Mary Weiland Photography - A Lighter Side: October 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Beer is King

I went to see Pinback play at the Black Cat on Wednesday night, and was hoping to walk away with some decent band shots and improve on my experience with the Deer Tick show. After the opening band (Obits) played, I found myself in a sour mood – tired of being pushed in the crowd, tired from the workday, not excited about what I was shooting, and feeling like hanging my camera up for the night. Granted, I was there for fun and the opening band was great, but I couldn’t help but feel a little down after not capturing anything to my liking.

Once Obits finished their set, the stage really cleared up for Pinback. Waiting for the headliners to come out and not wanting to lose my front row position, I started to take notice of just the stage itself – the bass guitar standing alone, the pedals, the amps, the endless cords, the guitar stands, speakers, drum set, and yes…the beer bottles.

I started clicking away at the scene before me, and felt re-energized and my spirits lifting. Maybe it was the multitude of colors or how things were laid out, or maybe getting a little elbow room from the crowd and not feeling rushed, but I began to have fun again. The real kicker was when co-lead singer, Rob Crow, plopped down 5 beer bottles next to his mic stand [which came equipped with a beer holder] to stock up for the performance. Seems like it was the missing piece to the puzzle and really completed the scene.

In the end, I came away with some decent shots of the band, but had more fun shooting the stage and just enjoying the great sounds of Pinback. My next step for the band shots is to analyze [seems so stiff, but I can’t help it - it’s what I do for a living] the differences in the pictures from the Deer Tick show and the Pinback show – lighting, stage set-up, camera settings, etc. so I can get a little better for next time. I plan to make a little diary/guide-book of what works with the various settings to have some sort of quick reference point for future shows. I also plan to buy a few music magazines to see how others are shooting bands and learn from that as well. Most of all, I need to relax and have more fun with it -realize when to take a breath, step back and get re-inspired.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Strike a Pose

There’s nothing I look forward to more in Washington, DC than the annual Drag Race, a.k.a. the annual High Heel Race. This event is held every year on the Tuesday before Halloween in Dupont Circle. The participants are a bunch of men dressed in drag, each one required to sport some sort of high-heeled shoe and proceed to sprint 3 blocks down the closed city streets.

Costumes range anywhere from incredibly elaborate to sheer ridiculous to mirror images of famous women past and present (Marilyn Monroe, Paris Hilton) to just a skirt and pumps. But the best costumes are the ones that make you a little uncomfortable – the please-God-divert-my-eyes-but-I-can’t-stop-staring uncomfortable...the ones that make straight dudes question their manhood just because they attended.

A handful of guys actually sprint the 3 blocks and take the race somewhat-seriously (really, they are liquored up pretty good and are there for shits and giggles), and the remaining “runners” take this opportunity to parade the city streets and strike poses for [and with] the thousands of onlookers. Spectators rush the streets as soon as the race ends and pure mayhem ensues, but everyone is in good spirits (or ingested lots of good spirits) and fun is had by all.

Despite the rain, I took to the streets this year and snapped away. I’m still learning my new camera, and again, missed some great photo ops...especially with my slow-to-focus lens. I’ll have my camera figured out in time for next year’s race, and will come out with some winners.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Guitar Hero: Try #1

Several years ago, I attended a White House News Photographers Association lecture and panel discussion. These photographers had a front row seat to the making of history, and they each were incredibly passionate about their careers. I came out of that event feeling truly inspired. One thing I noted during the panel discussion was how competitive their field is - constantly fighting with other photographers as they bump elbows to vie for best position to capture that award-winning presidential expression. Well, I got a small taste of that competitive edge on Tuesday night (10-20-09) at a music festival at the Black Cat in Washington, DC.

I was allowed to bring my DSLR into the Backstage concert room to snap away at the bands. I knew this would be a great opportunity to explore shooting live bands, as the Backstage is very small and intimate (about 200 people max capacity) and allows the concert-goer to be almost literally right on top of the band. I guess a few other photographers felt the same way, and I found myself competing for the best angle among them. I felt quite intimidated as I watched them shoot – what angles they positioned their cameras, how close they got to the band members, who they were working for, did they get "the shot"? I knew I had to be different, not be a copy-cat, and in all honesty, just be downright lucky.

This was the second time for me testing out my new equipment [Nikon D90 with a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC lens], and my first time shooting band shots without a point-and-shoot. Not having read the camera manual, I found myself winging it. I set the aperture to f/2.8, played with the ISO, and went to town. My goal was to capture sharp images of the bands rocking it out with the ambient light enhancing the photograph – i.e. no flash. I think I came away with a few decent shots, but for the most part, unusable. I found that my new lens was very slow to focus. I’m not sure if this was due to the dark lighting, the movement on stage, the lens itself, or a combination of the three. But the slow focus made me miss a lot of opportunities, which was disappointing.

I thoroughly enjoyed shooting the bands, and it certainly made the show go by fast (understatement – especially since the bands played from 9 pm – 1 am!). I will definitely test my hand again in this area, and hopefully I will learn something new each time – whether it be a feature on my camera, learning the most interesting angles, or working with the lighting. One thing I did learn, though, is that when you have a big camera in hand, most people get out of your way! Little did they know that these pics were experimental and only for my blog...but I was certainly glad for it!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Missed Opportunity

I was immediately captured by the look of the moon and clouds hovering over St. Paul's Cathedral in London [2007]. I found the sight a little eerie...and I loved it! Too bad I was on a bridge that was heavily trafficked by cars. The movement of the cars made the bridge bounce, and even on a tripod I couldn't get a sharp shot. This doesn't look so bad as a small image, but is disappointing when enlarged.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My Inaugural Post

The following images were taken as my venture back into photography after almost a 2-year long hiatus. My camera was a little dusty, as was my picture taking, but it was exhilarating to have the camera back in hand.

A few years back, I had taken a picture of the Washington Monument which I liked, but because I shot it too late at night the sky turned black in the photograph. I always wanted to try again, but timing it about 30 minutes after sunset, when the sky is transformed into a blanket of intense deep blue. When I went to re-shoot the photograph, I was excited to have an overcast sky. No matter how overcast the sky is, you will always be rewarded with the deep blues after sunset – and the clouds enrich the photograph by giving it texture. The Monument and flagpole are a bit distorted…maybe I’ll go back next time with a view camera.

Because the shooting window to capture the rich blues only lasts about 10 – 15 minutes, I missed my opening on this shot and as a result the sky went black. I don’t mind it so much because the tinge of red and purple in the sky compliment the red in the flags as well as the gold on the tops of the flagpoles. I’m not sure if the flagpole in the center of the photograph is distracting, but found that no matter what angle I shot at, I could not avoid some “obstruction” in the frame.