Performing at the annual Farm Aid benefit concert, midwest alt-rock heroes Wilco delivered one of the fan-favorite performances in a day filled with big performances.
Photographer's Notes:
This set was one of the first big ones of the day for me, and the first in the string of big acts that closed out Farm Aid 2009.
The photo pit was relatively crowded for this set, and I staked out a spot just stage-right of singer Jeff Tweedy. I think that a counter-position stage-left would have been a solid choice, too, but I felt that my spot provided the best option for picking up all three of the band's guitarists.
And, as it was, Tweedy, John Stirratt, and Nels Cline were just about all the subjects there were for this gig, given the fixed position and relatively high stage for this event. However, it's worth noting that the last time I photographed Wilco, I shot Tweedy from stage-left for the majority of the images.
As far as lighting goes, this was a cake walk. Open shade under the shed of the amphitheater, I shot this set at around ISO 1000 and f/3.5 at 1/400. While I could have easily shot a stop or two lower in sensitivity, the performance of the D3 gave me the luxury to stop down and rock a high shutter.
I relied primarily on the Nikon D3 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8, and only switched to the Nikon D700 and 24-70mm f/2.8 for a handful of shots.
End Notes:
For all the Uncle Tupelo fans, you can see Jay Farrar rockin' out with Son Volt in their recent performance at the Pageant here. And if you haven't had your Wilco fill yet, you can see their performance at the Pageant last year here.
