Blue October in Houston – May 15, 2010

Blue October came to town on their Pick Up The Phone Tour promoting suicide prevention. Blue played at the Sam Houston Race Park and ended up bringing in the largest crowd they’ve ever played for as a headliner which was just over the 8,000 mark! Much different than the 3,000 capacity venues they’ve played throughout the rest of the tour.

You can view the entire set of lower resolution photos on my FACEBOOK ALBUM HERE.

Here is the capacity crowd of over 8,000 dedicated fans ready and waiting for Blue October to take the stage. I purposely purchase the Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens for crowd shots like this and when its coupled with my full frame Canon 5DMK2 body it gives me that wide angle that I love! I stood up on the short platform which is located on the inside of the barricade and then stretched out my arm as high as I could in order to get the highest possible perspective in order to try to capture as much of the crowd as possible. Looking back on it now I wish I had brought my monopod along in order to extend my reach another 6ft up above the crowd. Now that would have been really cool. Well there’s always next time.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 15 f/2.8 Fisheye : 1/80th : f/2.8 : 2500 ISO : 15mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

Justin Furstenfeld, lead singer of Blue October taking a moment just before beginning of the first song.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/160th : f/2.8 : 1600 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

Another somber moment in between songs which is one of the reasons as a photographer I try my best to not ever take my eyes off of the stage. When I need to change cards or such I usually try to do it during a song as weird as that sounds. Some of my favorite photos like this all occur in between songs while most photographers are checking their images on their LCDs, changing cards and/or changing lenses.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/160th : f/2.8 : 1600 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

Jeremy Furstenfeld is usually the toughest member of the band to photograph due to him being set near the back of the stage plus 90% of the time he’s in shadows since there usually isn’t much light on him. I was concentrating on trying to get some images of another band member when I noticed the light tech began to shower Jeremy with light so I quickly diverted my attention straight to Jeremy in order to try to get a few shots of him.

One of the things I learned shooting NFL games from the sidelines is shooting with both eyes open. Not only in order to watch what plays are developing and such but also for my own safety so I don’t get mowed over by a massive football player sprinting out of bounds. LOL. This technique of shooting with both eyes open also helps in concert photography since it helps me keep track of what all is going on stage while still shooting photos of a single band member. That is what happened here, I was photographing one member when I noticed out of my open left (non shooting) eye I saw Jeremy become lit up so then I simply switched to shooting him.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/200th : f/2 : 1600 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

This is by far my most favorite photo from the evening. I absolutely love the clarity and bokeh of my 135L lens. In fact most of my favorite photos over the past year or so have come from this lens. The 135L is one of the sharpest and smoothest lenses I have ever used and I’m never afraid to shoot with it wide open at f/2.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/200th : f/2 : 1600 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 15 f/2.8 Fisheye : 1/50th : f/2.8 : 1600 ISO : 15mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

As some of you readers know I am a huge fan of this band and this Houston show marked the 12th time I’ve seen them in less than a year’s time. Out of those 12 shows I’ve attended I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph 7 times. I love each and every show I attend and it makes it so much fun when I get to photograph them. I look forward to my next Blue show!