After an explosive set by youngsters Be Your Own Pet, She Wants Revenge dimmed the lights and brought on the crushing Dark Wave tones to the Pageant.
Headlining the 2008 Nylon Summer Music Tour, the Los Angeles-based band’s epic, brooding performance was anchored by Justin Warfield’s deep vocals and Adam Bravin’s sinister bass lines.
Photographer’s Notes:
Alright, so this set was dark. Really Dark. But if this show offers up anything, it’s the lesson that there are different kinds of darkness, with She Wants Revenge bringing a moody, sinister brand that utilized heavy color washes without a hint of white light. Much different than say, pitch blackness with strobes.
Heather Marie Ryan, who worked this tour, was super cool and hooked up a little back stage access so I could pick up some drummer shots. As per my instructions, I hung back behind the bass speakers for a few shots from both sides, which was nice treat. I was even lucky enough to get a bit of catchflash during this time, the only white light I saw during the set.
Lighting:
Deep color washes dominating this set, with nearly no front-lighting to speak of. Lighting for the first song was primarily blues and purples, which gave way to orange-reds for the rest of the alloted time.
Before the show, I was chatting with the lighting engineer at the venue and he warned me that it was going to be dark. He even said that the band had requested no front-lighting at all, and basically wanted only background effects with heavy smoke.
Lenses & Gear:
I used the Nikon D3 and a variety of lenses for this set, including the Nikon 50mm f/1.4, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. Basically, I threw everything I could at these guys.
Exposure & Metering:
I shot between 1/40 and 1/80 for this set at f/2.8, between ISO 3200 and ISO 6400. Needless to say, it was pretty dark.
End Notes:
Despite the challenges working with this set’s lighting, or lack of it, it was actually a slightly refreshing change in some respects. And going in, I didn’t expect anything more or less, which goes a long way toward sucking it up and working with what’s available.
Again, thanks to Heather for hooking up the backstage access for a song!
8 Comments Add your own
1. Will Wilkins | June 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Great shots and write-up. I love their self-titled album!
Looking forward to seeing the shots of Matisyahu!
2. Todd | June 22nd, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Thanks, Will! I didn’t realize you were into these guys. To be honest, I hadn’t listened to them before hearing about the tour, but I dig it.
I just found out that Matisyahu isn’t allowing “pro rig” cameras for his show here, this is too bad, as I was looking forward to his performance. I saw him two years ago at the Pageant and it was a fun show.
I think am going to shoot German DJ Paul van Dyk that same night. Originally the plan was to do both the DJ shoot and Matisyahu the same night, but at least now I can catch a nap before the club!
3. Will Wilkins | June 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 am
She Wants Revenge is one of my favorite albums to listen to when coding…
Paul van Dyk puts on a great show. I have seen him twice and wasn’t let down by either show.
4. Todd | June 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Right on. I used to listen to a lot of house/trance mixes back in the day, but haven’t really kept up with it, so I’m looking forward to seeing Paul van Dyk.
Aside from a different genre (and because of that fact), the DJ thing is going to be a very different shooting experience. It’s going to be all flash and long shutter speeds, I think…
5. Keith | June 23rd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I’m really curious to see what you come up with for PVD at Dantes. My best friend Eric aka Yanix is the opener right before PVD and its gonna be one PACKED club. I’m sure you’ll come up with something crazy!
6. Todd | June 23rd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Hey Keith! I just sent you an email about PvD – small world. I think PvD should actually be a lot of fun.
I never do DJ work, but I’m excited about the opportunity. I’m going to try to do a little CLS action if I can get up close to PvD.
7. Neetu | June 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Although the set was dark, the images are still great! Great work again :)
8. Todd | June 23rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Thanks, Neetu! Even though the set was dark, it was actually fairly “easy” to work with, given that the overall intensity of the lighting didn’t change.
speak up
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