing, removing of watermarks, or re-editing the photos in any fashion, is prohibited unless under special request or instruction from the photo owners.

( all photos on this blog entry are Courtesy of GOWAN )

to B…

On March 11, 2011, we were invited by Lawrence Gowan to photograph the Dress Rehearsal for his Return of the Strange Animal concert, at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Avalon Ballroom.  

After hanging out backstage with the band, we were invited on-stage prior to the Dress Rehearsal for some one-on-one photos of Terry Gowan and his Bass Guitar, Danny J. Ricardo and his Rad Red Hair & Guitar, as well as Todd Sucherman and his Drums & Sticks.

 

Todd Sucherman – drummer for STYX & Return of the Strange Animal

 

Terry Gowan

Danny J. Ricardo

…and then Gowan & his Band (Peter Nunn, Danny J. Ricardo, Taylor Mills, Terry Gowan, & Todd Sucherman) performed their entire show for us in fine Dress Rehearsal Fashion…and with that,  we wish to sincerely thank Lawrence Gowan, his band, the crew, and all Fallsview Avalon Ballroom staff and personnel who were able to provide us with this wonderful opportunity to capture all of these fantastic & memorable moments.  It was great fun to work with all of you for a second year, and we wish all of you the very best of success in 2011!

Here are 100 of Weller Photography’s favourites from the afternoon with The Return of the Strange Animal…

OMINOUS SPIRITUS

Peter Nunn

The Artists Unite!…

Peter Nunn

Taylor Mills

Be sure to check out GOWAN [the Return of the STRANGE ANIMAL]

2010

 

1985

+

Thank you for checking us out!!…If you LOVED the photos here , and wish to share it on Facebook,
Please Click on LIKE below:

Niagara-based pop-punk band I GOT THE GIRL opened up for These Kids Wear Crowns & Fefe Dobson at Barracuda Pretty in St. Catharines on March 23.

We’ve worked with I Got the Girl a few times already – and always have a blast with them each time.  Feel free to check out other IGTG shows we have photographed with these links:

Opened for The Roxwells – Barracuda Pretty

Opened for Marianas Trench – CAW Hall

2011 Niagara Music & Arts Expo – Junior Battle of the Bands

Here are the highlights from their show on March 23rd at Barracuda Pretty:

Have you been to the 2011 Niagara Music Expo??  6 Weeks of Music at 4555 Queen Street in Niagara Falls!!

Check out more information at the Expo Website!

Our good friend Rick Rose had asked me to be one of the judges as well as the host of the Junior Battle of the Bands show on February 19th!

I had a real blast hosting the afternoon Battle of the Bands, which was a fine battle indeed between:

Tainted, The Voodoo Highway, The Woes, I Got the Girl, and Check Lester

The judges, based on Expo Official Criteria, picked out I GOT THE GIRL and TAINTED to be the winners of this semi-final show. The final show is set to be on April 1st.

Kat Augustine, on behalf of Weller Photography was the photographer of the Feb 19th show – and here are her exciting highlights!  Great job Kat!!