When Shooting Live Music Performances

Joshua Foster at Exit/In, 5/4/11
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Inevitably, every photographer will take photos at a live music show, whether he or she is a professional or hobbyist. It is a great thing to do because it challenges the photographer to learn how to capture sharp images in low-light situations without using a flash.

Recently, I've been shooting more live music for a new music site called Sinizine. Because of this, I've had to overcome technical issues which would lead to a poor-quality image. The most important things I've learned are as follows;

1.) Pay attention to what is going on onstage. As soon as a band or artist hits the stage, it should be obvious of the kind of show they're about to deliver. If you fire off a few shots and then look down at your camera to check them out, you will miss that photo that could have got you into Rolling Stone...had you been more focused.




Tom Pappas of Flesh Vehicle at The Muse, 4/3/11




Jesse Weilburg of Gnarwhal at The Muse, 4/3/11

2.) Set your ISO as low as the available light will allow. The ISO settings on your camera will determine light sensitivity and image quality. In low-light conditions, it's helpful to have the option to go up to ISO 3200 ( or higher, depending on how new your camera is ). However, if you shoot an artist who is onstage with a bright spotlight on them, there's a good chance the subject will be blown out because you've let in too much light. I made this unfortunate mistake with the following photo my first time shooting for Sinizine. I had to do some adjusting to the image after the fact so I would have something to publish, but it made me realize quickly the value of shooting smart. Fortunately, the band had energy to spare and that's what really saved the image in the end.



We Are the In Crowd at Rocketown, 3/9/11

3.) Set your camera to "M". This is the manual setting, which gives you complete control over your images. If you just set your camera to apeture or shutter priority, your camera will decide for you how much light will be let in. Trust me, you are smarter than that! This way, you can get away with a higher shutter speed, no matter what the light meter in your camera is reading.



Geoff Firebaugh at Exit/In, 5/4/11



Mike Herrera at Exit/In, 5/4/11

4.) Show the viewer that there's more than meets the eye. Musicians seem to be living such a charmed life. After all, they get to play all day and drink beer while the rest of us schmoes are working for the man from nine to five, right? Many times, though, musicians are playing for one or two people, or singing above screaming police sirens outside the bar or club. Try to get perspectives in your music shots if you can; this could involve interacting with the artist and finding out what they are comfortable with. Clay Canfield, pictured below, allowed me to photograph from the stage so I could show an artist's reality. Here, there is only one partron in the bar. Canfield literally is singing for the love of it.




Clay Canfield at The Wheel, May, 2010

Last but not least, never underestimate an artist's potential. The photo below was shot on 35mm in the spring of 2008. The husband and wife duo known as Thompson Square were still playing bars on lower Broadway in Nashville then. This April, though, they celebrated their first Number One single and have been nominated for two CMT Awards. While I'm not looking to get rich off of this photo, I'm sure glad I have it in my portfolio.



Kiefer Thompson of Thompson Square at Legend's Corner, spring, 2008
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"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly" ~ The Dali Lama

Tunnel Vision

I decided to go to college this spring for photography. I was fired up about it at first, but now I'm just looking forward to doing more of this (see above photo).

Joy

Afterthought, forethought, constant message, on the side of a building that has promised something will be coming soon.

When it comes, will the joy be painted over?

May it live on.

-DR

The Tea Party, 2009

In June of 2009, I was broke as hell. I didn't have a steady job that paid the bills and relied on any little gig I could find to pay the rent. One of those gigs was selling Gadsden flags for five bucks apiece at a Tea Party rally. I didn't know what it was about, but being from the Boston area where you can go see a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party, I figured I'd want to have my camera along just in case a bunch of people dressed as puritans showed up.

I realized quickly that this was no kid's show. The great thing about it, aside from being able to walk away with some cash, was that people were glad to have their picture taken. They wanted to be on the web or in the papers. Not being one to follow the news too closely or understand politics very well, I didn't know what exactly these people were protesting at first. It took at least an hour for it to sink in; these people hated President Obama.

A journalist, photo or otherwise, is best to remain unbiased and try to blend. I didn't really get into any conversations with anyone because I wasn't there for that reason. Now, almost two years later, I am a little shocked at the response the following photos are still generating. I shouldn't be. It's just history.

I voted for Obama, and I have no regrets. Do I agree with everything he's doing? Hell, no. However, I maintain that change was necessary. In a perfect world, utopia would have followed the election of America's first black president. In a perfect world, change would not have been necessary to begin with.

*IMPORTANT** DO NOT COPY AND POST MY IMAGES FOR USE ON YOUR WEBSITE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION**

--DR

The Serendipity Cruise

I used to own a Panasonic Lumix LZ8 point & shoot, which I used as my first digital camera until I could afford a DSLR. After that, I never thought about the Panasonic again until a co-worker asked if he could borrow a camera. I lent him the Panasonic, not really caring if I saw it again.

A few months later, he confessed to me that he had lost the camera and been afraid to tell me. Before I could tell him I didn't care, I saw that he was holding out a box to me...with another camera, one he had bought to replace the Panasonic.

The replacement camera was a Samsung SL50. It didn't look like much, just your standard, consumer-grade point & shoot. It occurred to me to hold it against him that he didn't replace my camera with the same exact one, but then, I wasn't real happy with the old one anyway, remember? So, I didn't really care that I was down a point & shoot camera, but since I had a new one, I figured I may as well play with it.

The SL50 was smaller and thinner than my lost Panasonic. I quickly discovered that it shoots great video (which I never use) and that the image settings were more sophisticated and versatile. Soon, to my surprise, I was actually using it pretty regularly.

When I took a trip back to Massachusetts in August, the SL50 fit nicely in my camera bag. The day after I got to Boston, I ended up going out for a sunset cruise on a friend's boat; it was one of those serendipitous occasions when people who were usually busy with their lives had no plans. I had brought my Rebel 2000, but couldn't find film to load in it, so by default, I used the SL50 to take the following pictures. They have had very little, if any, touch-ups.


*IMPORTANT NOTE*

You may click on any image to engarge for better view, but please do not copy my images to paste on your site for any reason without my permission.

--DR

Lighting up my life

Lately, I've been waking up early in the morning and peeking out the window, partly to see if the world is still there, and partly to see where the light is.

The first photo here was taken at approxomately 6:45 AM Friday morning with the Rebel T1i. Apeture: 5.6. ISO 200. Shutter 160. Unenhanced.



The next photo was taken at near-sunset a few months ago with the Pentax K1000 with a 1-second exposure and probably at f 1.7...though I did not record it.



The last photo was also taken using the Pentax K1000 at sunset on the lake. I purposely blurred the image throught the lens to get an abstract look. Shutter: 250. ISO 200. Apeture: 1.7.

A little late; photos after the destruction

When Nashville was flooded last May, I did not run out and take a bunch of photos. I was not motivated to do so, perhaps because I was overwhelmed. I didn't have electricity for four days. There were many people who fared far worse than me, though.

Now, it's January, 2011, a whole eight months later. I keep noticing this trailer park on Nolensville Road. Unsavory-looking to begin with, is has been rendered uninhabitable, as it was settled next to a creek which rose after the rain finally stopped, lifting the trailers off their foundations, where they have remained ever since.

I wanted to take these photos for months, but was afraid to go there by myself, which is something I rarely experience. It's not the kind of place one would simply venture out to for no good reason, and I spent a lot of time just looking over my shoulder. I was not able to photograph the insides of the trailers. I could have, but because I was alone, I decided I didn't want to find out if anyone was squatting in any of them.

I wonder where the residents ended up.