Oh my God I suck.

But before I get into that further, let’s discuss a trait
that the members of Alice In Chains all share.

Loyalty.

These guys are loyal to the people that work with and for
them.

In this business, crew member turnover is about as common as
a drunk person screaming “Rooster!” at an Alice In Chains show.

Yet somehow the guys have managed to retain and bring back a
core group of techs and engineers over the years.

It makes life a lot easier on the band to have people that
are not only top notch at their professions, but also great people to hang out
with and work with.

And along those lines, the band has been incredibly loyal to
me.

Sometimes to their detriment.

We were on the bus after the show in Salt Lake and I made
the mistake of getting my computer out and loading the pictures that I took during
the show.

This actually isn’t that uncommon, but I usually do a
better job of hiding it, because I don’t like the band members seeing what I
shoot before I have a chance to go through and delete the really crappy stuff.

There was an absolutely staggering amount of blurry photos,
even by my standards, and my standards are incredibly low.

I have a multitude of jobs out here and photography is just
one of the things I do.

But it’s the thing I absolutely do the worst.

It’s been a long time since I’ve written about my
photography here, so here’s a brief recap.

When things got up and rolling again 10 years ago, someone
suggested I take pictures because I had access to the band that no one else
had.

So I packed my crappy personal camera and took a bunch of
substandard pictures across Europe in the summer of 2006.

Then the band bought a nicer camera for me, and the pictures
got slightly better.

Then I plateaued.

Then we got a secondary camera to supplement the main Kodak
and make it easier to get dressing room shots.

And not much changed.

Then we got an even nicer camera two years ago, I actually
took a few courses, and somehow things got worse.

Worse!

And so far this summer things have been an absolute
abomination.

I am not, and never claimed to be a photographer.

And it bothers me that I’ve actually regressed.

But sometimes the results are so bad that I just have to
laugh.

And so do the members of the band.

So last night on the drive from Salt Lake to Denver, we had
an impromptu celebration, and dubbed it my 10 Year Suckiversary.

Jokes were flying, stories were told, pictures were looked
at.

Sean even mentioned that the Hoover Vacuum company has an
enormous 30 foot poster of me in their corporate headquarters.

(Get it? I suck)

We turned my shame and embarrassment into entertainment,
which is about the best I can hope for at this point.

But this is where the blind loyalty comes in.

They continue to let/make me do it.

Other professional photographers come and go and get some
great shots, but I’m here on a daily basis compiling an overwhelmingly gigantic
catalog of abysmal images.

Fortunately Mike’s tech is jumping on board this summer and
saving this sinking ship with some cool shots.

And occasionally the stars align and I get lucky.

But usually I just suck.

So if you wish there were more cool images of Alice In
Chains floating around the internet, blame them, not me.

I’ve given them thousands of reasons to strip me of my photo
pass over the years, and their blind loyalty won’t allow them to do it.

Happy Suckiversary!!