The Police @ the Scottrade Center — 2007.07.02

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02

As one of the single biggest shows I've photographed, I'm happy to say the Police concert Monday night went as smoothly as I could have hoped. Once again, it was a pleasure to shoot at the Scottrade Center, as lighting was fairly abundant and, I'm pleased to say, more interesting than that of the last concert I covered in the arena.

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02

Despite only two-song limit for shooting for the Police and having to dodge a pair of videographers and their rigs, the night provided for some excellent image-making opportunities.

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02

The Nikon 70-200VR dominated most of the camera-time for the Police's performance, while just a handful of images were made with the 17-55/2.8. Overall, the range of the telephoto was nearly perfect for the size, height, and position of the stage.

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02

One interesting challenge of the event was shooting around two videographers and their equipment, which sat on dollies that ran on a track the length of the stage. Due to this track, for all practical purposes, there was a little less than a foot of navigable real estate at the back of the press pit.

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02

Were it not for this increased distance from the front of the stage, the 17-55/2.8 might have seen more action. But as it was, the reach of the 70-200/2.8 was a great boon.

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02

Unlike most smaller venues, the light for the arena was plentiful and used to dramatic effect, not only for the audience, but suitably for photography as well. I shoot the Police's set between ISO 1000 and 1250, with shutter speeds mostly between 1/160 and 1/250 of a second. The strong backlighting, which was persistent through most of the first two songs, was a mild technical challenge, but also added a nice visual interest to many shots.

The Police @ the Scottrade Center -- 2007.06.02