September 23, 2008 – Before the Jonas Brothers, there was Hanson. Performing on the “Walk Around The World Tour,” the three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma laid down their blend of pop rock – and yes, even a little “MMMBop.”
Photographer’s Notes:
Dropping into the pit, I looked up at the balcony, hoping for spotlights. As luck would have it, there was one spot in place. Of course, this feature was a blessing and a curse.
One spotlight. Three brothers. You can see that the math doesn’t quite add up. But being able to shoot at ISO 800 for the one lucky bro in the beam? I’ll take it.
We were granted two songs in the pit, and, due to the lighting situation, I focused on Taylor on piano. The spotlight flicked over to Isaac for a hot second during a guitar solo, and younger brother Zac was left to the stage lights at the back of the stage on drums.
I used the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 in tandem for this set. After using the D3 and D700 as a two-body setup for the past two months, I’ve really come to appreciate the speed of a multi-camera system. Expect a write-up on using two bodies soon.
6 Comments Add your own
1. Keath | September 24th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Ha ha - that reminds me of the time I shot Brooke Waggoner and not only were there no spots, Brooke spend most of the set in next to no light at all. Unfortunately my camera doesn’t handle high ISO as well as yours and I got some pretty grainy results. Sometimes the greatest challenge we face in the pit is the lighting guy :)
Good work in difficult conditions Todd!
2. Todd | September 24th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Hey Keath, thanks for the feedback. I think you’re right, the lighting tech and rig can be crucial to how a show will photograph. There was something like a 5-6 stop difference in the light between the spotlight and the rest of the stage lighting!
3. Chris | September 24th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Haha, nice. I was in 3rd, 4th grade maybe when MMMBop was popular. Oh… such great times, and long, long hair.
My pics are 2, 6 and this one . Really enjoy 6.
Spotlight does sure help a lot… but man, slim pickins’ on Zac I suppose, and it really shows the blacks around the rest of the picture. One day all shows will heed our concert photographic-warnings: GIVE US WHITE LIGHT!
4. Adobe CS4 Coverage |&hellip | September 24th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
[...] to be completely off-top, boy, did they [...]
5. Eric Hamilton | September 24th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Todd, I’m always impressed at your amazing ability to pull stunning shots out of less than ideal conditions. Keep it up. =)
Sadly, stages are not designed for photographers, and in most cases, photography doesn’t even enter into the mind of the stage designer. I make heavy use of flash at nearly all the shows I shoot. I am usually working pretty closely with the people in charge of organizing the event, and I get full cooperation from the stage crews. I frequently superclamp my flashes to the light rigs. If I don’t have great light - I make it.
Hanging out in the flickr concert photography group, I’m learning that most photographers don’t have that luxury. Good thing you’re here to show them what can be done when it’s not possible or desirable to use flash.
- Eric
6. Todd | September 24th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Hey Eric, thanks very much for the comment.
You’re absolutely right, most stage lighting is not designed to be photo-friendly, especially for smaller club shows.
I do think that you’re in a unique position of being able to set your own lighting for gigs, which is a great position to be in, needless to say.
I’ve been using flash more and more, but as you mention, it’s not really the norm for most concert photogs. We are at the mercy of the lighting designer and the speed of our lenses. ;)
speak up
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