July 28, 2009 – It’s just an average Tuesday night with the Jonas Brothers: Joe, Nick, Kevin, and 15,000 of their closest friends.
Photographer’s Notes:
Press shot from the concourse level of the arena for this shoot. The stage is so massive, taking up most of the floor, that we were told the tour preferred media shoot from an elevated position so that we could get better overall coverage of the entire stage. Call me crazy, but I would have loved to be in the pit for this one, even if it meant fewer shots (which was the tour’s concern, as voiced by the Live Nation rep).
As it played out, the higher and much more distant shooting position was good for overall shots, but the large stage and the fact that the Bros were working as many angles as possible still meant that the instance of unique and compelling moments was relatively low anyway.
I shot this set exclusive with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. If you’re shooting this tour, bring a 200-400mm f/4 or a 300mm and a teleconverter. And some earplugs!
The real kicker that made this show a little bittersweet was that last year press were allowed to shoot up close and personal with the Brothers Jonas. The trio puts on a really fun live show that shooting from so far back seemed like a bit of a shame.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 10:06 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with joe, jonas brothers, kevin, live, music, Music Photography, nick, photographer, tour, world. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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An average Tuesday night with the Jonas Brothers: Joe, Nick, Kevin, and 15,000+ of their closest friends. http://bit.ly/9vtpM
GREAT shots
im going to see then august 18th and really wanted to some how get a photo pass but its my birthday so id rather be able to dance and sing :)
awesome shots though!
Hey Alex,
It’s actually a really cool setup that the Jonas Bros have for this tour, so I think you’ll have fun. The shooting spot isn’t great, so just enjoy your birthday rockin’ out. They seem to be allowing in DSLRs to this show, so you can still bring your camera if you want.
oh really?
well if i can get mine in i will take a lot of photos from my seat!
im about 7th row back i think so i should be able to get something decent. cant wait!
do they come off the stage at all and into the crowd?
Alex,
I saw quite a few DSLRs in the venue, so I suspect that your camera should be fine. If you’re 7th row, you’re going to be much closer than I was for this concert. Of course you can’t bring in something like the 70-200mm f/2.8, but I wonder if you could even get away with something like the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6.
The band stayed on the stage for the songs I shot/saw, so I’m not sure about them going into the crowd.
Awesome shots Todd! Love the opening hero shot!! Exemplary work as always mate….
Hey Nathan,
Thanks for the comment. Yup, that first one is definitely the “hero” shot to me, as you said. That was right when the guys first came up on stage – they were mostly lit with a dimmer wash, but there were flashes of bright white light as well.
Hey Todd – I’m an aspiring photog and I’ve been an avid follower of you’re site for a while. Very inspiring!
Did you happen to get any shots of the opening band Honor Society?
-ashley
Hey Ashley,
Thanks for the kind words. I did photograph Honor Society, but am not sure if I’ll be posting those shots. Stay tuned, though!
Todd I also saw a dslr in the crowd that some mom was using. She of course had the flash on shooting on P lol.
Just a warning though, if you signed the release it had a copyrights grab in it. That’s why I didnt flickr my shots, I have copyright because I shoot for a daily and they modified the contract so I hold all copyright, but still didnt want to chance anything.
Our shooting was a tad bit differn’t though. The stage was taller, we were on a riser on the floor next to the sound guy, there was a crane blocking our shot from there so after the first song the tour PR guy took us up front where we were allowed to shoot songs 2 & 3. There wasn’t alot of opportunity for group jonas shots so down there I just shot close up singles. It actually would have been a better spot to shoot the first song because all the guys are standing so close together for it. But they didn’t know how it would be, hence why they put yall up higher now I guess.
There was some good back lighting opportunity when shooting from down front. Worst moment was when some inconsiderate photographer stuck his camera up in a jonas brothers face and shot blindly ruining one of my shots that i had taken the time to frame in my viewfinder. Pretty sure it was a wireimage shooter too. It was the first show so they had everyone out there. Because Texas shooters dont act rude like that.
The fans were well behaved though at ours and stood back by their seats, so we had the run of 1/4th of the stage, which was actually pretty big. Not like in your pictures where they are all against the stage.
Hey Rachel,
Thanks for the info on your shoot, that’s interesting to hear that the tour moved you to a different spot. That’s great that you got to shoot up front. I know that group shots were a concern of the tour. I was told that the tour wanted us up where we were so that we could get nice overalls/group shots, and that if we were on the floor, it would have been more just a few individuals, as you said.
The tour photographer seems to be contributing to WireImage – he has photos from most of the dates uploaded there, which I noticed when I was doing research.
That last one is AWESOME :) nice one
Hey Dan, thanks for the comment.
An average Tuesday night with the Jonas Brothers: Joe, Nick, Kevin, and 15,000+ of their closest friends. http://bit.ly/9vtpM
Good info Todd! I passed this along to the house photog that will be shooting that show at the venue I work at. Concourse level sounds pretty crazy. It would have be cool to have shot from the floor with all of those fans reaching toward the stage. You did a good job of still captured that with your shots though, nice work!
Hey Paul,
Tell your photographer to bring a long lens! This show is actually a nice one for the setup, too, so if you can swing some overall venue shots, that could be a nice marketing shot for you as well. Thanks for the comment.
hey Todd
Great stuff as always … my two faves are shot 2# and shot 4# I would love to see those in B&W as well
Hey Corey, thanks for the comment and your picks.
I’m not a fan, but your shots are great considering the restricted position. I agree that you nailed the last one – I especially like the 2 security guys looking at each other as if to say “what did we get ourselves into?” And fan or not, it’s a job.
Luckily, you don’t have to hear the music to appreciate the photos.
Yeah their tour photographer has been doing that for ages now. Funny thing, he’s not that good. Like I’m amazed at how some people get on tour then are given free reign to shoot from where they please and they are just ok shooters. Like a really big name portrait/cd cover shooter who went out with a certain oops i did it again popstar and then did a horrible job.
I think that I actually saw one of the band’s photographers, or at least someone on the tour with a camera. He was a young guy with a walkie and tour credentials with a Canon DSLR. He walked out from the concourse to where the other press photog and I were and then turned around.
Maybe he was just sent from the tour to verify our position and approve it.
“And some earplugs!”
LOL!
yeah.. that would definitely come in handy..
and i believe it was for the best if you stayed off the pit.. you’d probably be eaten alive by those crazed fans
Hi Ariel,
I wear earplugs for every show! It’s important. For the best shots, I’ll fight even fans of the Jonas Brothers.
Todd –
I hope you do post the Honor Society pics. I’m friends with the guys and I would be completely tickled seeing your photos of them!
-Ashley
Hey Ashley,
Let me see what I can do.
GREAT SHOTS !!! probably the best i have seen on the 09 tour !
not many photographers managed to get all 3 in the same shot.
i agree with –the 08 tour was better shooting.
Hey Nelson,
Thanks for the comment. The band is together at the beginning of the set and then again at one point during the third song, I think. The circular platform they’re on rotates, so they just stand still and they do a full 360º at one point.
I’d been waiting to see your shots from this tour and they do not disappoint. I’ll have my critic’s hat on covering this show, and your pics helped get me jazzed for it. I’ll also make sure I pass this post and all the comments on to whoever shoots for us, because it’ll be very useful information.
Your work is GREAT! We went to the St Louis show and I had my DSLR in the car not thinking I’d get it in. After I got in I saw a bunch of people with theirs so I went back to the car and brought mine in too. Got some okay shots. Going to Nashville to see them again and hoping to get my camera again – different angle this time.
Can I ask what settings you use when you’re shooting concerts? The lighting changes so fast. Do you set a custom WB? Shutter speed? ISO? I’m a natural light photographer so concerts are a challenge for me.
Thanks!
i am fan of the Jonas Brothers. they are very cool, handsome and they perform very well in live concerts too.
the Jonas Brothers is awesome, the sing well and they are very handsome. I love to watch their live concerts.
Jonas Brothers is the coolest band i know. Joe Jonas is quite handsome and he has a great voice too.