Embedded Files
MMS 173 Assignment 5B
Your taste is your worst enemy when you're starting out.
Your creations won't measure up and that's the reality.
The only way out is to put in a hell of a lot of work.
This Is Me...
just four years younger.
My first self-portrait as a drummer dated March 20, 2021.
Remember the date.
Captured using my Vivo y53 | Edited with Snapseed
And Now,
This is Me.
Jermaine in year 2025. A lot can change in four years.
| Music Inspo |
Me and Your Mama by Childish Gambino
Me and My Mama
of Rhythm
I started drumming at six years old. Thanks to my dad, a drummer himself who got us our first acoustic kit. But don’t expect too much from me, starting young doesn’t mean I’m now a master because I’ve still got a long way to go. Truth is, I wasn’t all that driven as a kid especially since my dad was more focused on training my older brother. Still, he gave me the basics and that was enough to get started.
| Headshot |
Canon 50 mm, ISO-800, f/1.8, 1/80sec.
I still remember the day my dad sold our drum set to my uncle due to financial problems, and that decision cut my progress short. I had no choice but to stop learning and playing. But by 8th grade, I got hooked again and this time thanks to Kristina Schiano’s drum covers of Helena and Basket Case. I was inspired by her. She's no amateur and she’s a heavyweight on YouTube known for her raw talent and precision. Watching her reignited everything I had learned before yet her covers threw me into the deep end new rhythms, sharper techniques so I pushed myself to absorb it all. I didn’t have a kit then but I made do with air drumming, sticks, pillows, chairs, whatever I could use. I guess that’s how real drummers are, they adapt as long as they can follow the beat.
Once my dad saw how serious I was about drumming and how I wasn’t letting go of it, he finally got me an acoustic drum set. Eventually, we also bought an electric kit since it is more practical, less noise, fewer complaints from neighbors. No excuses left. That’s when I started recording drum covers and putting in real work.
So yes, I’ve been doing this for over seven years ever since 8th grade. This isn’t a hobby. This is who I am.
Photographing a drummer isn’t for the faint of heart because it takes grit and patience to capture the perfect shot. Drummers are a storm in motion as arms whipping through the air, heads snapping with the beat, sticks flying. So good luck finding a clean angle with cymbals and hardware blocking your view. And if you’re trying to freeze the raw emotion of drumming in a single frame? You better be ready to anticipate every move.
Now imagine this, I’m not just behind the kit -- I’m behind the camera too at the same time. Sounds impossible? Imagine no more as I’ve already tried it. See for yourself.
Page updated
Report abuse