02/21/2026
I always say that when I make photographs, my goal is simple: create a good image—one that captures what I saw, what I heard, and what I felt.
Back in September 2022, I was at the Whiskey A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip to photograph headliner Steven Adler and his fantastic band. I love grabbing some candid shots upstairs backstage, but I also make a point to head down and catch the other bands performing. That night, a hard rock band called hIPNOSTIC from Orange County hit the stage. Their website describes them perfectly—strong, heavy, and positive. And Blake Hastings, their guitarist and vocalist, was an incredible performer to watch.
Lately I’ve been moving a lot of my old electronic media into cloud storage, and there’s a real joy in revisiting work from years ago. As a huge fan of Garry Winogrand, I’ve always appreciated his approach of shooting and then waiting months—or even years—to develop film, letting time strip away the emotion from the editing process.
During this digital “rediscovery,” I came across this image from that night four years ago—one I passed over at the time. Looking at it now, it’s exactly the Blake Hastings I remember hearing. Yes, the band was powerful and heavy, but as I recall—and as this image feels to me now—there was also a measured, thoughtful quality to their playing.
