April 13, 2009 – Fresh off the arena-busting Rock Band Live Tour, Plain White T’s took a more intimate approach with their Three Part Harmony Tour, giving their fans the triple-threat of rock, acoustic, and fan-favorites. Led by the animated Tom Higgenson, the Chicago rockers came out of the gates roaring.
“Hey There Delilah”
“1, 2, 3, 4″
Hate (I Really Don’t LIke You)
Photographer’s Notes:
Going into this show, I was curious about the lighting. While I didn’t dare hope for the big, bright lights the band received on the Rock Band Live Tour, I had my fingers crossed for a stage treatment that would do the band justice. I had such a great time shooting the band the last time around that I was looking forward to see what their current tour would bring.
As expected, the lighting for this show was much dimmer and more intimate than it was for the band’s arena show. Heavy haze and deeply-colored backlighting dominated the mix, while warm light filtered in from the front. I ended up shooting wide open with the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 on the D3 for the majority of the allotted time of the first three songs, very occasionally switching to the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 on the D700.
Just as the previous time I shot PWT’s, frontman Tom Higgenson was a great subject for the lens. Due to the much lower light levels, his quick movements added to the challenge of the event, but it was more than worth the added difficulty. Continuous AF was a huge boon for this show and made tracking all the easier. Even with the sluggish AF of the older lens, the D3 proved a champ in this regard.
End Notes:
Big thanks to Sharrin for setting this one up. I don’t know if I was able to top the Rock Band Live shots, but I sure did try!
This entry was posted on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 11:07 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2009, hey there delilah, images, Music Photography, pageant, photography, photos, plain white t's, st. louis, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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The Plain White T’s – Sometimes you just have to shoot wide open with the 50mm f/1.4 at ISO 2500 to make it happen: http://is.gd/smhV
Last photo is the winner, followed by the 2nd photo, from your selective shots.
Thanks for your picks, Shiro!
These are glorious, Todd. You definitely made the best of a rough situation. I love the energy in the leading shot.
And thanks for posting this so quickly. Like I said yesterday, I’m hoping for the hometown hero effect with brighter lights here, but if not, at least I’ll be prepared :)
Hey Tasha, hope the notes help. Let me know if you would like to know anything else, though you’ve shot these guys before so I’m sure you’ll be well prepared.
Tom was really fun to shoot (though also incredibly tough, also, due to the lights), but I like a challenge!
This shoot also reminded me of how much I like the look of primes on the D3. Or more accurately, how much I like how fast glass can open up a scene and create a look that’s much different than what f/2.8 (slow shutter speeds excluded) would allow for.
The Plain White T’s – Sometimes you just have to shoot wide open with the 50mm f/1.4 at ISO 2500 to make it happen: http://is.gd/smhV