Rebecca Bailey of The Herald-Sun reports that images of late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Mick Thomson of SLIPKNOT and Paul Stanley of KISS are among the concert photos featured in Graham Denzler's one-man exhibit at Pepper's Pizza in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

"It fits in with the atmosphere [of Pepper's]" said Denzler of the exhibit. He described how he combined his passion for rock music with a technical interest in photography to create his dream career as "Chapel Hill's leading concert photographer."

"It's a big thrill," said Denzler, who saw his first concert as a Chapel Hill High junior when GUNS N' ROSES played the Smith Center. At subsequent concerts, he started sneaking in disposable cameras — "the point-and-click kind." But as he grew more experienced and upgraded his camera — he now uses a Canon EOS 10-D — he began to contact record labels, offering to review CDs as well as photograph bands in concert.

"The first show I did, I was practically in the speaker," he said. "I'm surprised my hearing isn't gone by now." Largely self-taught, Denzler has learned through trial and error: He said that when he first started, he might get one good shot out of 200 pictures.

Contributing reviews and photos to a Fayetteville-based paper opened doors, as did work on a local magazine, Praxis. Over the last four years, Denzler has put together an impressive resumé working with bands on the national scene as well as local groups. His latest gig on Oct. 21 was photographing the rock group ALICE IN CHAINS in Winston-Salem, where he met guitarist Jerry Cantrell backstage. "It made my day," said Denzler.

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