Co-headlining the Halloween Hootenanny and the return of the Gruesome Twosome with Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper brought the big theatrics in a performance that left no doubt that the King of Shock Rock still reigned supreme.
Photographer’s Notes:
It was a true thrill to photograph Alice Cooper on the Halloween Hootenanny Tour teamed up with Rob Zombie. It’s a little incredible to me that someone who’s been in the music business for so long still allows photographs front-stage access when pop divas are turning to soundboard restrictions.
In case there was any doubt: Cooper’s still got it. Tons of theatrics and props from the King of Shock Rock, and lots of energy.
Cameras Used:
Lenses Used:
For this set, I used a little bit of everything. For the two songs, I switched in between the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 pretty frequently. When Alice Cooper was close, he was a prime midrange zoom target, but he also moved to the midstage quite a bit, meaning the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 was indispensable.
I pulled out the ultra-wide Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 when Cooper took to the bass stacks in the pit during the third song. Other than that, there were just a few other one-off instances where I used the lens – For the most part, the 24mm of the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 worked just fine for the wide needs of this show.
End Notes:
Stay tuned for the full set of Rob Zombie coming up. In the meantime, check out images of the Murderdolls, who kicked off the Halloween Hootenanny.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 at 12:01 am and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2010, alice cooper, concert photography, halloween hootenanny, images, music photographer, music photography, shock rock, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Photos: Alice Cooper @ The Halloween Hootenanny: Co-headlining the Halloween Hootenanny and the return of the… http://goo.gl/fb/6aXCn
Hey Todd! Consistency good as always. I was wondering though is it possible to shoot a performance without that slight upward camera perspective?
Alice Cooper has aged O_O.
- Melly
Hey Melly, thanks for the comment.
The angle all depends on the stage and the sort of angles you can use.
You can minimize the angle if you can shoot with a telephoto from a distance. This shooting position will decrease the sharpness of the angle, while the telephoto will give more compression.
However, for the most part, you’re shooting these arena shows with a 4-5 stage, with just a few feet to back up.
So wish i could shoot Alice again, 2 years extra experience, better kit etc… Still one of the best performers around
All the best
Benji
Hey Benji,
Alice Cooper is a great performer, no doubt. I’d love another crack at him, too. Thanks for the comment.
Studded leather, the King of Shock Rock & more outfit changes than @LadyGaga. Photos: Alice Cooper http://bit.ly/9sAcVA
RT @toddowyoung: Studded leather, the King of Shock Rock & more outfit changes than @LadyGaga. Photos: Alice Cooper http://bit.ly/9sAcVA
Really nice!
And i like your photographer’s notes!
Hope, i can learn a lot from you…
And often I get new ideas here.
Thanx, best regards,
Karlo
Hey RKS, thanks for the kind notes. Hope you’ll be back soon.
Alice Cooper en el lente de Todd Owyoung http://is.gd/g11qk
Great shots of an absolute legend Todd. The shot with him and the cane (9th from the top) is just a brilliant shot man.
Hey Kevin, thanks very much. That cane Cooper used was great for shooting – always nice to have a prop like that, though it can be tough to compose for, also.
I’m so envious! I would love the chance to shoot Alice Cooper. I used to run into him all over the place when I lived in Phoenix. Fantastic photos.
I hear so many shooters complaining about all red scenes but it’s those bloody full magenta washes that drive me crazy.
Once again killer stuff Todd. You’ve got me lusting after a FF body.
Hey Clayton, thanks for the comment. I don’t mind Magenta too much, as those are actually decent to bend into something that looks alright. It’s only full-on red, blue, or green that’s worse for me.
FF is amazing. That’s all I can say right now.
Awesome shots. I met the Coop a few years back with a back stage ticket. Was one of the best moments ever. Such a great artist and a legend.
Hes coming to my town in a couple months and Im gonna try to shoot his show, hopefully.