Returning to the Pageant, pop punk princes All Time Low rocked a sold out house with support from Yellowcard and Hey Monday on the Dirty Work Tour 2011.

All Time Low – “Weightless”

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

• Nikon D3
• Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

All Time Low are an interesting shoot. On the one hand, you have a presence like Jack Barakat, who flits around the stage and takes ample advantage of risers, monitors, and speakers. On the other hand, the band seems to love spastic, colorful lighting blasting in from the back of the stage.

Still, at the end of the allotted three songs, I have to say. Barakat: 1; crazy backlighting lighting: 0.

This just goes to show that some of the best and most compelling light that dazzles crowds doesn’t always translate for still images – especially when you have a subject like Jack Barakat to chase around.

Regardless of the challenging lighting, this was a fun gig. If you’re shooting it, be sure to catch Jack on the risers with the uplighting – that’s your best bet for consistent lighting on him. But catch him if you can!

Spread The Love

Like these images? Order prints by clicking through from the slideshow below or the images above.

Buy Yourself Something Nice

Do you buy stuff? Do you buy camera stuff? If this article or any other content on www.ishootshows.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and grabbing your next photo gear purchase through one of my affiliate links:

• B&H Photo
• Amazon.com
• BorrowLenses.com

Simply clicking through either B&H or Amazon.com here for your purchases helps me bring you free content like the photography tips and gear reviews regularly posted on www.ishootshows.com, and naturally it doesn’t cost you a cent more. If you do grab some gear, drop me a line! I’d love to hear about what you picked up.

Comments & Feedback? Let ‘em rip.

Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought of this post.

I have to admit – the energy & vibe for Tiësto’s show at the Pageant could go toe to toe with any arena rock show. Here’s a preview from tonight’s show.

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

• Nikon D3

Lenses Used:

• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

The head shot was made at f/2.8 and 1/160 at ISO 1600 with the Nikon D3 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. While I came prepared with a monopod and wireless shutter release in preparation for a repeat of the Girl Talk conditions, this show was a breeze by comparison.

Stay tuned for the full image set and shooting notes!

Comments & Feedback? Let ‘em rip.

Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought of this post.

Spread The Love

Like these images? Order prints by clicking through from the slideshow below or the images above.

Buy Yourself Something Nice

Do you buy stuff? Do you buy camera stuff? If this article or any other content on www.ishootshows.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and grabbing your next photo gear purchase through one of my affiliate links:

• B&H Photo
• Amazon.com
• BorrowLenses.com

Simply clicking through either B&H or Amazon.com here for your purchases helps me bring you free content like the photography tips and gear reviews regularly posted on www.ishootshows.com, and naturally it doesn’t cost you a cent more. If you do grab some gear, drop me a line! I’d love to hear about what you picked up.

The Legends of Hip Hop Tour 2011 rolled through the Chaifetz Arena along with some of hip hop’s earliest and most influential artists, including Kool Moe Dee, Doug E. Fresh, Salt ‘n Pepa, Biz Markie, Kurtis Blow, and MC Lyte.

Kool Moe Dee

Biz Markie

Kurtis Blow

MC Lyte

Doug E. Fresh

Salt ‘n Pepa

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

• Nikon D3
• Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

The Legends of Hip Hop was a smaller arena show as far as these types of events go, but I think the format worked pretty well for the acts. The stage was pleasantly low, at just 3-feet or so, with several monitors spread out along the front of the stage.

Light from the front consisted entirely of spotlights, while at the back of the stage there was a very small array of gelled lights. There were also some vertical arrays at the sides of the stage, but for the most part these didin’t really come into play.

Thanks to the relatively abundant spotlights, I shot at a comfortable ISO 1600 with a high shutter speed. While I could have shot at ISO 800, I preferred keeping my shutter speed as high as possible to help freeze the motion on stage. Since the high ISO performance of the D3 and D700 is so good anyway, shooting at ISO 1600 never elicited a second thought.

For this set, I used the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 on the Nikon D3 and used the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 on the Nikon D700. While I packed the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 was well, I found that 24mm on full-frame was wide enough for my needs.

There was no barricade at this show, only a wide gap between the seats on the arena floor and the stage. This all worked out just fine until Salt ‘n Pepa got ready to take the stage and their DJ instructed people to come to front of their stage. Great for fans, bad for photographers. Still, everything worked out.

Shooting restrictions for this show was the first two songs of every artist. While I’d have loved more shooting time, I was actually thankful for a two-song limit because it meant shooting for each act was kept short. Since the lighting didn’t really change from song to song, this imposition made for refreshingly quick editing after the event – a definite plus.

Comments & Feedback? Let ‘em rip.

Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought of this post.

Spread The Love

Like these images? Order prints by clicking through from the slideshow below or the images above.

Buy Yourself Something Nice

Do you buy stuff? Do you buy camera stuff? If this article or any other content on www.ishootshows.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and grabbing your next photo gear purchase through one of my affiliate links:

• B&H Photo
• Amazon.com
• BorrowLenses.com

Simply clicking through either B&H or Amazon.com here for your purchases helps me bring you free content like the photography tips and gear reviews regularly posted on www.ishootshows.com, and naturally it doesn’t cost you a cent more. If you do grab some gear, drop me a line! I’d love to hear about what you picked up.

Simply put, Flogging Molly probably put on one of the most entertaining live shows around, in no small part due to the seemingly limitless energy of singer Dave King.

I’ve photographed Flogging Molly a couple times over the last few years, and every time it’s been a joy. As mentioned previously, Dave King is one of the primary reasons – he’s just a great subject. Whether he’s flicking off photographers, hoisting up a can of Guinness, or just rocking out, King is the king.

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

• Nikon D3
• Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

This show was great – if you’ve never photographed or seen Flogging Molly live before, add them to your bucket list.

I shot this show with the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 on the Nikon D3 as my main setup, with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 on the Nikon D700 as the secondary. One of the main reasons for favoring the 24-70mm was Dave King’s frequent trips to front of the stage between the gap in the monitors just to his left.

Lighting wasn’t super bright from the front and overall the treatment wasn’t as “big” as it was the pas two years, but the general look was bright enough to shoot at ISO 3200 at f/2.8 comfortably.

Comments & Feedback? Let ‘em rip.

Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought of this post.

Spread The Love

Like these images? Order prints by clicking through from the slideshow below or the images above.

Buy Yourself Something Nice

Do you buy stuff? Do you buy camera stuff? If this article or any other content on www.ishootshows.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and grabbing your next photo gear purchase through one of my affiliate links:

• B&H Photo
• Amazon.com
• BorrowLenses.com

Simply clicking through either B&H or Amazon.com here for your purchases helps me bring you free content like the photography tips and gear reviews regularly posted on www.ishootshows.com, and naturally it doesn’t cost you a cent more. If you do grab some gear, drop me a line! I’d love to hear about what you picked up.

If you want a band that keeps you on your toes, look no farther than Dropkick Murphys. I’m surprised singer Al Barr didn’t wear a groove in the stage from  his constant pacing at the front to a packed house of four-thousand raised fists.

The energy of Dropkick Murphys is a real force, both in the audience and on stage. It’s impossible not to grin a bit and get caught up in that kind of  infectious energy. Between the band’s ferocious attack on stage to the wall of singing fans on the  barricade, this set was a blast to shoot.

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

• Nikon D3
• Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

• Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

This show started off with a big bang from the blinders at the back of the stage, which, as a music photographer, I had to love.

Technically, this show was a pretty good challenge. Singer Al Barr’s constant pacing kept photographers on their toes, while the rest of the band was back behind a fat line of monitors.

For this show, I made the executive decision to focus most of my time and energy on Barr, and I played zone defense to his perpetual movement. To this end, the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 was my go-to lens, while the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 came into play for quick shots here and there.

I shot at ISO 3200 for most of the first and second songs, dropping down to ISO 1600 for the last and brightest song of the three-song limit.

Comments & Feedback? Let ‘em rip.

Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought of this post.

Spread The Love

Like these images? Order prints by clicking through from the slideshow below or the images above.

Buy Yourself Something Nice

Do you buy stuff? Do you buy camera stuff? If this article or any other content on www.ishootshows.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and grabbing your next photo gear purchase through one of my affiliate links:

• B&H Photo
• Amazon.com
• BorrowLenses.com

Simply clicking through either B&H or Amazon.com here for your purchases helps me bring you free content like the photography tips and gear reviews regularly posted on www.ishootshows.com, and naturally it doesn’t cost you a cent more. If you do grab some gear, drop me a line! I’d love to hear about what you picked up.