I just returned from a quick trip to CT. My best friend lives there, we met because of this website a few years ago (shes a brandi freak as well). its been a looong time coming for us to see a show together, so we ended up going to two
We saw shows in northhampton, ma and portland maine. Both shows were a utter blast, and I came home with more photos than I know what to do with… I was able to get a surprise photo pass at the maine show AND keep shooting throughout the show, a total dream. The goal is to have all the pics up by this weekend.
I have been going to clubs practicing concert photography for a few months now, and can’t even tell you how many shots I have BLOWN….. overexposure, underexposure, slow shutter speed, etc… This hobby is truly maddening to try to get the hang off. Not only are you thinking about all the technical stuff, but you still need to compose a good shot! So hopefully I’m getting better at it… and thankfully I haven’t blown a brandi show! (not with the SLR anyway).
The past few days ended up being a total “crash course” in concert photography. I’ve made every error a amateur could make (like failing to realize the lens was on manual focus, and getting nothing but out-of-focus pics!). Despite the learning curve and frustrations, its been a total blast.
I was lucky enough to get a photo pass for this show…. my first! I was sooooo nervous that i wouldn’t walk away with any pictures (cuz they would be all over exposed, or blurred, etc.). I got 3 songs to shoot, and I had to keep low and crawl around to not annoy anybody.
I had been reading in forums how photographers would get in trouble for “watching’ the show rather than shooting….or even DANCING instead of doing their job. I didn’t want to be that person! I really, really wanted to go a good job, and I’ll be damned if I was gonna walk away with only 40 pictures. I was so pumped up, and so over eager, that I ended up with 140! LOL! “Ready…..Set…..GO!!!” Yea most of them were blurred crap… but by the end I was more relaxed and looking for my shot more. (And as luck would have it, the 2nd song they played was one of my FAVORITE dance songs they play! argh!!!)
The photo I posted is my favorite of the night. I love how Josh’s eyes are looking down the strings and is in his quiet space, while the band is rocking out behind him.
I definitely still have A LOT to learn about exposure, dealing with spotlights, getting more of the room ambience and lighting… but I think I did alright. The whole thing was a complete dream come true. For so many years I have been photographing this band with my crap cameras, wishing I had faster equipment to capture what my mind sees. I’m almost there…. I’m sure I’ll have a chance again.
Meikos album has easily been one of my fave albums of the year. Sure the lyrics can be a little “teenage”, but the melodies are excellent. I can’t tell you how many times I have danced around singing the “shitty apartment” song. If I think her stuff is addictive now, I can’t wait to see what she puts out in a few years.
I didn’t plan on going to this show. I had seen TWO shows the day before, and thought I’d be too tired to make it. The guys I met at Serena talked me into it (not that I need much prodding). I’ve never been to the casino before….. its great! The seating is cushioned chairs, the lighting is colorful but not too harsh, and they don’t care about SLRs! I think this place is going to become my 2nd home.
I’ve been a big fan of Serena Ryder for over a year now, and have been waiting PATIENTLY to see her. I was literally beside myself to see that she was FINALLY coming to Seattle…. Amy Ray was playing the same night, and Brandi Carlile was making a surprise appearance. There’s not too many people I would missing seeing Brandi for, Serena is one of the few.
This was also the first show I got to try the new camera on! I had already bought a “faster” concert lens, which has 2.8 aperture for low-light photos. Apparently this club is FINE with taking photos, but I was still apprehensive the whole time. My cam is BIG, the shutter is LOUD, and I was sitting directly in front of her. Guess its from all the years I’ve been sneaking photos at concerts, but i kept expecting someone to tap me on the shoulder and tell me to knock it off.
Happily I couldn’t have asked for better seat mates. The guy to right of me is a BIG fan and drove from Vancouver to be there (hi Jay!), and the guys to the left of me were great! One of the guys was even a photographer and had a SLR of his own. That helped me feel A LOT less apprehensive about mine. Though my lens was still 3x the size of his.
Serena is a absolute firecracker, one of the most energetic and expressive artists that I have ever seen. I actually feel a little bad that all my photos were of her facial expressions, which can sometimes look a little unflattering Trust me tho, the woman is gorgeous.
Anyway, great show…I had a great time, and even made a few new friends. The show ended up ending super early, so I was able to race over to the Amy Ray show right after (which was starting really late). I even managed to get in my camera…..but managed to get NO photos. I didn’t realize my lens was set onto “manual focus”…….the whole time (I use reading glasses, and didn’t really think anything about how the images were a little soft). Yeah…. I just took “stupid” to a whole new level! I got ONE partially in focus shot though. Brandi was blowing a kiss to a doggie in the audience. Oh well, it was a great show… I was just happy to even be there.
I have been interested in Concert Photography since high school. Back in ’98, I would hide a p&s cameras in my sock and sneak them into shows. I literally did this for hundreds of shows, and would happy post my results on whatever amateur website I was currently running. Of course all the photos were complete crap compared to todays p&s. I did pretty well for what I had though (800 speed film with a short telephoto lens).
Forwarding to present times, I have been using a canon IS S3 for the last few hours. Awesome camera! A bit bulky, but has a high optical zoom, takes excellent video/audio, has a adjustable view finder for when you need to be stealthy (which has saved me more than once)…… Although its great, its still a point and shoot camera. Which means its shutter speed is still slow (for getting sports pics and non-blurry shots), the digital noise is high, and theres a slight delay from when you press the shutter (so if you’re trying to catch a facial expression, you usually miss it).
I finally decided it was time to get serious about my hobby, and get myself the proper tools so I can capture what I see in my head. I picked a Canon 40d for christmas. God….this thing is HUGE, and its high-speed shutter sounded like a machine gun going off. Learning this thing hasn’t been just a learning curve, but a learning CLIFF. Learning about aperture, shutter speed, exposure, depth of field, low light techniques, freezing action…….. this all has been keeping me busy for the last few months. I LOVE it, but wow. After 2 months of studying, and practicing at parks…. I’ve finally tried “cam” (that’s what I named her) at several shows this week (more specifically, 4 in 3 days….cuz I’m crazy like that). I’ve made every dumb rookie mistake you can make, and hopefully I’m getting over the learning hump.
I’ll be posting about the shows, and putting up pictures hopefully tonight.
Trust me tho, the woman is gorgeous.
