Nightfuse's Fernando Hernandez and Aaron (A Wall) Wallace are one dynamic photog duo. These two don't always shoot in a pair for the valley's coolest and most reputable event photography source, but when Fernando knows of a big event, A Wall is the first person he calls.
Though 26-year-old Hernandez is the creator of NightFuse.com, he isn't a big fan of the spotlight, saying his project is less about spotlighting himself as a photographer and more about creating a community that exposes what the valley has to offer.
Fernando credits most of what he's learned about event photography to Wallace. The two first met at Blunt Club, a local hip-hop night. The two noticed that they shared the same Olympus, geeked out on camera talk, swapped some lenses, and a phomance was born.
We played Wingman on their most recent at Bar Smith for Wednesday night's The Scenario.
The Meet up: Though Wednesday nights tend to be hit or miss for most clubs around the valley, last Wednesday's big named special guest DJ, SBTRKT made for a big night worthy of their big talent and even bigger photography equipment.The boys set up shop on the roof that looks over Bar Smith's rooftop venue, complete with backpack's full of camera gear and a huge strobe lighting system that's synced to Aaron's Olympus.
While Fernando shoots close-ups of Scenario party rockers down below, I stay with Aaron as he captures candids from above. Aaron is a shy type that enjoys doing more behind the scenes work, while Fernando is better at intermingling and asking to snap people's pictures.
The Company: In attendance was a large amount of the valley's electronic music geeks. To name a few that were spotted in the mix were Sean Watson, Jeremiah Gratza, James Campbell and William Reed. Resident DJs include Mark "Ellery" Leach, Dusty "Pickster One" Hickman and Erik "Riot Earp" King.
Favorite Spot(s): The busiest nights the guys find shooting for Nightfuse are Thursdays through Saturdays but Fernando and A Wall admit to frequenting a couple spots regularly.
This includes Bar Smith for Wednesday's The Scenario and Friday's Sticky Fingers, Yucca Tap Room for Thursday night's Blunt Club (a definite favorite for A Wall) and Side Bar for Sunday's Retro Hi-Fi.
The boys don't limit their photography to night clubs. Aaron does independent event photography work and Fernando tries to cover as many events as he possibly can which includes art, dance and theater events, as well as festivals, political protests and ASU life.
Around 2:30 a.m. they begin breaking down equipment and packing up their backpacks. As they both politely walk me to my car and share their gratitude for our venture, Aaron informs us he has to be up in less than 4 hours for his day job.
We all admit being a slave to our art but tonight A Wall's got us beat.
