Q: Who are YOU?
A: If you haven't seen me at a gig or noticed photos of me on the site, here I am:
Q: I'm usually at the Ocean Drive (or other Secret Service gigs), but I never seem to get on the web site. Why?
A: Two reasons:
1) If I'm not there, there will be no photos from a gig unless some kind soul happens to be there with a camera and can send me photos to post. And since I'm a mommy now (as of November 2003) my visits to gigs are now few and far between - especially Saturdays.
2) If you're not right in front of the band - and, in particular, if you're not doing something really silly (as my friend Rich Meyer always says - with beer, stupid sh*t is fun!! :-), I may not think to go after you for a photo.
If you see me taking photos, I'd be happy to take your picture for the site - just ask! Happy people having a good time at the gigs are always great shots to have on this site.
Brian Light also owns his own Secret Service Web site, and he used to take photos for that Web site as well, so you'll see older pics there. Check out www.ssband.com!
Q: Do you work for the band?
A: Yes and no. I work from home as an editor, and used to work full-time in an office until recently, and this Web site happened because of my hobbies. I actually started doing this as a fun thing since I love to take photos and dabble in Web design, but what happened was I got hired to shoot a few weddings as a result of my band photos. So I guess in helping promote the band, I'm also promoting myself! I am, however, also the Webmistress for the band's official site, so in that sense I do work for them.
Q: I was hoping to see some much older photos (1980s, 1990s) on the site, but I don't see any.
A: I would LOVE to post anything older that I can get my hands on, especially anything from the 80s, since 2003 was the band's 20-year anniversary and 2008 is their 25-year anniversary, so please, if anyone out there has photos older than 1999, scan them at 72 DPI, contact me and I'll give you an address to send them to me. Then they'll be put online! Photo credits will be given.
Q: Are you married to either of the guys?
A: God, no! (Just kidding - the guys know I love
them in spite of the snarky comments I might
make from time to time!)
I usually get this question from people who
aren't already familiar with the band, probably
because I'm wearing a wedding ring and
my husband doesn't come out with me.
I'm married to a quiet guy who's a copyeditor
for Gannett newspapers - and who isn't into
the bar scene. He works nights anyway, so
he's happy I've had something harmless to
do that kept me occupied while he was at
work all these years! In November 2003 we
had a baby, and now I'm pregnant again,
so with our opposite hours, I'm not out quite
as often anymore, but you may see me turn up
occasionally while he's home with our little girl,
Marni. And sometimes when there's a
family-friendly gig, all three of us are there.
Here's a family photo of Tom, Marni and me taken in December 2005.
Q: I don't want any photos of myself on your Web site. How do I prevent that?
A: Tell me - nicely :-) - preferably in person, and preferably before I start shooting for the night. If I've already taken a photo of you that features mostly you, I can delete it on the spot. If you're in the background of a *great* photo I would normally want to post, I can add a voice memo to the photo to remind myself that your image needs to be erased or altered before posting, or maybe I can crop you out of it completely. Sometimes I can do cropping on-the-spot, instead of waiting until I upload everything; that depends which camera I'm using that night.
If you notice you're on this site after the pics are posted, just tell me where to find it/them and I will remove them. Please try not to yell at me; I take pictures are every gig I attend and never know who doesn't want to be photographed unless I'm told THAT NIGHT. Basically, assume I'm around unless the band tells you otherwise... I am considering announcing my old disclaimer again, which goes, "If you are not supposed to be here - tell me now!" :-)
From time to time, I occasionally hear that a person doesn't want to be on the site for any of the following reasons - they're married and out without their spouse (whether or not they're actually WITH the other person in the photo is debatable - sometimes they're just having a dance with the opposite sex and nothing more is going on, but jealous spouses tend to fly off the handle regardless!); they're married and they ARE "with" the other person in the photo ; they're in a custody battle and don't want to be seen out having a good time (heaven forbid a parent should have a LIFE outside of being a parent, right?)... I'm not here to judge, I don't care what your reasons are, but if you ask nicely (and if you seem really freaked that my photos will get you in a heap of trouble!), you will get what you want.
If, however, you choose to simply threaten me, OR threaten to take my camera from me, like one "gentleman" (I'm using that term VERY loosely) chose to do at one infrequent band gig location, you run the risk of my posting the photo large-as-life anyway, just to make a point. You have been warned - it's best not to get in my face. :-)
Now... if you don't want your photo taken because you think you look fat, are having a bad hair day, have a zit, etc. - and I have heard a few "Don't take my picture" requests from a very sexy, youthful woman who also happens to be a grandmother but dances her a$$ off every week and has a great time (that's the best promotion for this band ever!), you know who you are! - rest assured there are far scarier-looking people on the Web than you. :-) (I've seen them! Trust me, you are a good-looking, nice bunch of fans...) The point of these photos is not glamour, it's people having a BLAST at Secret Service gigs. :-D I can touch up your face if you have a zit that week, just tell me so (sometimes I do it on my own because I already know you and I'll say, "Ooooh, he/she wouldn't like this photo"). As for the "I look fat" aspect - being overweight myself, I'm very sensitive to this issue. Ever see me holding the camera waaaaaaaay above my own head, angled down at you - and I may tell you to change your pose, too? It's because almost everyone looks better at that angle; plus it helps me to avoid the inevitable back-of-head moments when I have to shoot over the crowd! I realized this when I discovered I look great in almost every photo Brian Light has taken of me. Why, because he's more experienced, plus he's a good foot or so taller than me! :-)
Q: Can I take YOUR picture?
A: The short answer is NO. The more complicated, convoluted answer is, if I know you (um, and like you, that goes without saying...!), then yes, of course, take my picture! If I have no idea who you are and I see you take my picture, expect me to ask why. That may sound ridiculous since I'm the one shooting everyone else most of the time - but I'm helping to promote the band's gigs....
Q: Can I get copies of your photos?
A: You can absolutely get copies of anything from November 2001 and after - since I've gone digital, I upload the unretouched originals to The Kodak Easy Share Gallery, where you can open a free account and choose which photos to order. (It winds up costing close to what reprints cost at a one-hour shop when you figure in shipping charges - and now you can have photos shipped to your local CVS Pharmacy for less.) I've had to upload most gig photos directly to the Kodak site or Slide.com lately, without setting up a regular Web page for gigs (no time!!).
Anything older than November 2001, however, is tricky. I was using film exclusively up to then, and when I tell you that my home is a war zone of negatives, I'm not making it up. I don't promise reprints of any of my film photos for that reason. It's impossible to keep track of them all!
Q: Can you ask Dom & Craig to play [insert name of song here] ?
A: Sure, but they're just as likely to play it if you ask them personally. As much as I'd like to believe that I do, the truth is I have no special powers over them whatsoever! :-D
Q: Why do Dom & Craig have such a strong following?
A: I've been asking myself that same question for years! :-)
No, seriously... Let me tell you a little story which, to me, illustrates how good an impression this band makes and why they've maintained a big fan base all these years.
I didn't start seeing the band regularly until 1999. However, I have a distinct memory of seeing them once (yes, ONCE!) at Juggs & Muggs in Berlin, NJ, probably somewhere around 1992. Granted, it's not often you see a band that has just two guys in it, so I'm sure that had something to do with me remembering them, but I really liked what I heard. (I was there simply by chance with my best friend Marie and her friends, since they lived nearby, so I guess I have her to thank for all the fun nights I've had at their gigs!)
Years later, when I got engaged in 1997, I saw their ad in a bridal magazine and remembered them - the name of the band, how good they were. That's saying a lot, since my memory is not one of my strong points!
I kept seeing ads for them appearing at a Friday happy hour, but stress at my job and with trying to pull together a small wedding on a tight budget kept me from going to check out the happy hour until after the wedding was over. (Which is a shame because I worked in Philadelphia, SO close to that place, until 1998!!)
The really funny thing about that first gig I was at is that I actually sang a line of a song with them that night - just a verse maybe, as Dom was doing his typical wandering around the room with the cordless mic. (Some things never change!)
That's it for now - I'll post more questions and answers as they occur to me!
