The Hold Steady at Music Hall of Williamsburg
A few weeks ago, The L Magazine put on Northside Art and Music Festival. I shot a few shows. It was my first real time shooting live music. I think live music and wedding photography are tied as the 2 hardest types of events to cover. One has erratic lighting conditions and the need to shoot at high ISO and the latter is often has really high contrast situations. Both are hard to deal with if you don't know what you're doing.
I looked at the photos I shot over the course of Northside and can see huge improvements in my shots from the first show to the last I shot. I learned a lot about shooting shows. I am getting shots that are usable and that I can stand behind (and so can Brooklyn Vegan).
I don't enjoy doing it though. It doesn't become about listening to the music anymore. You have to pay attention to everything else but the music. I feel like a hunter stalking a deer. Camera pointed at all times, waiting for the light to change so that I can get a good shot, the musician in just the right spot and pose. Don't hesitate or you will lose the shot and end up with a awkward or blurry mess of a photo. It's all in the details. You're not just shooting the people, you're shooting everything else around them when all the conditions line up to make a good shot.
Take this shot of Bishop Allen for example. It's a bit purple for my taste. Taking a shot between the lights changing colors would have resulted in a better photo. But the band members are ok. If you look at their faces, none of them are at an awkward moment.
This photo of Darbie is decently lit. It's not red (I hate the red/purple lights).
The photos that are really red or purple are good for one thing though- turning it into a black and white photograph. This photo would not work otherwise.
The Dodos at Studio B
Overall, Northside was a great time - pretty much 4 days of binge drinking free Heineken. Can't wait til next year.
