Maren Farra Photography

Music, Headshots, Events - London, UK

Apr 19

by Maren in Photography 0 comments tags: 2015, Armenia, Armenian, Armenian Genocide, Centenary, Centennial, Commemoration, Commemorative March, Genocide, London

The Armenian Genocide

This year, on 24th April, Armenians around the world will mark the centenary of the Armenian genocide. It was on this date in 1915 when the Ottoman Turks began the mass killings of 1.5 million Armenians, an act which the Turkish government still denies to this date. The failure to prevent the atrocities or punish the perpetrators led to the modern cycle of genocide. The Armenian genocide refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. The Armenian genocide was centrally planned and administered by the Turkish government and was carried out between 1915 and 1918. The Armenian people were subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation. The great bulk of the Armenian population was forcibly removed from Armenia and Anatolia to Syria, where the vast majority was sent into the desert to die of thirst and hunger. Large numbers of Armenians were methodically massacred throughout the Ottoman Empire. Women and children were abducted and horribly abused. The entire wealth of the Armenian people was expropriated. After only a little more than a year of calm at the end of WWI, the atrocities were renewed […]

Feb 17

by Maren in Before and After, Photography 0 comments tags: Before/After, California, Yosemite

Before/After: Yosemite

This shot was a bit of an experiment because I had just bought a new ND filter and I wanted to test it out. I always prefer to learn new techniques by practicing rather than by reading manuals and tutorials, and this was one of my first attempts. It didn’t come out great straight from the camera as you can see in the before, but I’ve grown to like the after version. Have an idea for the next photo in the before/after series? Let me know! You can find me over on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Feb 10

by Maren in Before and After, Photography 0 comments tags: Before/After, Edit, Newlands Corner, Photo

Before/After: Newlands Corner

Here’s another one in the before/after set. I always advocate shooting in RAW because you can play around with the image afterwards without losing any photo quality like you would with a JPG. So, what did this photo look like straight from the camera? Use the slider below to find out! The after shot is slightly unrealistic in that it didn’t quite look like that with the naked eye, but it’s a good example of how much you can change a photo even though it may look like a dud when it comes straight out of the camera.

Feb 03

by Maren in Before and After, Photography 0 comments tags: Before/After, Edit, Photo, Venice Beach

Before/After: Venice Beach

As a photographer, I’m always curious about how other people edit their photos and what the photo looked like before all the editing, so I’m going to start a series of before/after posts, where I show you the original photo as it came out straight from the camera and then the after photo after my editing. Let’s look at this shot of Venice Beach. You can use the slider on the image below to see the before and after shots. With this Venice Beach edit, I decided to go for a slightly retro look and I think it worked out ok. No two edits are ever the same and each one depends on the desired look and what the photo is of. Sometimes I look at a before photo and think damn, I messed up with this, but a few hours in Lightroom and you’d be surprised at how you can completely change a photo! Is there a particular photo of mine you want to see the edit of? Let me know on Facebook! For now, I’ll leave you with the most important tip of all: always shoot in RAW!

Mar 07

by Maren in Music, Photography 1 comments tags: 2014, Days Are Gone, HAIM, Jungle, O2 Academy Brixton

HAIM at O2 Academy Brixton

Last night marked Haim’s headline show at the iconic O2 Academy Brixton which has hosted a wide range of acts since becoming a music venue in 1983. I’d been looking forward to this show since it was announced and it looks like I wasn’t the only one as when I arrived the queue was already stretching around the corner! I won’t say too much about the show here as you can read my review over on Milky Tea Kid, so for now here are some more photos! For more pictures from the night check out my page on Flickr, and if you liked them please like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter!

Feb 18

by Maren in Music, Photography 1 comments tags: 2014, Berlin, Elbow of Capture, Rhosyn, Ry X, Union Chapel

Ry X at Union Chapel

Last night I headed to Union Chapel to see Australian singer Ry X. I have been to many venues across the country and Union Chapel was probably one of the most unique in that it is a working church, a drop in centre for the homeless AND a gig venue! It was a great experience to see a gig in a church, you could even get mugs of tea which was another first for me! Supporting Ry X was Rhosyn who I really enjoyed and who did a great job of getting everyone warmed up ahead of the main act. Ry X came on stage after a short tea break and went straight into his song Shortline on the dimly lit stage. I didn’t know a lot about Ry X beyond his song Berlin so it was good to hear some more of his stuff! It was a great show and a great venue! Looking forward to hearing more from Ry X! Check out the review of the show by my pal Milky Tea Kid which has a couple more photos from the night. Were you at the show? What did you think? Let me know over on Twitter or Facebook!

Feb 16

by Maren in Music, Photography 1 comments tags: Eliza and the Bear, Fred Page, Satellite Tour, Sons and Lovers

Satellite Tour

Last week I headed to Cato Music with the Milky Tea Kid gang where we hung out with the bands going on the Satellite Tour. The idea of the Satellite Tour is to showcase the best up-and-coming artists in some of the smaller and unknown venues of the UK. Each of the artists did a session for us along with an interview which you can catch on Milky Tea Kid. Here are some photos from the night! Fred Page Eliza and the Bear Sons and Lovers Check out the Satellite Tour website for more info. Did you go? Let me know what you thought! Find me on Twitter and Facebook!

Feb 02

by Maren in Music, Photography 0 comments tags: 2014, Aria, Kill the Power, Skindred, SOiL, The Forum, Viza, Whole

Skindred at The Forum with support from SOiL and Viza

Yesterday I headed to The Forum to hang out with a bunch of Armenians and to see LA band Viza who were there supporting Skindred. I’ve been a fan of Viza for a while and had been looking forward to hearing some songs from their latest album Aria which was funded through Kickstarter, as well as songs from their older albums. You can listen to Midnight Hour (Dingle Rock) from Aria on Viza’s soundcloud page. I recommend checking out the entire album, it’s a good one! Thanks to the guys at Viza for the photo pass! Looking forward to the next show, hopefully with a longer set! Check out some of my older Viza photos here. After Viza, the next support up was SOiL. I’ll admit I hadn’t really heard much of SOiL’s music before but I’ll definitely be checking it out! They did a great job at getting the crowd going and excited for Skindred. After SOiL, headliners Skindred came on and the crowd surfing began. It was a great night and I’m looking forward to hearing more of all three bands again! To keep up to date on when I post more photos, follow me on Twitter, and like my […]

Dec 11

by Maren in Music, Photography 0 comments tags: 2013, Childhood, Days Are Gone, HAIM, Saint Raymond, The Forum

HAIM at The Forum

Earlier this week I went to see one of my favourite bands of 2013, HAIM, at The Forum in Kentish Town. The opening support came from my friends Childhood who did a great job at getting the crowd warmed up. Next up was Saint Raymond who also did a great job at getting the crowd going. Often the crowd is impatient during support acts because they want the main event but everyone seemed to love both Childhood and Saint Raymond. Hailing from California, HAIM have had an absolutely massive 2013 which saw them play at Glastonbury as well as topping the BBC’s Sound of 2013 music industry poll as one of the most promising acts of the year, and as we close out the year I would say it has certainly been a busy year for them. The three sisters are all talented multi-instrumentalists and have a really good reputation for interacting with the crowd and tonight was no different! It was an awesome show and I’ve been playing the album on repeat since. Can’t wait to see them again early next year! For more photos, like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for future updates!

Nov 27

by Maren in Music, Photography 0 comments tags: 2013, Jealous, Jenn Bostic, The Borderline

Jenn Bostic at The Borderline

Last night I met up with my good friend and music blogger extraordinaire Milky Tea Kid and we headed over to see the very talented Jenn Bostic at The Borderline in London. Jenn performed with a full band in the intimate venue and did some old favourites as well as new tracks, with the audience singing along to each song. The band got kicked off stage for a few songs, during which Jenn performed Jealous of the Angels, which was written in memory of her father. The entire room fell silent during the moving song and you could see how emotional it was for Jenn. This emotion translated to the crowd and you could have heard a pin drop as everyone listened to the haunting lyrics with a sense of revere. Jenn also performed some more upbeat songs such as Gay or Taken which got the crowd singing and dancing along. After the show Jenn took the time to talk to her fans which she does both in person and on social media. In an age where most social media is controlled by PR companies, it’s nice to find an artist who takes the time to talk to fans personally. Jenn also mentioned […]

Nov 26

by Maren in Music, Photography 0 comments tags: O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, Turin Brakes, We Were Here

Turin Brakes at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Last week my pal Richard Judge was opening for Turin Brakes at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire so I headed down to take some pictures. Turin Brakes consists of duo Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian and they are currently promoting their new album We Were Here. You might best remember Turin Brakes from the huge success of their 2003 song Painkiller (Summer Rain) which hit the UK top 5. Watch the video for it here. It was a great show and if you haven’t heard their music, check it out! For more photos, like my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Nov 12

by Maren in Music, Photography 0 comments tags: British Independent Film Awards, Gavin Bain, Silibil N' Brains, The Dairy Studios, The Great Hip Hop Hoax

Gavin Bain aka Brains of Silibil N’ Brains

Yesterday I went down to The Dairy Studios in Brixton to hang out with one of my old friends Gavin Bain. You may have heard a lot about Gavin in recent weeks as he has caused quite a sensation in the music industry. If nothing is ringing any bells it might be because you know him better as Brains, one half of Silibil N’ Brains. They recently appeared on a documentary called Storyville: The Great Hip Hop Hoax which has just been nominated for a British Independent Film Award for best documentary. The Hip Hop Hoax tells the story of Silibil N’ Brains and how they managed to trick their way to a huge record deal by convincing the music industry that they were two rappers from California, when in actual fact they are both Scottish. Tired of being laughed at and likened to hip hop’s version of The Proclaimers because they were Scottish, Silibil N’ Brains perfected their American accents and found that suddenly people started to take them more seriously. They even managed to open for D12 and appear on MTV as part of their great hoax. My friend Milky Tea Kid also came along to the studio […]