Welcome! My name is Amber O’Shea, and I’m an aspiring music photojournalist with over 4 years of experience as a professional studio photographer. I’m the author of one published novel, Hope’s Shadow, and received my BA in sociology from Flagler College in 2005. I am now working on my MA in new media journalism from Full Sail University. I am scheduled to graduate in June 2012.
I have been into music all of my life. I started singing in choir at the age of 5, both in church and in my elementary school choir. By my teenage years, I switched to band, learning to play the French horn. I am now attempting to teach myself to play the guitar.
While living in St. Augustine, Fla, I started photographing local band The Wobbly Toms. I enjoyed not only photographing the bands, but working with the musicians, so much that I decided I wanted to start up a blog to help support local musicians.
Besides this blog, I also contribute articles for the Birmingham Free Press Music Blog and will soon be interning with Extreme Rock Magazine. One day, I’d like to make it to working with the Rolling Stones Magazine.
My current photography job prohibits me from posting my resume online, but if you would like a complete copy, please email me at aloshea@gmail.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter (@MusicLocalScene) and Facebook!
Samples of my photography can be found on Flickr, and my videos are up on YouTube.
Here, Amber O’Shea’s created a timely and perceptive video about some of the ways in which female musicians are treated and perceived differently in the industry.
As a full-time, traveling female music journalist, I can certainly attest to the differentiated, sexualized assumptions that are made about female writers in the scene. Guys holding guitars have no idea how to treat me on an interview night: “Is she the enemy, do I suck up to her, do I try to act serious, do I try to cop a feel…? Look at that rack … I’ll give her one of our free beers, and ask her to hop on the road to the next show. She can share my bench seat in the van.”
I’ve often said that I feel like I’m viewed as the complete amalgam of a Band Aid and The Enemy (“Almost Famous” reference) to a lot of musicians who I interview, whereas if I was a man, I’d simply be The Enemy, and I wouldn’t get so many offers of intoxicants, freebies, etc. The music world is unfortunately still a “boys club.” I give O’Shea major props for this.
Oops — that response was aimed for your wonderful “Women in the Music Industry” video. My apologies!
lol, That’s okay! I thought that might be the case.
Hello there, Amber! Great blog. Happy to see someone shedding light on the oft neglected Birmingham music scene. Check us out over at voyaging.bandcamp.com and let us know what you think!