Music Photography | Landscape Photography | Portrait Photography

One Concert : Two Very Different Photo Shoots

Jul 20, 2010 Concert Photography, Photography Discussion 7 Comments

Saturday night (July 17, 2010 for the record) and The Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ is packed. The occasion –  Silversun Pickups and Against Me. (Two quick random notes: The box office line was out of control. I don’t think anyone bothered to buy tickets until the night of the show. Thanks to the very kind couple who let me cut in line so I can get my photo passes squared away. The other thing – I do not understand why The Marquee Theater was so hot. It was almost unbearable to be in the venue for this show.)

The crowd seemed close to 50-50. Many people were there to see Against Me who probably had little or no interest in seeing SSPU. I was there to see SSPU and shoot photos.

The Tale of Two Different Photo Shoots

Against Me came on stage with lots of energy and commanded the crowd’s attention. The stage was set with white lights on stage right and left set in back of the band. They used no over head stage lights – none at all. It was easily the best lighting conditions to photograph music. Photographing the Against Me set went smoothly with no struggle. (Photos of Against Me Live in Tempe can be found on my Flickr page.) Thanks for keeping the photographers in mind with your stage set up.

Silversun Pickups hit the stage about 30 minutes later and things couldn’t be different. I knew when the house lights went off and the drum kit was lit in with a light blue spotlight that I was going to have some fun. SSPU played a great set – I loved it. The whole show was played under red and blue spotlights. (See my article about photography and concert lighting) Red lighting is the hardest light to work with when taking concert photos. I tried to wait for the white spotlights but it wasn’t going to happen and the longer I waited the more chances I had of missing my shots.

The dynamics of concert photography and only being allowed to photograph three songs means you have to make decisions on the fly. If you wait for the right moment every time to press the shutter you will miss your shot. As with any other type of action photography (yes music is action photography) you need to anticipate the moment and sometimes it’s a guessing game. Just guess right more often than not.

Silversun Pickups was one of the most difficult shoots I’ve had in a long time which is why I absolutely love the photo of singer/guitarist Brian Aubert posted above. When the stage light is less than optimal for photographs try to capture the emotion of the performer. In your post production process maybe things will come together as they did for me. (This was also some of the most extensive post production work I’ve had to do for any music photo.)

What’s the most difficult light you shoot in? Do you have lighting conditions you prefer to shoot it? Let everyone know by posting a comment below.

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Studio Photography : Photos & Photo Experience

Jul 13, 2010 Photography Discussion 7 Comments

I do not do a lot of studio photography, I’m not sure why. It’s a part of  GRT2 Studios‘s business mix but we seem to get pulled in on live evenst or location photography/video projects.

Saturday night at Gangplank, I booked a session to shot the fellas from ASH (Arizona Stronghold) Music. Ten guys – individual photos and group shots.

I tested everything. Made sure the lights were positioned approximately where they needed to be. White balance set. Flash Set. The shoot was all systems go from the photographer’s point of view. (Remember that sentence.)

I photographed the first three guys as a group and then let them get comfortable and “mug” for some individual photos. Repeat two or three times and everyone is photographed including many group shots. (I got the shots I need to deliver a great product to the client.) I sent for the next group of guys when I knew I had the photos needed.

As a photographer, I know when I capture an image that works. I see the shot on my camera’s LED display or on  a monitor when I shoot tethered and know when I have the photo.

I get a call the next day saying that some of the guys felt rushed through the shoot and didn’t feel like they got their money’s worth. I listen to the client, I understand his point of view, I recognize where I went wrong and I agree to re-shoot anything if they are not happy with the photographs delivered – all I want is a happy client.

This is where I went wrong. Sometimes people want to get the photo shoot over with and just want great usable photos delivered. Other times, clients want the experience of getting their photo taken. I FAILED to recognize who I was working with and that’s entirely my fault.

I knew however incredible the images were I deliver the client still wouldn’t be happy. In their mind I cheated them of the experience. They were paying me for the experience as well as the delivered photos.

This week I’ll schedule time and re-shoot any one who is unhappy because I want everyone I work with to have a great photo experience from GRT2 Studios.

If you take anything away from this post take this with you: Recognize who you are working with. Are they there solely for the images or are they there for photographs and the experience. We are the professionals and it’s our responsibility to meet the client’s needs and expectations whatever it may be.

Any other photographers ever experience this? Leave a comment and let me know how you handled it or what  you think of this situation.