August 17, 2008 – Performing at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, glam metal veterans Poison brought a raucous, high-energy set to the shed that had fans screaming for the rock of love.
Photographer’s Notes:
Between Bret Michaels, the band, and the enthusiastic fans, this concert was a riot to photograph. Tons of good vibes all around made this a great shoot. The setup for this show made no accommodation for a photo pit, so press packed in around the small semi-circular extension at the center of the stage. While we were packed in with the fans, I felt that the setup still worked out rather well.
The band made good use of the stage and circulated well for a nice variety, including several trips up front by guitarists C.C. DeVille and Bobby Dall. While a more mobile position would have been preferred, the band certainly made it work for fans and photographers alike.
Overall, this was a very, very well lit performance. I shot at a fairly unprecedented ISO 800 at f/4 and 1/500. Even for amphitheater and arena shows, an exposure that “conservative” is rare.
As per the regular modus operandi, I shot this performance with my three zooms: the Nikon 14-24mm, Nikon 24-70mm, and Nikon 70-200mm. The latter was especially useful for Bret Michaels and his trips to the middle and sides of the stage.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 8:31 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2008, band, Bobby Dall, bret michaels, brett michaels, C.C. DeVille, glam, images, live, metal, music, Music Photography, photographer, photos, poison, rock, rock of love, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Photos! Bret Michaels, Poison, and 15,000 fans screaming for the Rock of Love: http://twurl.nl/fwfbdk
Nice set buddy! RT @toddowyoung Photos! Bret Michaels, Poison, and 15,000 fans screaming for the Rock of Love: http://twurl.nl/fwfbdk
RT @toddowyoung Poison | ishootshows.com http://twurl.nl/fwfbdk
I don’t know if I need some fresh air or just scream is enough…
I really LOVE Poison!!!
That’s amazing!!!!
Hey Karina, thanks for the comment. For these guys, at least if the fans at the show were any indication, both fresh air and screaming was entirely necessary for Bret Michaels.
Hi Todd,
You probably know this, but in case you don’t, some of the copyrights listed on these images are 2008 and some are 2009.
Hey David,
Yeah, some of the images were uploaded last year and and some were just done last night. I just ran them through the standard action (now with the 2009 watermark). Thanks for looking out.
i really enjoy your work and i was even more excited to see photos of the crowds hands in your shots on this series. its one thing to be able to see the photos of the performers but so many people focus too much on just the performers and not the experience itself. i recently used a d3 and WOW what a difference that camera makes. i think you should add to your gear guide the d3 being a mandatory piece of equipment, it really does make a HUGE difference!
Hey EV, thanks for the comment. Since I was in with the crowd shooting, I think that made a big difference in capturing some of that interaction with the band.
The D3 is a fantastic camera, isn’t it? A big heavy camera like the D3 isn’t going to turn a novice into a seasoned pro overnight, but having the right tool for the job never hurts. I don’t think there are better cameras for concert photography than the D3 and D700 right now.
I’ve posted the new set to Poison here, just photographed last night:
http://ishootshows.com/2009/07/20/poison-2/
A camera definitely does not make one a better photographer. I mentored with Larry Clark for a long time, now I produce documentaries for him, the first thing he told me was a better camera wont make you a better photographer. That d3 is amazing however, compared to the 5d that I have at least, but I still prefer my old Canon AE 1 with a roll of black and white film, haha, or the Hasselblad!
The “right” or a well-suited camera for any given task isn’t going to make anyone a better photographer; it just makes the work easier.
@LiliForberg lol. Did you see @toddowyoung pics of poison live? http://bit.ly/7fWxPA http://bit.ly/4ZCRWp