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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

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

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

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