September Mourning
May, 2016Views
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itsmemacld
July 08, 2016
Welcome to VIEWBUG! This is an environment for everyone who loves to share their photos. Keep posting! Keep sharing! YOU CAN FOLLOW AND LIKE OTHER PEOPLE’S PHOTOS. Enjoy your stay here. Keep posting! Keep sharing! HAVE FUN! Goodluck! Thank’s for joining. :) -MacLD
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Bar Adrenaline in Las Vegas, NV. This was the first time I had gone on the road with the band September Mourning after our first time meeting at The Slide Bar in Orange County in CA in January of 2015.Time
This is the image I currently feature on the homepage of my website (AvaJazlyn.com) and on most of my original promotion pieces. It was the 45th image I took during September Mourning's show at Bar Adrenaline on February 28th, 2015, though it was technically March 1st because it was after 1:30AM.Lighting
I love September Mourning's unique stage lighting. The platform she is standing on contains a LED light which acts as an attractive fill light as seen on camera but to the human eye, it gives a more ominous appearance as the half-human, half-reaper highbred comic book hero perches atop. The matched timing with a stage strobe allowed for a high shutter speed to completely freeze action in this shot.Equipment
This was shot on my Canon 5D Mark III with the EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM L lens from Canon.Inspiration
Concert photography is one of my major passions in life. I took this picture during a particularly busy semester in college and I justified dedicating the time to photographing the band by trying to incorporate the shots in an assignment for a photojournalism course I was taking at the time. Ultimately, I was unable to continue the photojournalism course and complete the photo story with the band because I was taking to many classes that required a lot of time doing photoshoots in studio, rather than on location. Luckily I have been able to showcase this image on social media, a physical juried gallery and now photography competitions online.Editing
This version of the image has very little post processing. There is only a very slight crop vertically to level out the frame, more was taken from the left and right sides to allow for the ratio I wanted to print for a gallery, and I recall placing two small radial filters in Lightroom over the two specular highlights on the mic stand on the right side of the frame. The radial filters are not a particularly noticeable change in the digital version of the image, but greatly improved the quality of prints made from the file. The white balance, along with other levels throughout the remainder of the image were not changed and were accomplished in camera.In my camera bag
This was before I was able to afford a 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens, which I most commonly use today for low-light still photography. At the time this was taken, I only owned two lenses, the EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens this was shot with and a Canon EF Macro 50mm f/2.5. The 50mm macro has allowed me to create some compelling forced perspective concert photos and, for this reason, I think it is nice to have in a collection. Recently, I added the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens to my bag and have really enjoyed it's clear image quality. Plus, it is incredibly light weight for an L lens and great to have when the photo pit feels too close to the stage/entertainer for the shots you want to capture. I still shoot with a Canon 5D Mark III and may purchase a Panasonic GX8 or Panasonic GX80/85 soon to have as a B Camera. I would love to upgrade to a Sony for their high-quality low light performance but it simply is not in the budget at this time. What I bring with me to a show really depends on my knowledge of the venue I'll be shooting in, and if I plan to do any video. At this point, I only use the 24-105mm for video in low light and for stills or video when I have plenty of light to work with. That being said, it is often left at home. I am still testing the 17-40mm and have been extremely pleased with it thus far and because it is so lite, I have brought it with me in either my camera bag or purse since I purchased it. The Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L is what I use the most. It lets in the light I need to get the shot. My 50mm only comes with me to shows at small venues. It is amazing when I am at the end of a catwalk! The only time I bring a tripod to a concert is when I will be doing video. Speedlites and strobes are also left at home when I shoot concerts.Feedback
For concert photography, it is best if you can know the distance that will be between you and your subject before hand to prepare a lens that has the most fitting focal length for the occasion. Your average photo pit is usually well covered in the 24-70mm range but sometimes the entertainer will be too close or far away. It is also helpful if you can have the fast glass(ex. f/2.8 rather than f/4) and it is an added bonus if the glass has image stabilization or vibration control. Shooting with a faster f-stop allows you to have a higher shutter speed in low lighting, improving your ability to freeze motion. Image stabilization(IS) or vibration control(VC) allows you to freeze more motion at lower shutter speeds. (Lower shutter speeds also let in more light but increase the chance of motion blur.) Try to pack light if at all possible. You will thank yourself later. For those looking to improve their concert photography, try shooting the same band at multiple shows. This way you will learn the band's unique characteristics and be more able to anticipate cool moments to capture during their show. This can also give the band a chance to get used to your presence.
