February 19, 2009 – Coming in with the one-two punch, newly Def Jam-signed rap duo Unladylike brought a fierce and unrelenting set to the Swagger Like Us Tour, priming the stage for headliners T.I. and Ludacris.
Shooting Notes:
This was a short, fun set by Unladylike, who performed early on in the eight-act Swagger Like Us bill. If anything, these women were a tough act to follow, as the made use of every inch of the stage, crisscrossing paths and generally bringing the double-barreled attack on the arena crowd. Better yet, when one of the pair moved to the other side of the stage, the other often took her place, making a relatively static shooting position less of a liability.
Of the pair, Gunna was more playful with the camera posing on a few occasions and even going so far as to give me the bird, Johnny Cash style.
Due to quick movements and non-stop action, I often find hip hop shows among the most challenging to shoot, and this gig was no exception. Tracking was a key technique, and I definitely appreciated the 51-focus points of the D3's AF system.
The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 was the perfect lens for this set, though the 70-200mm also saw a little bit of camera-time as well.
ISO 3200, 1/500, and f/2.8 was the rough exposure for this performance. One interesting quirk for this gig, however, was that one of the two spotlights used at the event was about a stop and a half dimer than the other. From the crowd's point of view, this didn't look like that big of a difference, but it certainly made exposure a little more a challenge in changing between the two performers.
