UK rockers Band of Skulls opened up for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with a foot-stomping, high-energy set of bluesy garage rock under dark and moody lights and plenty of haze. In other words, a great way to start the night.
Band of Skulls – I Know What I Am
Photographer's Notes:
These guys rocked, and I'm pretty sure they won a lot of new fans opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
For this set, I took a slightly different approach than normal: I shot almost entirely with primes. With the exception of a few wider shots with the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and and 24-70mm f/2.8, I shot this entirely with the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and Nikon 85mm f/1.4.
Due to the dim stage treatment, the primes really helped out in keeping ISO low(ish) and shutter speeds reasonable. I shot mostly around f/1.4 or f/1.6 with the primes – on the Nikon D3 and D700, these lenses are plenty sharp wide open. More than anything achieving accurate focus was the bigger issue, especially with the movement of the band as another factor.
Despite the dim lights, there was plenty of haze on stage, so that even the house lights looked great with the right exposure.
End Notes:
Before their live set, I caught up with Band of Skulls for a quick portrait shoot, so stay tuned for those snaps, coming up shortly.
