Concert photography rule #22: Squeezebox players always take editorial priority.
In St. Patrick's Day come early, Flogging Molly stormed the stage of the Pageant with a fiery performance that had me grinning from ear to ear: these guys are simply a lot of fun to photograph. I'd photographed their show last year, so when I heard that they were making a stop in town, I knew I jumped at the assignment. Of course, Flogging Molly didn't disappoint, as my enthusiasm in the after-show preview post may have suggested.
Concert Photographer's Notes:
I'd heard good things about this tour and seen some great images, so the stakes were high for Flogging Molly when I entered the photo pit. Light levels were good – nothing blindly bright, but respectable enough at ISO 2000 and f/2.8 zooms to keep me happy.
In addition, I was pleased to see that there lots of roving spots in the background to pick up the generous amounts of haze the lighting designer was using.
With as many members as they have – seven strong – a group like Flogging Molly are always a challenge for a concert photographer. Of course, speaker wedges and a five-foot stage at the venue didn't help, either.
There was a gap in between Dave King and banjo/mandalin player Bob Schmidt, that was the best opportunity for wide shots, and I pulled out the 14-24mm f/2.8 for just a few of those snaps. Other than that, the 70-200mm f/2.8 and the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 were great for everything else.
