December 4th 2012 was the House of Blues 20th Anniversary party extravaganza at the Sunset Strip venue featuring that little old blues band from Texas, ZZ Top. A star studded frenzy of an evening to say the least. Movie, TV, and Rock Stars alike showed up to drink, party, and feast on the menu of Celebrity Chef Aaron Sanchez. The venue opened early for VIPS to start the party which went on from 5:30 pm until 2 am.

I was honored at been having asked to shoot the event, House of Blues and Live Nation have now been one of my top clients for almost 14 years. I have been to every House of Blues at least twice, and am now fortunate to be shooting many of the Live Nation venues as well that are located across the country.

The band was very cool and easy to hang with despite all the calamity. Instead of writing a long blog, I thought I would just share a few more of the photos and let them explain!

House of Blues Restaurant, Dallas, Texas

I am Happy to be on tour again this summer shooting for the House of Blues. Starting at the Anaheim venue for 2 days with my Art Director/Assistant friend Ron Leland, we are now ready to tackle the Boston and Houston Venues and we will finish up in Las Vegas in June.

Architectural Photography At Night – What does that mean exactly? That is what I do the most as far as my photography is concerned. Take the House of Blues for example, I started shooting for them in 1999 when I was hired by Architect Sy Teller to create a magazine article on the Las Vegas Venue he had just finished. To retain the incredible lighting detail and dark cave like quality of the House of Blues brand, we decided everything should be shot at night or shot by blocking any window light to control the unique saturation that makes the House of Blues so special. A great place to see a show or have a spicy cajon style meal while enjoying the famous Blues Bar that is part of every House of Blues.

House of Blues Swamp Cookie, Anaheim, California

Of course part of the dark detail vibe means long exposures for the camera, a great tripod is must. In the time of film many exposures were in the 2 minute range. Now with 21 mega-pixel digital quality image capture, the time has been reduced, but long exposures are still what allows the intense saturation and detail which is what my brand of photography is all about.

Now 10 years and 10 cities later, we are again on the road for the ultimate images of the House of Blues that inspire, entertain, and show the promise of the House of Blues southern style hospitality vibe !~ Paul Jonason