Kyle Cassidy's Roller Derby Portraits

This is Jenetic Defect from the Chippewa Valley Rollergirls.

Yesterday was … yet another … blur. We started at 8 a.m. or so and shot portraits until after the sun went down. I was a bit worried about how I’d be able to manage without a photo assistant (Jenn stayed in Minneapolis) but there was lots of help — Lorraine took care of everything you could want in an organizational fashion, from planning meals to wrangling people to getting a schedule together and Jenetic Defect spent much of the day holding lights. I was also lucky that famous derby author Joan of Dark and her husband Dill showed up. Dill is very funny and very capable and helped out a lot. The whole thing was a lot of fun.

Moxie wrote out post cards for the kickstarter people and did interviews with derby girls. After the shoot the kitchen was still filled with rollergirls talking strategy and the minutia of rules (I now know what Trapping the Goat is and why someone would want to do it) which was fascinating.

It was great to have some down time after having to be on all day.

Today Lorraine went to practice at 7:45 in the morning. I stayed here petting the cats and working on yesterday’s photos which have been sorted and collected. Joan of Dark is downstairs cooking breakfast, I’m about to head down there and we’ll start the whole thing all over again except there’s a bout today which I’m going to try photographing with flashes — something I’ve never done before and I’m glad for the opportunity to practice and to also see some old friends like David Dyer-Bennet whose coming up from Minneapolis as are Emma Bull and Will Shetterly so it’s going to be a great evening.

Be well everyone.

Day … three I think, of the Minnesota / Wisconsin roller derby portraits tour. It was a long day yesterday of carrying around a lot of equipment. I met up with the Fabulous Lorraine and Moxie McCmurder and Jenetic Defect (from the Chippewa Valley Rollergirls). Although I was really tired I was achier and the temptation of Lorraine’s hot tub won out over sleep. Eventually we stayed up until three in the morning watching the A&E show “Rollergirls”. I crawled into bed, fell asleep instantly and woke up well before our 8:30 a.m. call feeling oddly refreshed. We got right to work.

Today’s been photographing the CVRG. It’s been like a carnival with all these wonderful people. We’ve been doing great photos, Moxie’s been interviewing people, I see her with her camera out and her notebook scribbling…. We’re photographing until, I think, 10:00 tonight and then getting up and starting the whole thing over again.

Here’s a photo from about an hour ago of Raven and Sophia.

It’s been a long day in Minneapolis. I spent a wonderful evening with Emma Bull and Will Shetterly, talking about writing and creativity and how their friends all seemed to get published at about the same time and thinking how they’d carried one another up with them. It made me think about creative circles and how grateful I am for mine, to have people to share this with.

This morning my assistant Jenn and I headed out to a place called the Ruins to meet up with some women from the Minnesota Rollergirls and did portraits there. Then another setup a few hours later on a footbridge. I’m feeling like I climbed a mountain, carrying all this gear around. We’ve got one more shoot tonight at 6:00 and then I’m meeting up with Moxie and Lorraine and one of my favorite rollergirls, Jenetic Defect from CVRG and we’re heading out to Wisconsin where Lorraine has a very busy but extremely well planned two day schedule for us that includes … BEES I am happy to say.

I’m going to write out postcards now to the people who supported us on Kickstarter. Have a great day.

Here’s an iPhone shot Jenn took of me and Lexi Lacy from MNRG this afternoon.

Long day in … I was going to say Minneapolis, but it started in Philadelphia and ever since I landed I’ve been working. We did lots of photos today — here’s one of the outtakes — Teratoma from the North Star Rollergirls. Moxie’s in … I think it’s Wisconsin, but she’s meeting me here tomorrow and I’m photographing the Minnesota Rollergirls while Moxie interviews people and does whatever it is that the editors of magazines do when they meet people. 

I’m now safely ensconsed in the minnesota home of novelists Emma Bull and Will Shetterly and it feels like home, warm and welcoming but it’s so late and it’s about all I can do to make my fingers type the next two lines. The people have been wonderful, the photos have come out nicely, and it’s nowhere near over. 

Thanks everybody who helped make this happen.

Moxie McCmurder, the editor of Lead Jammer magazine is in Minnesota (seen here with the Fabulous Lorraine) - thanks to a glorious kickstarter effort. I’m in a taxi on my way to the airport - thanks to the same kickstarter - I’m continually impressed that I can wiggle my fingers in Philadelphia and half a world away, things happen. It’s the best sort of magic.

As soon as my plane lands I’m off to photograph the North Star Rollergirls, that goes from 2 until 6, then I’m crashing with friends / novelists Emma Bull and Will Shetterly then I get up tomorrow and do the whole thing again with the Minnesota Rollergirls.

This is a good life.

Be well everybody, my cab is at the airport.

Packing for the Minneapolis trip, this is probably about 40% more stuff than I usually haul out with me because of the backdrop and tall light stands. All of this plus my clothes needs to fit in three bags. 

I’ve got portraits set up for Wednesday and Thursday and an assistant on the ground. Somewhat giddy that I’ll be staying with Emma Bull & Will Shetterly who just moved back to the Twin Cities. Hoping to be able to see some other friends while I’m out there but these things have a way of getting quickly out of control and I always find myself scrambling for time to finish what i’ve planned, let alone fill other spaces. 

I’ve started this tumblr for people who want to follow along on the Roller Derby Portraits project. No cat photos. I mostly promise.