Jennifer Hudson

April 23, 2009 – Headlining at the Fabulous Fox, Jennifer Hudson brought out the big guns for a sold-out crowd.

Photographer’s Notes:

This was a super quick gig as Jennifer Hudson belted out the first two in the big hall of the Fox Theatre. As per the standard house rules, press shot from the orchestra pit – in the aisles and at the front of the first row at the front of the stage.

Lighting was an interesting mix for this gig, with a blast of white backlighting during the second song. Overall, the lighting for opening act Robin Thicke was more easy to work with, if a little more conventional.
Still, even with the spotlights dimmed, there was still plenty of light on the stage, something that should never be taken for granted in concert photography.

Just as with Robin Thicke’s performance, I shot this with a mix of the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8.

About the author: Todd Owyoung is an internationally published music photographer specializing in concert photography and band portraits. He also grills a mean steak.

Contact Todd for image licensing and assignments wherever the rock show lives. You can also get in touch with Todd via Twitter.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 4:36 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2009, images, jennifer hudson, live, Music Photography, photographer, photography, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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10 Responses to “Jennifer Hudson”

1. Iz says:

   May 5, 2009 at 5:03 pm

   Great shots once again, Todd. I need to get me a 24-70mm glass.

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     May 6, 2009 at 9:09 am

     Hey Iz, thanks for the comment. On full-frame, I think 24-70mm is just about an ideal range for stage-front concert coverage. For cameras with a 1.5x or 1.6x multiplier (APS-sized sensors), the 17-55mm range is great as a midrange zoom.

     Reply
2. Taylor Mahaffey says:

   May 6, 2009 at 9:52 am

   Ok I have a serious question this time:

   On my DX Format D90, I need a good mid range zoom, but would rather get the 24-70 becuase I am one day going to upgrade to FULL FRAME. My question is, will the 24-70 work OK for front stage photography on my DX Camera? I know the 17-55 is better, but i dont see myself with the D90 for too much longer. (moving to the D3, not the D3X) I really dont want to buy two $1k-$2k lenses. I rencently got a good gig at a local venue for a major rock band. What to do?!? I shouldve bought a D700..

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     May 6, 2009 at 2:26 pm

     The short answer is that yes, a 24-70mm on APS will work OK for stage-front shooting – you’re just going to lose out on the wide-angle perspective. It all depends on your shooting style.

     What’s more important to you, saving money or having the right tool for the job right now?

     Reply
3. Todd Owyoung says:

   May 6, 2009 at 3:57 pm

   Jennifer Hudson — Bright lights, two songs, and five years after American Idol: http://is.gd/xfkj

   Reply
4. Iz says:

   May 6, 2009 at 6:19 pm

   Todd, I use a Canon 450D, are you saying it would be best to get a 17-55mm lens instead of a 24-70mm? I will most likely use this camera for quite a few years.

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     May 6, 2009 at 10:56 pm

     Hi Iz,
     For my shooting, I prefer the 17-55mm on an APS camera, simply because I want a wide-to-short-tele range. I simply find it a more utilitarian set of focal lengths. There’s nothing inherently wrong with more reach and less coverage, but I just don’t find it as useful for my work.

     The 17-55mm is designed to approximate the classic midrange zoom range for APS – and then some, because you get even more effective reach.

     Reply
5. Iz says:

   May 7, 2009 at 11:50 am

   Hi Todd,

   Thanks for the info, I will take a look at the 17-55mm lenses and test them out.

   Reply
6. Dennis71 says:

   May 10, 2009 at 10:17 am

   Great shots Todd. Light is everything, that’s for sure.
   The autofocus is very dependable on the light I noticed.

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     May 12, 2009 at 10:39 am

     Hey Dennis, thanks for the comment. Yes, AF doesn’t like too much haze – the more contrast there is, the better for AF lock.

     Reply