One Concert : Two Very Different Photo Shoots
Jul 20, 2010 Concert Photography, Photography Discussion
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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Tags: concert photo, Concert Photography, GRT2 Studios, live music photography, music photo, photography lighting
One Week Left to Submit Music Photos
Jun 23, 2010 Concert Photography
We are down to the wire! Submissions of your music photos for The Music Matters Project need to be received by July 1,2010. We are overwhelmed by everyone’s participation and want this last week to rock!
So far we have over 150 submission from all over the world but it’s not too late for you to submit your music photos for the project! Photos can still be sent to: submissions@musicmattersproject.org
It’s amazing how diverse the photos we’ve received have been. Photographers have sent us photos of everyone from Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers,The Grateful Dead, Jane’s Addiction, DIO to our new friend Angie Stevens.
If you want a sneak preview of some photos being considered please head over to The Music Matters Flickr Pool.
What’s next: The Music Matters Project Team will put out a one (1) week call for submissions for any candid photos you took of you and your friends at any concert or music event. We feel that this gives everyone a chance at having their photo published in The Music Matters Project Vol. 1.
So, please pay attention for our announcement coming soon!
A big thanks goes out to everyone for everything, this project has been so much fun and we look forward to making an awesome contribution to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.
Tags: concert photo, Concert Photography, music matters project, music photo, music photography, photography for a good cause, sweet relief, sweet relief musicians fund
