All the photographers BYT ever had and loved were at this thing.
Which was also packed to the gills and filled with dancing like I’ve never seen dancing at RNR in months.
In fact, there are so many photos that this should probably be a feature but I am kinda into having that Jesus photo up on top today so, we’ll just open the floodgates with it.
A masterclass of different approaches to nightlife photos, if you will.
Photos by:
Joel Didriksen
Fitsum Belay
Dakota Fine
and
Josh Sisk
and now with polaroids by Lexie
First up: Joel’s rather monstrously large (but lovely) set of portraits




followed by Dakota’s brightly colored candy of a set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dakotafine/sets/72157604226418533/
turning around to Fitsum (who is back and back in action, and sporting a white trenchcoat which really there should be more photos of):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sexyfitsum/sets/72157604222344049/
and on that note, a final few gems by Josh:


and with a Lexie Moreland add on::::
Wait but I wasn’t there…
March 24, 2008 at 8:30 amYou can tell that Springtime is here cuz of all the dope t-shirts.
March 24, 2008 at 9:03 amI didn’t realize how popular my sunglasses were until like 50 people wanted photos of me. I was the guy in the red and white shirt with the intense red sunglasses–I lost them at the RNR!
March 24, 2008 at 9:07 ami will say that for my part at least, i try to shoot as many different people as possible… i feel like i hear this complaint over and again from people, but from the photographers perspective, there is a fine line between getting shots of everyone and bein annoying. inevitably, there are those people on the dance floor who don’t want their picture taken, and let you know as much.
if you’d like to have your picture taken, and feel as though you’ve been overlooked by a BYT photographer, next time, walk up and strike a pose. seriously, it’s just that simple.
March 24, 2008 at 9:12 amHow do I get copies of photos? I love them!??
March 24, 2008 at 9:17 amCome back Bao! Another Noveau Riche has passed without you, which leaves me saddened.
March 24, 2008 at 9:24 am*Nouveau
March 24, 2008 at 9:25 amAssholedancing up in hurr.
With or without the dramadust.
March 24, 2008 at 9:37 amquick tip for getting your picture taken at a party:
if you are acting a fool; you will get photographed.
if you are DJing or performing; you will get photographed.
if you are a promoter or otherwise known to the photographer or the person throwing the party; you will get photographed.
if you are wearing something remarkable; you will get photographed.
if you are dancing like a maniac; you will get photographed.
if you are just chilling at the bar or in a corner; you might not!
as far as my shots go, there are another 200 or so that will be going up on the nouveau riche site today or tomorrow, these were just some of my favorites
March 24, 2008 at 10:36 amMore humid than a sauna, this was. I almost got my picture taken, but I looked up right before he took it. :P
Also, my experience: always best to get somewhere between 10:15 and 10:45. Earlier and you will be by yourself (me before the MEN DJ set). Later and you will wait forever for those essential-to-booty-shaking first couple of drinks (me at this).
Regardless, I will be at anything with that Baltimore Club 1-2-123 beat (where the “123″ is a triplet over beats 3 and 4). That beat does something for my soul.
March 24, 2008 at 11:10 amoh and i forgot the most elementary one, which dakota also mentioned… if you wave or smile at a photographer and are like “take my picture”, you get your picture taken. at some parties so many people do this i barely even have time to take photos of random people… those are the breaks, but thats the way it is.
March 24, 2008 at 11:12 amsame goes for exposing your teets. I they’re out, it’s on.
March 24, 2008 at 11:33 amBacklash? What backlash? I don’t think the photographers should have to explain why they the take the photos they take.
And let it be known, DC is a small place. Of course you’re gonna start seeing some of the same people in photos. DUH.
Contrary to popular belief: Not everyone in the party even wants to be photographed. Some people are there simply to get their freak on and the last thing they want is to have that freakin’ show up on the internet the next day. So, the photographers (generally) try to respect that and shoot people that they know are cool with being photographed.
I hate being in the situation where someone is like, “Who are you? Why did you take my photo? What are you going to do with it? Are you a f*cking pervert?”
So, if you want to be photographed do what Josh and Dakota said above.
My 2 cents on how to get photographed:
1) Ask, “Hey. For whom are you shooting?”
2) Look hot (girls)
3) Look cool (dude)
4) Dress fashionably and/or slutty
5) Expose rarely seen body parts.
6) Hang around the photographers (we’re lazy)
you guys paid “funny” way too much mind. the party looked like it was fun. if i was there it would have been even more fun. that’s right.
nice pics, shooters.
March 24, 2008 at 2:07 pmpictures smictures, this party was dope X’s 7 billion. dude with red glasses looked cooler in my crooks and castles hat than i did. frown face. ed dudes kills….we traveled all the way from norfolk and i won a PBR prize pack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 24, 2008 at 3:10 pmwe’ll be doing this again in a few months, with these italian dudes we like, if I have any luck…
and my stated goal for nouveau riche in 2008:
nouveau riche presents mark morrison LIVE, performing ‘return of the mack’.
no promises, but know that i spend my days more or less figuring out how to get mark morrison to nouveau riche.
March 24, 2008 at 7:45 pmNouveau Riche Presents: 2 Live Crew
March 24, 2008 at 10:48 pmHey I was wondering how I can save some photos onto my computer? Or if someone could send me copies of these photos. It was such a good night and I want to share them with the world. Of course, credits will be established.
love,
annA
March 25, 2008 at 12:38 amOh ps. Particularly the ones from Dakota F’s set. He is the only one who was fond of my friends and me apparently.
March 25, 2008 at 12:41 amright click and save
March 25, 2008 at 11:00 amIs it so much to ask that if you request that a photographer stop taking your picture repeatedly that they do so? If I am performing/playing it is one thing to take my picture but when I am talking with my friends (etc.) I would prefer it if photographers would not suddenly set a flash off in my face AL NIGHT.
I know I verbally argued with that Fitsum guy and he was less than cool about my request and subsequently posted negative shit about me on his flickr blog. That’s cool… just don’t expect to ever work at Baltimore parties, I run that shit.
March 25, 2008 at 12:14 pmwow rabbit, you seem like a whole lotta fun. I love how society is so imbued with celebrity culture that tons of people think that they, too, can annoyingly complain in the same diva-ish tone about the same things celebrities gripe about. This is a site for people to check out their friends having a good time, not to stalk some nobody-performer.
March 25, 2008 at 4:00 pmEmily who? Runs Baltimore? Wow. I’ve never heard of you. Quick question though - your “blog” says that you will “play” with Blaqstarr and NR. What, exactly, is it that you play? Just curious.
March 25, 2008 at 4:56 pmThat is fair. Stating I “run shit” is pretentious but I was upset about this photographer’s behavior. I have received several emails/myspace responses from other women that have had similar experiences with the above mentioned individual, so I feel justified in that portion of my comment.
I’ll rephrase… he will not be admitted to any event that I am responsible for in the future without some sort of apology or behavior modification (one such event was my Crystal Castles show that was just reviewed in this very blog). Continue “checking out your friends”.
March 25, 2008 at 7:32 pmplease keep this thread of “blowhardedness” going b/c it is hilarious. thank god us dudes down here only rock fuji film disposables to hip ass dance parties.
March 25, 2008 at 11:29 pmRight click and save actually doesn’t work for me. It will just show up as a blank picture seriously?…. anyways i’m not even going to get into what has culminated since i last commented. i just want to have these pictures on my comp yo!
-annA
March 26, 2008 at 12:37 amDakota has his flickr preferences set so you can only save his photos if you’re his “contact” on flickr. He’s a nice guy. You can probably just hit him up to ask.
March 26, 2008 at 10:58 amWe had an awesome time on Saturday. Thank you everybody!
-Andrew
March 26, 2008 at 4:29 pmI can’t wrap my head around this Fitsum=Creepy thing and I’ve seen him in action many, many, many times. Every time I’ve seen him photograph anyone they’ve mugged for the camera - in all the photos in this stream it appears they’re mugging for the camera (granted I don’t have access to his memorycard which could have many pictures of people with their hands over their faces or flicking him the bird). I mean look at them - people are posing for Fitsum and his camera.
Photographer A goes into a crowd, snaps picture. Cool.
Photographer B goes into a crowd, snaps picture. Cool.
Photographer C goes into a crowd, snaps picture. Creepy.
Does not compute. Is it because people don’t like him? Does he hold the camera at a weird angle? Does he dress strangely? Is it because he’s from Africa?
Seriously, someone just come the fuck out and say it because I just don’t get it. Don’t be scared.
March 26, 2008 at 4:35 pm1) Rabbit does run Baltimore.
2) The scene in DC is what Baltimore was 3 years ago. Seriously. Which is why no one from Baltimore wants to come down for these parties. You guys really aren’t doing anything new here.
3) Fitsum, show a little more discretion. If you do so, people will be more comfortable with you photographing them. Also, show some discretion in editing, too. Every photog will sometimes get unflattering photos of people. Delete them. It’s the nice thing to do.
March 26, 2008 at 4:38 pmI’ve seen fitsum:
- Stick his camera in the girls bathroom and fire off photos (on flickr somewhere)
- Photograph his penis pissing (on flickr somewhere)
- Not ask to take photos. Just throw the camera around girls private parts.
There is a subtlety about photographing people you don’t know. It’s best to make eye contact and express your intent to take a photo and read their reaction, or even just ask, “Hey, you look awesome. Do you mind if I take your picture?”
(By the way, I’ve said this to Fitsum myself. I’m not just calling him out on the internets behind his back.)
March 26, 2008 at 4:45 pm(OK. Last post….seriously)
Regarding:
Photographer A goes into a crowd, snaps picture. Cool.
Photographer B goes into a crowd, snaps picture. Cool.
Photographer C goes into a crowd, snaps picture. Creepy.
I’m speaking from my point of view. Many people that know me and my work KNOW that I will:
- Let them see any photo I take of them.
- Delete any photo from my memory card immidiately upon request….for ANY reason however large or small (”I have a zit.”)
- Email them any photo of them they they want.
I will NOT:
- Stand there and shoot a ca-jillion photos of them (no matter how hot they are)
- Shoot if they give me “no photos” look.
- Shoot vulgar photos.
- Publish (mags, newspapers, blogs, even flickr) ANY photo that makes them look bad or unflattering.
For those reasons, many people don’t mind when I photograph them.
Failure to do any one of the things listed above will easily get a photographer on the “not cool” list.
March 26, 2008 at 4:52 pmI’ve been hanging out in Baltimore for a decade now and I’ve still never heard of Rabbit.
As far as your photo comments, fair criticism I suppose, but only if fitsum refuses to let people see photos taken of them, or doesn’t delete them if asked. I don’t know if either of these is true. Do you?
Vulgar photos? Meaning what? If someone whips their tits out for a picture then that’s a valid photograph. Let’s drop this puritanical bullshit - wait, we could have dropped it a century or so ago. We’re late.
There’s a photo out there of me grabbing my cockandballs (in pants) (the infamous “wad” picture). Is it vulgar? It was posted here. It wasn’t taken by fitsum either.
March 26, 2008 at 6:07 pmcarelton took a picture of me and my friends..at diplo/switch/nada…..in baltimore. he is super….and we’re from norfolk, which is like dc dressed in a baltimore costume, doing a charles nelson riley impression. just keep this thread rolling. it’s wasting all of our time. whoever is running baltimore (rabbit?): clean the streets up!
March 26, 2008 at 9:24 pmFitsum sent me a nice apology. Let’s drop it. I really need to get to work on education and crime in this city.
March 29, 2008 at 2:42 pmI was just checking out my friends on this, and I thought I should drop my opinions. First of all,
I grew up in Norfolk. Norfolk is about twice as cool as Washington DC, and 1/5 as cool as Baltimore. Norfolk is like Baltimore except instead of MICA, there’s a gigantic Navy base.
Washingon is like the desert except there’s a huge ‘the government’ and a lot of lawyers, economists, actuaries and specialists in international affairs who make love to it on a daily basis. A lot of people who work for non-governmental organizations, a bunch of IT specialists who live in Arlington, some orthodox gay people, about a bajillion irritated poors, the hopelessly globalized, whatever Georgetown means, and you.
Emily Rabbit has a pretty smile.
March 31, 2008 at 8:53 pmStoMir rules. Norfolk welcomes you back with open arms….anytime. Attend a CEREMONY dance night while in town.
April 5, 2008 at 7:23 pm



































































Try taking pictures of different people once in awhile. I’m surprised that with so many photographers there, this was the best they could do …
March 24, 2008 at 8:18 am