Opening for Feist in a sold-out performance, singer-songwriter and fellow Canadian Hayden crafted a quietly insistent set accompanied by a deep palette of reds, blues, and purples.
Taking turns between an upright piano and his worn Gibson, and playing the harmonica with both, the soft-spoken singer wove his music in the small, solitary movements of an old soul on stage.
In his 45-minute set, Hayden charmed the audience with songs of a burglaries, a security guard with disarming felicity with folding paper, and one tune he introduced as written with the intent of being irritatingly catchy.
Photographer’s Notes:
Arriving at the venue, I was informed by staff that there was no photo pit. Luckily, I arrived early enough to beat the rush and secured a fairly prime spot along the front of the stage.
While I was positioned for Feist’s mic center stage, my sight lines for Hayden, who set up stage-left, weren’t that bad. Also, the crowd was thin enough that I could move around a little at this point, something that wasn’t possible during Feist’s set.
Lighting:
Foreshadowing the lighting to come, Hayden was lit very simply with dim white light from the front and a few color washes that lit up the screen at the back of the stage.
While he played at the piano, the frontlighting disappeared and the key light on the singer was a pair of yellow lamps set up on the top of the instrument.
Overall the lighting on Hayden was not very bright, but the simplicity and interesting color contrasts were great from this photographer’s perspective.
Exposure & Metering:
While he played guitar, I shot Hayden at about 1/200 and f/2.8 at ISO 6400, and brought this up in post by about 1/2-EV. Seated at the piano, I toned down the ISO to 3200 for some shots, due to the close proximity of the yellow lamps and their relative intensity.
Lenses & Gear:
I shot this set exclusively with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR on the Nikon D3. The reach of the telephoto was entirely essential for this set, and actually proved to be the perfect range, given the singer’s removed position.
6 Comments Add your own
1. Bryan | April 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
You always get the best back lighting at shows haha. Nice job!
2. Todd | April 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Hey Bryan,
Sometimes I see stuff from gigs in Europe and elsewhere, and I think the lighting techs are holding out on us over here in the States. But othertimes, it does work out.
I guess that just goes that lighting can vary drastically from venue to venue.
Thanks for the feedback.
3. tom | April 24th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Todd, this is yet another incredible set, one where I can’t seem to pick a fave because I love them all. You definitely captured the intimate mood.
4. Todd | April 24th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Thanks, Tom! There are only a few images in this set, due to the limited lighting schemes and shooting position, but the situation did allow for some great opportunities.
5. Jon Janes | April 28th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Hey Todd,
I was out of town (playing some shows myself) for a few days and when I got home, what did I see? Hayden photos! The lighting was certainly more colorful for this particular show as opposed to his solo tour (opening for Feist, I wouldn’t have doubted it). Did he play his old tele for any songs? Also, during his show here, he used a different acoustic (Yamaha maybe? I’ll have to check). Too bad - I would have loved to have seen that old Gibson. He also was in “costume” here, although I noticed he “loosens up” when in larger venues.
Also, they used one of my shots on the Hayden website, on the shows section. Take a peek if you’ve got a moment. Great set!
- Jon
6. Todd | April 29th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hey Jon,
I was hoping you’d see these shots! Yes, Hayden did have some pretty colorful lights, just a taste of the evening’s lighting to come for Feist.
I think Hayden did switch it up with guitars, but mostly played with the Gibson if I recall correctly. At the very least, that’s what I photographed him with. I don’t have any shots of the Telecaster.
Thanks for your feedback! Which of the shots on his site is yours? I’ll check your flickr, too.
speak up
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