Essay #74: Christmas concert

I haven't updated this blog in a while. Sorry about that. I promise I'll have a holiday-themed post or two, but for now, I'll give you this merry little photo from the downhere Christmas tour.

Essay #73: Concert drama

I think that one of the reasons I love concert photos is that they're so dramatic. With all the lights and fog and showmanship, there are easy ways to add drama to the shot.

If the lights are bright, lens flare can be nearly inescapable, so you might as well work with it

The extremes of light and shadow can be a bane for metering, but high contrast makes for high drama

And then there's my personal favorite: the camera tilt.

The third photo is downhere (yes, again); the rest are of the band Rush of Fools. Taken at a concert last weekend.

Essay #52: Creative Lens Flare

Glenn Lavender, bassist extraordinaire for the band downhere.

I'm usually adamant about avoiding lens flare. I hate those circles that obscure parts of the frame and more often than not fall across the subject's face. But, on occasion, intentionally including flare can add, well, flair.

Essay #48: Concert perspective

Okay, so I've taken a lot of photos of the downhere guys over the years. A lot of photos. So last weekend my goal was to capture new perspectives.

Essay #47: Concert light: Black and White

I saw the band downhere twice over the weekend. Each venue had its own set of lights--with their own pros and cons. So this week I'll talk about shooting at a concert: the most exciting light, while also most challenging light.

Concert lighting, while spectacular in person, can wreak havoc with a camera. When colored lights result in unnatural skin tones that no white balance can counter, I have two options: embrace the oddity (see previous post), or go back into the trick archives and pull out the oldest one-shooting in monochrome.

Essay #46: Concert magic

The next couple of posts will be more concert photos--second only to produce in sheer quantity of what I shoot.

Needtobreathe played in Madison last night, closing out The Outsiders Tour (which also began in Madison--fitting, no?).

Something about live music is just...magical. I have zero musical ability of my own, so I'm amazed by the lovely sounds artists can conjure. A strum, a hum, and the air thrums with dazzling beauty, a profound connection that stirs in the hearers and binds the audience to each other and the artists in shared sensational experience. I'll pay more for a concert ticket than I will for an album.

Essay #43: Fun with filters: Star

Apollo 14 performs at Battle of the Bands in Mineral Point, WI. These guys have talent--check 'em out!

I like playing with filters. My favorite to use at a concert is a four-point star (six-points can be good, too, but it's usually too much). The filter itself looks like a grid carved into the glass. It does bring the exposure down a stop and makes the focus less crisp, but there's no better way to add a little "star power" to an aspiring band.

Freestyle: Concert

This is Marc, one of the lead singers for the fantastic band downhere. Not only are the members of this band amazingly talented, they are also four of the most genuine people I've ever met. Their music has been a defining soundtrack of my life for the past eight years. They have a Christmas album coming out this year that everyone with holiday spirit should own, regardless of your feelings about "Christian" rock.

One of the things I appreciate about Marc here is that he's also a photographer, so he and the band not only allow fans to take and post photos, they encourage it. Don't ask me to explain the newsboy cap/plaid shirt/necktie combo, though (he chose to complete the ensemble with combat boots).

The key to concert photography is no flash, high-ish shutter speed, high ISO and wide-open aperture. 150mm 1/200 f/4.5 ISO 400

Essay #7: Concert Lighting

Joe, the drummer for the band NEEDTOBREATHE

I enjoy concerts, both for the music and the lighting challenges they present. Although darker and much noisier than I prefer in my concert photos, this is my best shot from a show I attended last night. The light in the venue was terrible. My usual workflow is to shoot in color and convert to black and white in Photoshop, but without that option I tried shooting a bit in black and white, with mixed results.

Specs: 92mm 1/60 f/4.1 ISO 800