July 20, 2009 – Returning to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on their annual tour, Poison brought a raucous set to the shed with big lights and a powerhouse set by Bret Michaels, Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall, and C.C. DeVille.
Photographer's Notes:
We had two songs for this set, which, though it felt like a short time, proved more than enough time for veteran rockers Poison who worked it for the fans while photographers reaped the rewards.
This tour features a ramp center stage that runs out into the crowd and divides the photo pit into two sides. I chose the side house right for the better view of Bret Michaels (for my preferred shooting, anyway), but house left is by far the best choice for guitarist C.C. DeVille. DeVille played at the edge of the stage often during the first two songs, so if you want to grab killer shredding snaps, go for DeVille.
While I was a little envious of the love house left got in this regard, I'm was more than happy with the vantage point house right provided for Bret Michales.
I shot this set primarily with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8, using the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 for only a handful of shots.
The lighting for this performance is abundant with plenty of haze employed, so technically it might be a slight challenge if you're not used to working with such conditions. Light like this will wreck havoc on your camera's meter, so spot metering and image review are recommended when the lights and haze flare up.
