Photos: Five Finger Death Punch

Five Finger Death Punch performing at Mayhem Fest 2010 on July 20 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St. Louis (TODD OWYOUNG)

Singer Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch. Was this sweat or just water? I have no idea, but this is why I use neutral filters on my lenses.

Kicking off the party on the main stage, Five Finger Death Punch put on one of the most fun and photogenic performances of Mayhem Fest. To boot, FFDP had some of the “easiest” lighting of the day, with a nice mix of white light and color washes.

Photographer’s Notes:

Five Finger Death Punch were really a lot of fun to photograph, with lots of energy and movement from the band on stage.

Overall, the lighting for these guys was great, though of course the band benefited from the daylight filtering in under the shed for some nice, airy fill. Still, their set was probably one of the easier performances of the day, not because of the lighting, but because of the engagement of the band on stage.

Cameras Used:

Lenses Used:

Lots of stage front action for this set that made the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 the perfect choice on the full-frame Nikon D3. With the exception of picking up drummer Jeremy Spencer, I could have shot this entirely with the midrange 24-70. Speaking of Jeremy Spencer, good luck; he has an absolutely huge drum kit that seems nearly impenetrable at first glance.

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 27th, 2010 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2010, band, concert photographer, five finger death punch, Ivan Moody, Jason Hook, Jeremy Spencer, live, Matt Snell, metal, music, music photographer, photographer, photos, tour, Zoltan Bathory. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

←

→

Daniel Costa says:

July 27, 2010 at 2:20 pm

Hey Todd,

I just love these bands that go out there an deliver it. They play like they always have something to prove and that not only provides a great show to whomever is watching, but it also makes awesome shots.

That 6th shot is sweeeet!

Congrats for, yet another, great set.

Cheers,
Daniel

Todd says:

July 27, 2010 at 3:37 pm

Hey Daniel, thanks for the comment. I agree 100%. They might not have been headlining, but these guys put on a fantastic show – certainly have their live chops down. Thanks again!

Paul H. says:

July 27, 2010 at 3:01 pm

I’ve shot them twice (once here at Rupp Arena and then last week at Mayhem Fest) and LOVED it both times. I can’t say that I like their music all that much, but they put on one hell of a show with a ton of great poses which makes shooting them a pleasure. Their lighting is great!

Todd says:

July 27, 2010 at 3:35 pm

Hey Paul,

Yeah, FFDP do put on a great show. Lots of posing, you’re right – but not to the point where it gets repetitive or stale. Do they always have such good lighting?

Lorraine says:

July 27, 2010 at 3:33 pm

It’s always satisfying to get a good drummer shot!

Jim Milne says:

July 27, 2010 at 3:50 pm

Definitely up there with my favourite bands to photograph, Ivan’s such a nice guy as well. Got to meet him after I shot them at Download Festival in the UK last month.

The title shot is quite unique for them, Lamb of God’s frontman Randy, always drowns himself in water to hair whip all over you. Most photog’s would probably get out of the way, but as you shown it makes an image more interesting.

Todd says:

July 27, 2010 at 3:52 pm

Nice to hear Ivan is a cool guy.

Believe me, I did see the Lamb of God spray. Actually, their frontman came out with a pretty serious pump-action water gun and sprayed the crowd with it a few times during the first three songs. None of the fans complained – it was brutally hot.

Michael Spleet says:

July 27, 2010 at 7:57 pm

“but this is why I use neutral filters on my lenses. ”

Todd this caught my eye. I looked on your gear list and didn’t see any mention of that anywhere.

Can you talk about this?

-Michael

Todd says:

July 27, 2010 at 8:08 pm

Hey Michael,

Good question. I use 72m Nikon NC filters on my lenses (though lots of manufacturers make protection filters). They are clear, colorless filters that are multicoated and which simply act as protection for lenses. They give me peace of mind and clean up in a snap.

Todd Owyoung says:

July 27, 2010 at 8:04 pm

With a name like "Five Finger Death Punch," really – how can you go wrong? http://bit.ly/ahZdvb

Vanessa says:

July 28, 2010 at 7:31 am

Hi Todd, as always great pictures. Seeing these make me change my mind about skipping out on everyone besides Korn and Rob Zombie.

I was wondering if this year they are continuing on with “one photopass” for the entire event. Was there only one photo pass that allowed access to all stages and bands, including headliners? Some times the European festivals don’t allow for that and the big dogs approve or disapprove the photographers list for their set.

Todd says:

July 28, 2010 at 8:47 am

Hey Vanessa,

I’d definitely check out all the main stage acts – Five Finger Death Punch are great to shoot, and Lamb of God are good for a few shots, too, even though their lighting is a lot more tricky.

Yes, there’s just one photo pass for the whole event – no separate passes or approvals for the main bands.

Robert Mullins says:

July 28, 2010 at 8:36 am

Damn Todd!

These shots are epic … some serious rock stars in those shots.

Hope they get to see these …

Todd says:

July 28, 2010 at 8:46 am

Hey Robert,

Thanks very much – yeah, these guys definitely rocked out. Their bass player was particularly fun to shoot.

Todd says:

July 28, 2010 at 6:03 pm

Just wanted to say, thanks for all the comments on this set everyone – didn’t think the photos would be so popular.

Michael Warth says:

July 28, 2010 at 7:57 pm

Thanks for the insight regarding FFDP. I am photographing the Mayhem Fest August 7th and feeling a little nervous. I love the bands and their music but worried about the light changing so much throughout the day. It was refreshing to read the “white lights with a color wash” statement. I’m sure the standard “red” will be a problem later for Korn and Zombie but hey, I won’t complain.

Did they adhere to the 3 songs and out rule?

Mike

Charlie Summerlin says:

July 30, 2010 at 4:13 am

Good Luck on getting shots of Jeremy. I have shot them 2 times in the past and on the second time even worked load in crew so I know how huge that kit is. Unless you can get side stage it is near impossible. Great shots Todd. I am shooting ATL on Sunday

Todd says:

July 31, 2010 at 10:10 am

Hey Charlie, thanks. Yeah, he has a monster kit, especially with those machine guns. Pretty funny/cool drum kit though. I was looking for a good two songs for an angle that would work, between his movement, the monitors, and his kit.

Have fun on Sunday, and good luck!