Plan Spontaneity | David Rinaldo Photography

I had a photography day out this past weekend with my friend, Maxwell. We started the day without much of a plan. There was a Christmas festival at Camp North End that we decided to check out.

On the way Max was telling me about a new photo shop he saw recently called The Photo Outfitters. It was on the way so we stopped in to check them out. We were greeted by Tony and Cannon and we talked shop with them a bit — cameras, film, developing, community. They’re great guys there and we’re looking forward to participating in some of their events coming up, like a print swap.

After we left the shop we continued on towards Camp North End. We made one more stop on the way at a cool industrial area we saw and snapped some quick photos.

A parked train behind a metalworking shop. There was a homeless encampment behind the wall where they were building fires ahead of a cold evening.

We made it to Camp North End right around sunset and explored there a bit. Camp North End is an old industrial complex that has been turned into an art and social district. It’s really great to see cultural centers like this popping up. These are the kind of places that make a city a great place to live. (It also makes great photo ops for your buddy.)

A black-and-white view of a vast industrial hall strung with lights as people gather near the far wall.

A photographer with two cameras leans against a painted column inside an industrial hall.

A photographer poses beside metal stairs and an out-of-order sign in an industrial hall.

A person squatting inside an industrial-style building, taking a photograph with a camera, wearing a beanie hat, glasses, a backpack, and athletic shoes.

Two women sit with a small dog among ornamental grasses in an outdoor plaza.

A black-and-white street portrait of two women walking through a crowded plaza.

A man crouches beside a tall black dog outside a storefront.

A person balances on a railroad track with the Charlotte skyline glowing in the distance.

Glowing red patio heaters hang among strands of warm lights against a dark ceiling.

The Charlotte skyline at dusk beyond railroad tracks and low industrial buildings.

After some dinner there we decided to head over and grab a beer at Smokey Joe’s — one of the last remaining real dive bars in Charlotte. As chance would have it there was a band setting up to play that evening. The band was Jesse Velvet, from Asheville, NC. We had our cameras with us and as they were setting up we offered to photograph their set and they were all for it.

It was a lot of fun shooting in such an intimate setting. There were people there but it wasn’t packed out. Max and I were talking just earlier in the evening about wanting to check out more bands. And Jesse Velvet was exactly our kind of funky groovy taste in music. The band was awesome, the crowd was awesome. And we had a great time photographing it.

A guitarist plays under blue stage lights with a keyboardist behind him.

Close view of a musician playing a brown electric guitar under blue stage lights.

A drummer in a red knit cap plays behind his kit under blue and purple lights.

Close portrait of a bearded singer in a gray knit cap at a microphone.

A mustached guitarist performs beside a microphone under colorful stage lights.

A bassist in a trucker cap plays in a narrow beam of blue light.

A band performs on a small bar stage surrounded by vintage signs and colored lights.

A five-piece band performs together on a small stage under multicolored lights.

A bassist plays in deep blue light against a nearly black background.

A keyboardist in a floral shirt plays a red keyboard with the bassist behind him.

A bearded guitarist in a gray knit cap sings into a microphone under blue light.

A bearded guitarist sings into a microphone while playing under teal stage lights.

A smiling guitarist plays a brown electric guitar under purple and blue lights.

A guitarist sings into a handheld microphone while playing on a small stage.

A short-haired woman in a colorful Santa shirt dances near the stage.

A bearded man in a wide-brimmed hat dances in front of the keyboardist.

A keyboardist, bassist, and guitarist perform together under colorful stage lights.

Two guitarists perform in front of a drummer on a small bar stage.

A bassist sings into a microphone while playing under blue and purple lights.

A drummer in an orange knit cap sings while playing under purple stage light.

A percussionist wearing orange glasses plays conga drums under magenta light.

Two guitarists face each other while a drummer plays between them.

A mustached guitarist looks down while playing under red and blue stage lights.

This was all around a great day and I feel like I re-learned something, which is to really embrace spontaneity. My only plan was to spend some time with my best friend and whether or not photography happened we were doing that. I think the great thing was that removed any kind of pressure I might’ve felt to “get great photos” and I was really free to just have a good time.

So this is my reminder to spend time with friends. Goof off, have fun, and enjoy the time I have with them.

Just don’t leave the camera at home.