Beer is King

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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.

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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.

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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.

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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.

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.

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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.

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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.

Copyright (C) 2009 Mary Weiland

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!