August 17, 2008 –In a quick 60-minute set, Young Jeezy lit up the Pageant in a blazing performance that had the sold-out house screaming for more.
Bounding in from the side stage, the Atlanta-based emcee spit fire as soon as he hit the stage.
Young Jeezy’s third studio album, The Recession, drops September 2.
Photographer’s Notes:
Expecting a challenging shoot, I went in with double barrels blazing, using the D700 and D3 with the 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm all seeing use.
With only dim, warm frontlighting coming from above, I used flash for the majority of this set, balancing with the ambient lighting as much as possible.
I set the speedlights on-camera at -3.0EV TTL, just enough to open up the deep shadows produced by the high frontlighting. For the camera exposure, I metered for the ambient lighting to pick up the background lighting and the warm front-lighting that was the primary source on the subject.
Flash was essential for helping open up what otherwise would have been deep shadows on the Jeezy’s face and body.
As with most hip hop acts, Jeezy dominated the length of the stage and proved to be a moving target throughout his short set. Rather than chase the rapper, I played zone defense for this gig more than anything and took advantage of the angles and opportunities as they presented themselves.
End Notes:
Did I mention that immediately before Jeezy I photographed Poison and Dokken? With a week of shows ahead of me, the last thing I needed was a double-feature, but you just can’t stock the rock. Stay tuned for images from the hard rock, sets from Lollapalooza, NIN, Projekt Revolution, and more.
12 Comments Add your own
1. Brian | August 18th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Being a novice to the rap/hip hop scene, is this style of lighting normal? And what flashes do you use for indoor shows like this? Flash is normally the taboo during shows for fear of blinding the artist. What do you recommend?
2. Todd | August 18th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Hey Brian,
For the venue were this event took place, this lighting is pretty standard. It’s often this same warm light from high in the rafters that creates deep shadows on the faces of the performers, especially if they’re leaning forward.
I used the Nikon SB-800 on the D3 and the SB-600 on the D700. Flash is normally not allowed, but it was pretty much “anything goes” for this show. All the photogs also shot for the entire show.
The Pageant used a similar lighting scheme for N.E.R.D. back in March:
http://ishootshows.com/2008/03/11/nerd-the-pageant-20080309/
I was actually told that the event did have spotlights in the balcony for this show, but that they were removed.
3. Mitchel Bowen | August 18th, 2008 at 3:33 am
Hey Todd
I was that photographer that saw you tonight and was trying to find out if you knew the schedule.
I gotta tell ya man, you were focussed as hell and you knew exactly where you were going when you went in there.
You got this post up so FAST!!!
Your work is so kickin rad…..
peace.
Mitch
p.s. have you ever setup strobes with a concert?
its pretty fun
4. Todd | August 18th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Hey Mitch,
Sorry I couldn’t chat, but I was on the move trying to get inside before Jeezy hit the stage! Luckily he was late, too, and gave me a few minutes to catch my breath in the pit.
I haven’t used studio strobes for a gig, only portable speedlights, which are great for flexibility.
5. Keath | August 18th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Add to the difficulties are the fact the mic is planted right in front of the rapper’s face for 90% of the song. I’m impressed at the shots you were able to get! #4 is my favorite. Took me a second to realize the shiny thing over his chest was a bullet proof vest :)
6. Todd | August 18th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Keath, you’re absolutely right. Most rappers eat the mic, so I made a conscious effort to get clean shots for Young Jeezy. In the set that I embedded here, there actually isn’t a single shot with the mic up to the mouth, though there are a few in the full set of thumbnails.
I think that the vest Jeezy was wearing was actually just a leather piece that is cut in the style of a bullet proof vest. It didn’t really seem to have the mass or bulk of a real BP vest.
7. Keith | August 18th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I am just throwin my shots on the computer now. 5 of yours is my fave. Its tough when hip hop acts run directly to the front of the stage with the height of the stage being so high.
Nice shot of Jeezy in the crowd at the end.
8. Todd | August 18th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Hey Keith, thanks for the comment and your pick. I’ll keep an eye out for your shots and Chris’s.
Hip hop, punk, and hardcore bands are probably the most difficult acts to photograph because the performers are all over the place, especially when the lighting is poor.
9. LISA | August 18th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Wow, you had a busy night! It was nice seeing you again and I can’t wait to see your shots of Sebastian Bach!
10. Todd | August 18th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Hey Lisa,
Thanks, it was a busy night. Right after Poison I booked it to the Pageant for this show. Barely made it!
11. Chris | August 19th, 2008 at 2:06 am
I think you know my first pick: 2! Fo sho, that one rocks. Man, I love that lens. Others are 4 and 6 and the last one; did you edit that at all? Those are some dope colours and contrasts.
What’d you think of the lighting for this event? Better than Jack’s, but I agree about the shadows, after looking through my sets — I got fewer photos than I had hoped for. It really is time for me to invest in an 800 and 600… as well as a new 80-200 [it's been sent off to nikon... hit me up for that long ass story later].
Sorry for the short post — but being there just took it out of me, I think, haha. Those woofers were crazy. Hope to see you soon: Vampire Weekend, Of Montreal, Rise Against, and All Time Low for sure!
12. Todd | August 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Hey Chris, thanks for the picks and your comments. I bumped up the exposure in the last one, but the colors and all are as shot. I never directly tweak saturation in my shots.
I thought the lighting for Jeezy was poor, and actually worse than that for Jack’s Mannequin.
See you in the pit.
speak up
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