In case you missed the previous post, I went through all my photos from the last two years with the Dixie Chicks, ranked my 75 favorite (approved) pics, and added brief commentary. I've already posted # 51 - 75.  Here below is #26 - 50. 

For the Top 25, you'll just have to wait until Kwanzaa when I return from a much-needed vacation!   Happy Holidays, everyone!

#26: Martie and Katie rode the Dumbo ride together at Disneyland.  They both waved to me as their elephant flew by.  However, Katie was too short to be seen from this angle.  Thus, this photo makes it appear as if Martie really likes going on kids' rollercoasters by herself... which is why I love this photo so. 

#27: Natalie was very generous to approve this ridiculous pic of her bowling like a granny.  Of course, she had to make doubly sure that her butt did not look big before approving said photo. 

#28: The view from front row in Madison Square Garden.  One of my favorite nights of the tour.

#29: Here is elegant Juliana walking on the sandy beaches of Australia.  Amazingly, the photo was taken without having to ask anybody to get out the way.

#30: Here is another in the series of Emily making ridonculous faces for the camera.  I've never loved being told to "talk to the hand" more.

 

#31: Has any other photographer taken a picture of Natalie Maines kissing George W. Bush?  No.

 

#32: Every now and then, when I would bring Fred (the drummer) beers on stage, I would sneak a photo while the band was performing.  I like how dramatic this shot of Sebastian, John, and J'anna appears.

#33: Martie teaches Eva how to wink.

#34: This navy officer was so enthused to take a picture with Natalie.  And vice versa.  Unfortunately, the officer was later discharged for treason.  ;)



#35: As I snapped a photo of Richard and Emily eating at the Shut Up and Sing world premiere party, Cory happened to walk into my shot, behind a black screen, and stopped to pose for a fraction of a second.  Emily and Richard had no idea she was there.

#36: All I have to say is that it would be very distracting for me, as a performer, to focus with these two standing in the front row.  Much respect to the Chicks for making it through the set list.

 

#37: Here is the trio making their way to the stage.  Their strut down the hallway was so perfectly synchronized that I felt like there should have been some dramatic theme music playing.

 

#38: This is Cindi Berger, the Chicks' splendiferous publicist, in the green room at the Howard Stern show.  As you might imagine, she was a nervous wreck listening to the interview.  I might have converted the photo into black and white because she broke out in hives.

 

#39: Beckett, the goat whisperer.

#40: The Chicks seemed to have different personalities when posing for Polaroids.  Here is one of the more family-friendly photos.

#41: I took this panoramic shot while the Chicks were practicing for the Grammy Awards.  I don't have many shots where the girls are facing the band -- especially not with the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums.

#42: I think this is a cool photo of someone else taking a photo.  Also, it doesn't hurt that Hayden Panetierre is in it.

#43: A return to the scene of the crime!  This is Shepherd's Bush, the site of the famous "Incident."  I felt bad for the homeless man, who was eventually ushered away to make ways for long lines of fans.

#44: This is what it would like if Martie gave a violin recital to a solar eclipse.

#45: When I am senile and suffering from memory loss, I will probably still remember that Emily gets the blue straw, Nat gets green, and Martie gets pink.  By the way, the Chicks stopped drinking from water bottles for environmental reasons, so you probably won't see these Fiji bottles anymore.  From now on, the straws go in mugs.  I like this photo because you can clearly see the straw colors ... and a mysterious bottle of urine nearby.  (Not mine!)

 

#46: J'Anna Jacoby was one of my favorite people to hang out with on tour.  She normally plays strings, but I dig this photo of her playing accordion.

#47: Damn, we are feeling that song!

#48: Emily looks stunning, no? 

#49: Here's what I remember: Emily found a mysterious bottle of lube on her way to the stage and grabbed it.  When she saw that I was about to take a photo of her and Dave Grissom, she asked Dave to hold it.  By the time I took the picture, Dave Grissom was unknowingly posing with a bottle of lube in his hands.  Emily is brilliant like that.

#50: On their way to the Shut Up and Sing premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Natalie decided to orchestrate this scene of her being excluded by the two sisters.   Ridiculous faces, all around.

One of the many privileges of having served as the Dixie Chicks' blogger was the opportunity to take some -- and be in some -- great photos.  

I am not a professional photographer.  But through the approval process for photos, the Chicks essentially trained me to be a better photographer.

I went through all my photos from the last two years, ranked my 75 favorite ones, and added some brief commentary.  (Unfortunately, you'll only see my 75 favorite approved photos.)  #51-75 are below. #1-50 will come soon.

#51: This photo should obviously be titled "Sisters."   I felt I caught a glimpse of 1992 when the two of them must have helped each other with their outfits (because they couldn't afford any assistants).


#52: This is drummer Victor Indrizzo during rehearsals at the Nokia Theatre.  I used absolutely no effects or digital alteration here.  The gray arena and the blue stage lighting just make it seem as if the drummer was colorized in a black and white photo.  


#53: Nat is testing out what her Amy Winehouse makeup and hair should look like on Dean (the Chicks' makeup artist).


#54: This photo captures the DCX crew goofing on me at the American Music Awards.  I had to constantly invade the crew's space and flash photos, so it was only fair that they at least have an opportunity to mock my shoes.  I believe House Engineer Fern Alvarez took this photo.


#55: The Dixie Chicks rarely look enamored or honored to be in another celebrity's presence.  But Emily really looked taken with musical legend Harry Belafonte, backstage in New York City.


#56: I love this photo of Natalie and Chi-Chi, the racist monkey.  They both have the same big, round eyes.


#57: All I know is that Mindi, the Road Manager, would place these toy soldiers on the traveling cases whenever things got tense.


#58: A genuinely sweet, quiet moment after a long press conference to promote Shut Up and Sing at the Toronto Film Festival.


#59: I captured this pic (pick?) while the Chicks were recording "The Neighbor."


#60: Backstage in New York City, Lindsey Sherman made Emily genuinely happy with her shirt.  Especially because Natalie and Martie actually seemed jealous.  Lindsey was overjoyed to take a photo with not only Emily, but Rosie O'Donnell, as well.


#61: One of the most beautiful things I witnessed on tour was an ASL interpreter "singing" the Dixie Chicks' songs in Washington, D.C.  It was so spectacular that I thought the Dixie Chicks should have hired her to perform on stage.


#62: It's hard to get good photos from front row since the Chicks heads are ten feet directly above you.  (It's great for nostril shots.)  But I managed to get a good shot of Emily's smile here.


#63: I intended to capture a cutout of the Chicks in a downtown London record store.  But I got more than I bargained for.  I not only captured the cardboard Chicks, but I coincidentally caught a reflection of the iconic double-decker London buses and a photo of myself.


#64: This photo illustrates how quickly the Chicks have to move back stage.  Red and Cory are standing still, while Emily is quickly shuffling around.  As a result, and because of the shutter speed I used, Emily appears to be teleporting.


#65: There are so many cords and wires backstage, it's scary.  I have a newfound appreciation for all the touring crew that builds and tears down a complicated sonic landscape, night after night.  I can barely set up my home stereo system.


#66: During the tour, these were the signs that we'd see at every arena, directing us where to go.


#67: Especially with those boots, Martie looks badass on stage at VH1's Storytellers.  It's hard to believe that somebody who looks so confident would later forget her solo in "Cowboy Take Me Away," a song that she wrote.


#68: I normally don't let people pound on my laptop.  I made an exception for Henry and Juliana.


#69: I took this photo on stage during the tour rehearsals.  The side spotlights created this cool, inintended effect.


#70: This is one fan I'll never forget.  He drove hundreds of miles, by himself, to attend the opening night Detroit show.  His vanity plate and his personalized DCX shirt are only the beginning to his devotion to the Chicks.


#71: The banner.  I saw the "Chicks Rock Chicks Rule" fans bust out with this sign about a dozen times in different parts of the world.  It became a comforting icon, almost like a home-cooked meal.


#72: I can't remember if I asked Martie if I could photograph her shoe or if she asked me to take the picture.  Regardless, I got to capture her golden footwear (which is probably worth more than my camera) and her Chick feet tattoo, all without using a zoom lens.  Everyone at the InStyle soiree at NYC's Koi Lounge must have thought I had a serious foot fetish.


#73: This is the disturbingly small Austin City Limits set, the last stop of the 2006 tour.  Martie's expression somehow reminds me of how exhausted everyone was.

#74: If you've seen Shut Up and Sing, you know that this is the Lipton Tea guy.


#75: I quickly learned that the Chicks could handle only so many questions per month.  Here, Emily is goofing off, but her expression captures a clear signal I received that I needed to be less bothersome if I was going to continue to be allowed into their living room.