Primes vs Zooms For Event Photography
The eternal dichotomies. Good vs Evil. Night vs Day. Nikon vs Canon. Primes vs Zooms. When it comes to available light event photography, the photographer is often pulled between constraints – the two biggest of which are limited access and limited lighting. As a result, we’re also often split between the solutions to these problems [...]
Photo: Bright Eyes @ The Pageant
I have to say – I was really surprised by just how great the lighting turned out to be for Bright Eyes at the Pageant. This was a hugely anticipated show on a lot of levels, and at least from a production standpoint, Connor Oberst and company didn’t disappoint.
Photos: The National @ Scottrade Center
Opening for Arcade Fire on The Suburbs Tour, The National put on a fantastic set of their signature smoldering brand of indie rock. The highlight of the set occurred near the end of the band’s set, when singer Matt Berninger jumped down from the stage – mic in hand – crossed the entire arena floor, [...]
Photos: Nicki Minaj, I Am Still Music Tour
Nicki Minaj is arguably the most visually exciting act on Lil Wayne’s I Am Still Music Tour. With an outrageous wig, a screaming constume, and fantastically bright lights, I have to say that it may be well worth photographing this show just for Minaj’s stage antics. Which, I should say, are considerable.
Photos: Reel Big Fish @ The Pageant
Taking the stage after Suburban Legends and The Aquabats, Reel Big Fish closed down the Pageant with a infectiously fun set. With plenty of mugging, general goofiness, and the entire venue singing along, this was an undeniably live set.
How to Photograph Drummers
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the very first pieces of music photography advice I ever received was simply, “Don’t forget the drummer.” It came not from another photographer, but from a guitarist in a band I’d befriended when I first started shooting concerts. I was hanging out with the band in their dressing room before [...]
Photos: The Architects @ The Pageant
Opening for Flogging Molly’s 2010 stop at The Pageant, the Architects played a tight set that was a fantastic way to start off the night.
5 Tips For Changing Lenses Faster
Whether you’re shooting live music photography, weddings or any photography that involves quick response, fleeting moments and a limited period in which to execute, changing DSLR lenses is practically a necessity for any event to ensure the best and broadest coverage. While landscape photographers and macro shooters may have the luxury of leisurely lens changes, [...]
Photos: The Avett Brothers & BR-549
Last night marked the 5-year anniversary of shooting my first concert. I wrote a bit about the show in my post titled “Becoming A Concert Photographer,” but I thought I’d take some time to do a proper post about this show, as well as post images from the gig – The Avett Brothers supporting BR-549 with [...]
Preview: Story of the Year @ The Pageant
While I don’t normally post crowd photos as the lead, I have to give it up to the fans present at the Story of the Year show at the Pageant this past weekend – they were rocking as hard as the band. As frontman Dan Marsala said as he looked out over the 2,300 fans [...]
Photos: Eric Benét @ The Fox
After Kandi warmed up the stage and kicked off the night, R&B singer Eric Benét threw down a smooth performance that had the ladies of the audience dancing in the aisles. I love photographing performers with Benét’s charisma and command of the spotlight – it makes my job easy.
The Best Music Photography Tips
Last month, I posted 6 Tips Every New Music Photographer Should Know. These basic tips and pieces of advice were geared more toward getting into live music photography in general and dispelling some myths about what it takes to be a music photographer. Since we’re kicking off a new year, I’d like to change the [...]
The Best of ishootshows.com 2010
Education and sharing what I know has always been a big part of www.ishootshows.com. As we head into 2011, here are some of the articles and pieces I enjoyed sharing with you all this past year.
Best Music Photography of 2010
2010 has come to a close, and it’s been a fantastic year. Heading into the new year, I thought I’d put together some of my favorite images from the past year, from small club shows to sold-out arenas.
2010 Photo Pass Awards
What does a year for a freelance live music photographer look like? Pretty much like the above snapshot. As 2010 comes to a close, I thought I’d take a snapshot of my photo passes from the past year. All in all, I photographed about 110 individual concerts and a handful of festivals. The above photo shows [...]
Nikon D7000 – High ISO Samples
As I tweeted earlier, the new Nikon D7000 is on-deck. A full review is coming, but first I thought I’d share a few high ISO samples from tonight’s El Monstero show at the Pageant, for which I used the D7000 exclusively. A 100% crop after the jump.
6-Tips Every New Music Photographer Should Know
I receive a lot of email from aspiring music photographers. One of the most common requests from young or beginning music photographers is for advice on starting out. In response, here’s my open “letter” to all new music photographers with six tips and pieces of advice for anyone just starting out.
The Best P&S Cameras – Late 2010 Edition
Everyone has to start somewhere, and countless music photographers working in the photo pits started out as fans in the crowd. Point & shoot cameras have the advantage of being compact, unobtrusive, and relatively inexpensive. Here’s a look at three quality point and shoots for the budding live music photographer that were introduced in 2010.
Preview: Usher @ The OMG Tour 2010
Here are two preview images from Usher’s 2010 OMG Tour, which stormed the Scottrade Center last Friday. Though a late contender, I have to say that the OMG Tour is definitely one of the most visually compelling and most fun shoots of the year. Also: Usher can fly – hit the full post for the [...]
Photos: Ogre You Asshole @ The Pageant
There are just some shows where primes are a necessity, even with high ISO. Maybe the Nikon D3s could have pulled this show off with f/2.8 zooms and ISO 12800, but I wholeheartedly say that ISO 3200 and f/1.4 primes on the Nikon D3 was a lifesafer photographing Japanese indie rock band Ogre You Asshole.
Photos: Lifehouse @ The Pageant
After Kris Allen’s performance, it was time for the main event: Lifehouse at the Pageant.
Photos: Kris Allen @ The Pageant
I love when performers go to the edge of the stage to give fans some love at the start of the show, as Kris Allen did on the big stage of the Pageant. The fans love it, it makes for great images, and it completely changing the show right out of the gate. Kris Allen [...]
Photos: Justin Bieber @ Scottrade Center
This show was a little insane. First of all, there are the 14,000+ screaming fans filling the Scottrade arena. Then there’s the 6′+ stage and a very narrow (single file) photo pit. And then there’s the fact that Justin Bieber could probably have a pretty good career in track if he weren’t one of the [...]
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