Friday, December 4, 2009 Posted in Concerts
Breaking Benjamin stopped in town along with Adelitas Way and Sick Puppies. This was the first time ever seeing them live so I was excited to not only get a chance to attend the show but to photograph it as well.
Here is Ben Burnley lead singer of Breaking Benjamin.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/160th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Guitarist Aaron Fink…
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/160th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Friday, December 4, 2009 Posted in Concerts
Adelitas Way was the first band to open for Breaking Benjamin’s tour stop here in Houston. Here is lead singer Rick De Jesus getting his vocals on!
I was really pleased with the composition of this shot and my thanks goes to the lighting tech for not flooding the stage with red light. Hehe. There were a lot of blues and greens in this set which made for much better photos.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/200th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
I couldn’t find any info on this guitarist they’re using for this tour as it seems their regular guitarist was not performing with them. I’m not sure what the story is on that one but I’m sure some fans out there can give me the low down. I liked this shot a lot because of the darkness around his face. Kinda gives it a cool feel to it in my mind.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 58mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Friday, December 4, 2009 Posted in Concerts
Sick Puppies opened up for Shinedown a couple of months ago and unfortunately the band did not approve any photo passes so I had to sit and just watch their performance. This was the first time I saw them live and I was floored by their bassist Emma Anzai and I remember thinking “Man I wish I was shooting this show!” simply because Emma was rocking out the entire set! That is something that as a concert photographer I love to see. Having a member on stage with that much prescience and enthusiasm makes for a fun night of shooting.
For this first shot of Emma, I knew I really wanted to catch the movement of her hair as she trashed about on stage so I chose to slow down my shutter to 1/125th in order to still get that sense of movement but also to still keep some sharpness in the static portions of the photo while also keeping tabs on my camera shake. Looking back on it now I probably could have slowed it down quite a bit more in order to get more motion blur from her but ehhhh…. I’ll try that next time!
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/125th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 30mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
This is next shot of Emma is my favorite of the their entire set. Even though you can’t make out her face I still love it because of the nice tight shot of the fret board and bent strings. This one just screamed for a B&W conversion.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/200th : f/2.0 : 2000 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
As any concert photographer will tell you, photos of drummers are often the most difficult to capture which cause people to usually overlook them. Drummers are tough because they’re set far back from the front of the stage and they’re usually elevated a bit which makes it even tougher to get a good clean sightline for a shot.
This photo of drummer Mark Goodwin was taken with my 135 f2L and was shot at f2 simply because I love the nice soft bokeh of the shots it produces. I mean why else buy a f2 lens if you’re not gonna shoot it at f2 right?! hehe.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/200th : f/2.0 : 2000 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Monday, November 9, 2009 Posted in Concerts
AC/DC made a stop in Houston on their Black Ice Tour last night and I must say these guys certainly don’t perform like they’re in their late 50’s early 60’s! Wow I was pretty impressed!
The stage and lighting for this show was top notch. In fact, I preferred this lighting setup much more than the U2 setup a few weeks ago which was billed as the most expensive concert set ever. The U2 show seemed to be only lit with white spot lights as opposed to having any color variations etc. This show had a bit of both which was really nice.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 24mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
This was the first show I’ve shot since the U2 show a few weeks ago and I was actually expecting the same kind of photographer turn out since this was a big name show. Well surprisingly that was not the case. The U2 show had 21 credentialed photographers and we only had 2 for this show and I was one of them! Wow. Not many approved at all. It is my understanding that they did not approve anyone that shot their show last tour. I have no idea as to why that was the case but that was what I was told. Weird huh?
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
The stage setup had a catwalk runway that extended out into the crowd. These are always cool because you can get some pretty cool shots from behind the band members looking into the crowd as well. The bad thing about this catwalk was that it was about 6′2″ above ground level! Ugh. I’m just a tick under 6′ tall so I found myself on my tip toes the entire night to try to get a better angle for shooting. Out of the entire night that was prolly the worst thing I had to contend with and it really wasn’t all too bad, just different is all.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 24mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
This next shot is probably my favorite show of the entire set. Having the catwalk extend out past us photographers gave me the perfect opportunity to catch a few back lit type photos as Angus got the crowd fired up. I’m a sucker for back lit photos as I have mentioned in several posts here on the blog so I was pleased to see how well this one came out.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 63mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
I had never seen AC/DC live before so it was great to finally get to say that I have indeed seen them live and being able to photograph their show was a nice added bonus. I wasn’t sure what to expect since the guys are up in their 60’s but I was not let down. They were amazing!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Posted in Concerts
I have never seen U2 in concert and was only minutes away from purchasing tickets to go see the concert when I got the email asking if I was available to photograph the show. Talk about making my day! I know it would have killed me to be in the venue at the show and NOT have photo creds.. hehee.
First off lemme say that the production/stage etc was massive! There is a ton of money poured into this tour and its obvious once you lay your eyes on their setup. This is by far the biggest named band on my portfolio list and I’m glad to have finally seen them live, albeit only 3 songs but man I was still stoked nonetheless.
There were a total of 21 credentialed photographers… THAT’S 21!! Wow. I’ve never shot with so many photographers before but how the layout was there was plenty of room for us. Well that is until the bridges came out and we all grouped in tight together to get some close up individual shots of Edge and Bono. That’s when it got a bit cramped but everyone was very professional and was sure not to get in each others way.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 17-40 f/4L : 6/10th : f/5 : 1000 ISO : 17mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Three days before the concert I went and saw It Might Get Loud which was a documentary that featured The Edge, Jack White and Jimmy Page. It was a great movie and if you’re a music fan of any generation I would highly recommend it!
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/250th : f/3.5 : 800 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
I’m a sucker for these kinda shots. hehe. I think the first time I started trying to capture images like this was while second shooting weddings. It’s just funny to see how much wedding photography has influenced all aspects of my photography even though I have no real intentions of pursuing wedding photography. Ha!
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/3.2 : 1000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
This next photo is definitely my favorite of the entire set. I love the overall mood of it. The bright backlighting and cool side lighting really helps get that separation of Bono from the background. I do remember it took a lot in order to get this shot composed because not only was I trying to get other photographers’ camera out of my frame but I also had to watch to get the concertgoers’ hands, cell phones and cameras out of my frame as well! So I was like on my tip toes trying to get above all of that other stuff. I think I managed pretty well considering what I had to work with.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/3.2 : 1000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Sunday, October 18, 2009 Posted in Concerts
John Legend made his stop into town with the Evolver Tour. This show was a little different for me to shoot as compared to all of the other shows I’ve shot up til now. The main difference in this show was that the floor of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater was reserved seating as opposed to general admission. Plus there was no barricade separating me form the people in the first row which really made my self conscious in regards to am I blocking their view, am i in the way. I think I found myself being way too considerate and concerned with the other behind me than to worry about just getting my shots. Many of my photos from this night were from a crouched down position which really jacks up the perspectives on the photos. Next time I will still be considerate to others but I will make it a point to stand upright and shoot more often in order to get the shots i need.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/200th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 40mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/200th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 24mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/2.8 : 1250 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Sunday, October 18, 2009 Posted in Concerts
Shinedown came into town late last week and I got the chance to cover their show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. I am really enjoying shooting at that venue since us concert photographers get to hang out there in the general admission area and watch the rest of the show after we’re done shooting. Most venues require us to wait backstage or behind the scenes until we’re ready to get back out and shoot so it’s a nice change of pace to be able to hang out and watch the show once our limit of songs are up.
This is the venue that really made me spring for my 24-70 f2.8L. Having only had the 35L and the 135L I was missing so much since I didn’t have any mid range lenses. Once I bought the 24-70L it’s like everything that was an issue suddenly went away. It’s a great lens and I love having the ability to zoom again especially in such tight quarters.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/200th : f/2.8 : 2000 ISO : 51mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
Friday, October 16, 2009 Posted in Concerts
Laura Izibor, a singer song writer from Dublin, Ireland opened up for John Legend a few weeks ago here in Houston. I’ve been pretty behind on editing photos and updating the blog but I am in the process of getting caught up.
As a concert photographer my portfolio seems to be pretty light in regards to female artists so I was excited when I heard Larua would be opening for John Legend at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. I had never heard of her music prior to this show but I was very impressed and will have to keep an eye out for her in the future.
Photographer’s Note: Have I mentioned lately how impressed I’ve been with the 135 f/2L lens? Man this thing never ceases to amaze me. Most mid to long lens I’ve owned in the past have been a bit soft wide open but this 135L is far from soft. It’s tack sharp wide open and when that’s coupled with the low noise/high ISO capabilities of the 5dmk2 I simply can’t ask for too much more. I do miss the Auto Focus of my 1dmk3 but I think I’ve managed pretty well in that regards.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/250th : f/2 : 1250 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash
I got to attend the OneLight Workshop given by Zack Arias this week and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about off camera lighting, it was awesome! Tracy Tesmer, a local Houston based photographer was kind enough to donate her time to be one of our models for the day. She is an amazing photographer and seemed to be right at home in front of the camera even though she said she was nervous and uncomfortable with it. Ha! Could have fooled me!
Lighting for this shot was a Nikon hotshoe flash inside an Apollo 28″ softbox. In fact there were some other workshop attendees shooting Tracy from just outside of frame left but I snuck in a shot or two in between their shots. I didn’t want Tracy to see that I was photographing her since I wanted her looking away. This is my favorite shot from the entire day. Thanks Tracy!
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/30th : f/2.8 : 640 ISO : 24mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : Flash Fired
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Posted in Travel
I took a trip to Colorado back in April of this year in order to get one more last trip in before all of the snow went away for spring/summer. I flew into Denver and made the short drive up to Estes Park which is right near the entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). This area of Colorado is amazing! I’ve been up to that area 4 or 5 times over the past several years and I simply never get tired of it!
I went to Colorado wanting to catch some snow and snow is exactly what I got! I think Estes Park had about 36″-38″ of snowfall over the 2-3 days I was there. Score! The snow was definitely better than the 90+ degree weather back home in Houston. After my 3 day stay in Estes Park I made my way back to Denver in order to catch my flight home and decided to take a scenic route back instead.
The first stop on my alternate route home was at Lily Lake just south of Estes Park (Location HERE). Having just spent the day before out snow shoeing in RMNP I was so jealous to see this pair just getting their day on the trail started. Ugh.. and here I was knowing I would be back in the Texas heat only hours later. FAIL.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 17-40 f/4L : 1/100th : f/11 : 100 ISO : 17mm : Aperture Priority : 0 Bias : No Flash
My main point of interest in taking this route back to Denver was so that I could stop by St. Malo Church in Allenspark, Colorado (Location HERE). I had stumbled across this church about 5 years ago on my drive up to Estes Park and haven’t been back there since. With the clear skies and fresh snow on the ground this was a place I definitely wanted to visit before I came home.
The stone chapel is built upon a large natural rock formation which made it seem like the chapel rose right out of the ground itself. The chapel was built in 1934 which makes it some 75 years old and it was a treat to spend some time walking around and looking at this magnificent structure.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 17-40 f/4L : 1/100th : f/11 : 100 ISO : 26mm : Aperture Priority : 0 Bias : No Flash
Looking back through my photos from this trip has really gotten me excited about the upcoming winter months. I do plan to head back up north someplace to see some more snow and take more photographs but this time I will have my snowboard in tow! I’ve been feigning to get back on the slopes for a couple of years so this winter I’ll be sure to get my fix! =]
by Abel Longoria
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