Jack’s Mannequin

July 3, 2009 – Opening up for The Fray, Andrew McMahon crushed the ivories with Jack’s Mannequin to deliver a high-energy set of amped up piano rock.

Photographer’s Notes:

For me, Jack’s Mannequin is always a difficult shoot due to Andrew McMahon’s setup with his mics and piano. Of course, I like a challenge.

McMahon’s use of two microphone’s creates a more engaging live show in that he can sing towards the audience as well as sing facing the piano, but the dual mics also create a lot of compositional challenges. In particular, the front-facing mic creates an obstacle in shooting, so some effort has to me made to get clear shots.

When he’s using the front mic, I’ve found that some of the best shots of McMahon come from shooting down-stage, along the arm of the stand, though this requires a little timing, since he favors the mic coming over his piano.

In addition to the mics, one other consideration for this set was the height of the stage and the placement of Andrew’s monitor. These elements combined to create a more narrow range of clear shots, especially considering the front mic.

Lighting for this set was a mix of color washes and accent lighting from the back, with a heavy emphasis on greens and purples during the first two songs.

I shot this performance with the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8.

Still want more Andrew McMahon? Here are links to sets from the other shows of Jack’s Mannequin that I’ve photographed over the last year:

Jack’s Mannequin @ the Chaifetz Arena

Jack’s Mannequin @ the Pageant

Jack’s Mannequin @ Warped Tour 2008

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, July 7th, 2009 at 4:28 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2009, andrew mcmahon, Jack's Mannequin, jm, live, music, Music Photography, photographer, photography, something corporate, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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11 Responses to “Jack’s Mannequin”

1. craig ferguson says:

   July 7, 2009 at 7:36 pm

   RT @toddowyoung Jack’s Mannequin | ishootshows.com http://tinyurl.com/mkq9h3

   Reply
2. Todd Owyoung says:

   July 7, 2009 at 8:22 pm

   With Andrew McMahon crushing the ivories, it’s hard to make a bad shot. Aside from dodging his two mics, that is: http://tinyurl.com/mkq9h3

   Reply
3. craig ferguson says:

   July 8, 2009 at 2:36 am

   RT @toddowyoung Jack’s Mannequin | ishootshows.com http://tinyurl.com/mkq9h3

   Reply
4. Corey says:

   July 8, 2009 at 8:55 am

   hey man I know what you mean man I shoot him a few months ago and it is a big challenge …. but I think you did a great job …. its always hard to do piano acts with out a bit of stage access

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     July 8, 2009 at 9:18 am

     Hey Corey,

     Thanks for the comment. Jack’s is always hard, but I think this might have been the weirdest shoot due to the stage setup. Anyway, still a fun show to cover. Cheers.

     Reply
5. Corey says:

   July 8, 2009 at 9:56 am

   oooo and hey I think I might be going to that show tonight after all … so maybe I can catch up with you for a few min’s or something

   Reply
6. Chris says:

   July 8, 2009 at 4:23 pm

   Great photos.

   I want that man’s babies.

   Reply
7. Jessie says:

   July 8, 2009 at 4:58 pm

   i love the first one.. the light is amazing..amazing detail.. and the arm hair.. lol

   Reply
8. Natalie says:

   August 19, 2009 at 6:33 am

   RT @toddowyoung Jack’s Mannequin | ishootshows.com http://tinyurl.com/mkq9h3 – Awesome Pics from my favorite band in the whole wide world.

   Reply
9. Natalie says:

   November 16, 2009 at 10:38 pm

   I absolutely love the photos that you took of Andrew of Jack’s Mannequin. I saw him during this tour with the Fray, and none of my shots turned out at all. Therefore, I’m glad that you are such a talented photographer and took these.(At least, I’ll have some memories.) Have you ever tried catching him jumping on the ivories? I think that would be a difficult, but attainable challenge for you.

   Reply
   • Todd says:

     November 17, 2009 at 11:03 am

     Hey Natalie,

     Thanks for the comment, glad to hear you like the shots. I don’t think Andrew jumped on the keys during the songs that we were allotted, but I would love the opportunity!

     Reply