Brad Paisley

June 18, 2009 – Touring with Jimmy Wayne and Dierks Bentley on the American Saturday Night Tour 2009, country singer Brad Paisley brought the party to full tilt with a lively and lighthearted set.

Photographer’s Notes:

The shooting rules for this set were the second and third songs, no flash. As mentioned in the write-up for Dierks Bentley, this tour features three ramps extending out from the main stage: one central catwalk and then two from the sides of the stage.

The first song was performed by Paisley solo at the end of the central ramp, which is when I shot the last in the above set.

Due to the ramps cutting through the pit crowd, photographers had to pick a side to shoot from – house right or house left. I chose house right, but due to Brad Paisley’s movement during the first three songs, I think any spot is as good as any.

For what it’s worth, Paisley seemed to favor stage right when he left the mic to play out over the crowd. Regardless of which side of the stage you pick, this is a really quick show, so be prepared.

Paisley’s mic is set back relatively far from the front of the stage, so the clear angles to the singer can seem limited at times. Since there is no photo pit for this tour, if you’re shooting, you’re in with the fans. Once the band gets going, you’re going, movement is going to be limited, so you may be best off sticking to one spot.

I photographed this show with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 as my primary lens, with help from the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and 14-24mm 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 Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 9:06 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with brad paisley, images, music, Music Photography, paisley party, photographer, photography, photos, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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9 Responses to “Brad Paisley”

1. Lvynne says:

   June 22, 2009 at 9:37 pm

   Hi Todd,

   I’ve been visiting this site for awhile now, and I think that you are a very very talented photographer. You really love your work that it shines through! I’ve been meaning to write you a comment but I couldn’t find the right words. And I still can’t haha. I originally wanted to be a photographer, now I’m a designer, but now I figured I want to be a concert photographer someday, thanks to ya! You’re very inspiring, helpful and accomodating. Very professional. Keep up the good work, more power, and enjoy your tea. Lvynne.

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     June 22, 2009 at 9:44 pm

     Hi Lvynne,

     Thanks for the first-time comment, I really appreciate it, and thanks for the kind words. I’m glad to hear you enjoy the work. I hope you’ll keep visiting and commenting. Cheers!

     Reply
2. Paul says:

   June 22, 2009 at 11:17 pm

   Hi Todd,
   Thanks for the inside scoop on your experience in shooting these images. I enjoy hearing what your experiences are from the photo pit.
   Great shots once again!
   Paul

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     June 23, 2009 at 9:02 am

     Hey Paul,

     Glad to hear you enjoyed the write-up for this set of photos, thanks for the comment.

     Reply
3. Todd Owyoung says:

   June 23, 2009 at 3:09 am

   Images – Brad Paisley, a couple of custom Fenders, and amphitheater full of fans bring on the party: http://bit.ly/AL6eA

   Reply
4. Mike S. says:

   June 23, 2009 at 2:10 pm

   Todd-

   I’ll start with the well deserved echo of everyone’s praise/gratitude for your seemingly selfless effort at helping others, and sharing your insights and experiences with shooting shows. It really is unique.

   One thing that occured to me when I looked over the Paisely shoot was the dramatic shift in energy and emotional expression from band-to-band or show-to-show. Not shockingly, the stand alone cowboy is going to provide less drama then Steven Tyler, but I was wondering if there are any techniques you use, or strategies you follow to try to maximize the images you capture when you know the “show” will be different from night to night? Not to mention keep your own interest and focus.

   Thanks again for the ongoing dialogue, I mainly shoot small dark clubs, and of course would welcome any feedback on my port (pa.photoshelter.com/c/viscereview)…but then you’ve heard that 1000 times a day!

   Happy shooting-
   MS

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     June 26, 2009 at 10:33 am

     Hi Mike,

     Thanks for the kind words. I’m happy to help when I can, and I’m glad if the info is useful or interesting to you all.

     Regarding strategies to maximize impact, I think a lot of it comes down to timing. A set of concert photographs like this is editorial in nature. While there are some objective elements, the viewer ultimately sees what the photographer shows. It’s the photographer’s job to tell the story of a concert like this, but by selecting certain moments to emphasize, a photographer’s vision can be a big part of the experience of the images.

     Reply
5. Brad says:

   June 26, 2009 at 10:14 am

   The last photo is great – seemingly iconic. To me what makes it great is the juxtaposition with the timeless pose and how modern it is: Paisley’s fancy-pants designer jeans and the two wireless mic transmitters, one at the small of his back and the other on his guitar strap. It says a lot about modern country music.

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     June 26, 2009 at 10:37 am

     Hey Brad,

     Thanks for the comment. Country shows are big business, and among those with the highest production levels that I’ve seen. Paisley’s tour had multiple screens showing videos throughout the show, it was quite the sight. Not to mention all the ramps he and the other acts utilized to engage the audience.

     While you can’t see Paisley’s face, with the backlighting with the spotlights and pose, I knew I had to end with that shot.

     Reply