Surrounded by lush grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden, singer Erin Bode charmed the audience with her sparkling personality and mellifluous voice at the 2008 Whitaker Music Festival.
Backed by her jazz trio, Bode performed songs from her new release, The Little Garden, providing the perfect kick-off to the annual festival.
Photographer’s Notes:
This was a last minute shoot that came up, but I was pleasantly surprised by the opportunity. The last time I’d seen Erin Bode was at a private party/recoding session a few years ago. It was a late-night affair with a dark, club ambiance that couldn’t have contrasted more starkly to the warm afternoon glow that surrounded the Whitaker Music Festival’s opening night.
The performance took place on a ground-level stage of the garden’s natural amphitheater, and I shot from the front of the stage at the front fringe of the crowd.
There were no song restrictions and I shot sparingly over the course of half an hour during the first part of Erin’s set. Since this was a basically a seated event, I limited my movements and shot from a crouching or kneeling position throughout the set.
Lighting:
The lighting for the first portion of the set was almost entirely natural light. The performance began at 7:30pm, so it was the perfect time to catch the last of the sun’s glow through the clouds.
The stage was covered, so the performers were in open shade with soft light coming through the back.
Lenses & Gear:
I shot this set using the Nikon D3 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. The range of the zoom was great for this type of work and let me sit on the grass in front of the crowd without having to move too far forward.
Exposure & Metering:
Due to the soft, even lighting, the exposure on this shoot was pretty much a snap. I dialed in 1/500 and f/3.2 at ISO 1600. As the sun set and the ambient light fell, I lowered the shutter speed to 1/250.
End Notes:
Again, this was a great surprise and I’m glad I had the opportunity to photograph Erin Bode and her band. I’m looking forward to what the rest of the Whitaker Music Festival brings in the next few months.
But in the meantime, back to the rock show.
14 Comments Add your own
1. Chris | June 5th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Look at the bokeh! Much more apparent during the day — but it sure does the job to keep the background from being too distracting, no? Absolutely LOVE the second one after the jump, with her hand on her head and her eyes closed… it’s just such a calm shot. Also love the keyboardist and the one after him. I need to learn to take more horizontal shots — I find vertical ones so much easier/fun for framing. The cellist is nice as well — I try to capture everyone in the band when I shoot, but sometimes the light (or lenses I don’t have) don’t allow it.
How did you get this gig? You said it was a nice surprise — did you find it, or did they find you?
2. Todd | June 5th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Hey Erin,
Yes, there’s a lot more interesting defocusing going on here than we normally see in a show, especially when black or featureless backgrounds are involved.
Your pick of the second shot is one my favorites, too.
I made an effort to get at least one usable shot of each member of the group. Since it was a relatively leisurely shoot, this wasn’t really an issue. Sometimes for the more high pressure gigs, I’ll just make an executive decision to only photograph the lead. Marilyn Manson was like this, as I only had one song and horrible light!
My natural preference is also for vertical shots most of the time. I’ve put together portfolios where 2/3 of the images were verticals!
I got a call from a weekly paper on this gig, as they wanted to feature a little coverage.
The nice surprise part of the shoot was that it was a fun and easy gig to shoot, and that it didn’t rain!
3. chris | brosef | June 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Wow, I remember seeing Erin play at Brandt’s back in High School. That was like 13 years ago. Crazy. I like #5 for no particular reason other than the nice lines and clean background.
4. Todd | June 5th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Thanks for the pick, Chris. I know JP had mentioned seeing Erin perform at Brandt’s often.
The background options for this set were interesting, since there was a bamboo screen at the back of the stage, a thin slice of greenery/sky, and then the acoustic roof of the stage, which can all be seen most readily in the first shot after the jump.
I did like the bit of nice flaring that occurred in some shots to give the shots a little late afternoon/sunset glow.
5. Chris | June 5th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Lol I like how you called me erin.
6. Todd | June 5th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I think the effects of standing next to too many speaker stacks are finally getting to me.
Sorry about that, Chris. By the way, I should mention that these kinds of festivals are a great way to build up a music portfolio.
Sure, they aren’t rock shows, but they’re a great way to show that you can make compelling images of musicians during a live performance.
7. Chris | June 5th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Haha, no apologies needed! I was confused when I read the e-mail though, I thought you were talking to an Erin at first.
And yeah — if I was in town, I would definitely be there! I’ll shoot anything, honestly. Right now — just gotta stick to the local shows and venues (you can usually find something every weekend if you look, I suppose…) but I’ll be back relatively soon!
8. Todd | June 5th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Chris, we’ll have to hit up some shows once you’re back in town. Definitely shoot me an email before you head back and maybe we can line up some gigs.
9. Keith | June 5th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Each of these shots really bring out her beauty, Todd. Great job catching that evening light!
10. Todd | June 5th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Hey, Keith! Thanks for the comment, nice to hear from you. This was really a great performance to photograph, and has me excited to snap a few shots at the other upcoming shows in the Whitaker Music Festival lineup.
11. Chris | June 6th, 2008 at 2:15 am
That would be great! I will definitely hit you up with an email, and I’m looking forward to your next sets!
12. Nola Proctor | June 11th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Todd:
Great shots! Frank and I were there–wish we had known you were shooting. These photos really capture her smooth voice.
Nola
13. Todd | June 12th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Hi Nola, thanks! I’ll get in touch if I’m photographing any more of the series, it would be great to meet up. Next time.
14. derrek | June 23rd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
hey todd,
this is derrek phillips, erin bode’s drummer. man, these pictures are killing! i was wondering if i could get a copy of my photo. i want to send it to my drum company so they can post it on their website. let me know what you charge and i will try and make sure you get credit as well.
thank you.
peace
derrek
phillipsphive@yahoo.com
speak up
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