August 2010
2 posts
Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap performs at House of Blues in Orlando, Florida on June 1, 2010
This was a fun, but challenging, show to shoot. The difficult thing about this particular House of Blues is that the stage is right around (if not a little more than) six feet high. This means you’re basically shooting up the artists’ noses all night, which tends to not be the most flattering angle.
But I...
97X Backyard BBQ
Aswan North of Paper Tongues performs at 97X Backyard BBQ at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, Florida
I had a ton of fun shooting this event. I was drawn in by the fact that NEEDTOBREATHE was playing (currently one of my favorite bands), but was then blown away at how great the other bands were as well. I hadn’t really heard of the other acts before going, but I came away with a couple of...
July 2010
4 posts
Black & White - When and Why?
Brian Medlin of Person L performs at State Theatre in St. Petersburg on April 8, 2010
I was visiting with my college photo professor recently, and he was looking through some of my recent work.
The image above came up, and he asked, “Why’d you go black and white with this one?”
“Because the light sucked.”
And that’s basically it. The majority of the time...
OK Go, Earl Greyhound, & Robert Francis
Crowbar - Tampa, Florida - May 14, 2010
This was a show I was excited to go see, and especially to shoot. OK Go are known for their unique music videos, so I was hoping for a cool and unique show. While not quite as elaborate as their videos, they still put on a good show and everyone had a great night.
The biggest surprise for me was that they played at such a small venue. I would’ve...
Minus The Bear, Everest, & Young The Giant
The Ritz Ybor - Tampa, Florida - May 5, 2010
This was a show that I wasn’t really sure how I was doing, but was mostly happy when I downloaded and saw the images on the monitor.
First up, Young The Giant (formerly The Jakes):
Decided to play around a bit with slow and multiple exposures…
Next up was Everest:
And lastly, Minus The Bear:
...
The Spill Canvas, Tyler Hilton, & AM Taxi
Spill Canvas - State Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL - May 10, 2010
Not really much to say about this show. Had a good time shooting, but wasn’t that familiar with the bands. Got some decent shots though :-)
First up, AM Taxi.
Next up, Tyler Hilton (who I thought looked like Neil Flynn, the janitor from Scrubs).
And lastly, Spill Canvas.
...
June 2010
4 posts
As Tall As Lions, Bear Hands, & Rachel Goodrich
As Tall As Lions - State Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL - May 2, 2010
I first saw As Tall As Lions open up for Mutemath at HoB Orlando and was really impressed. When I saw they were coming to St. Pete on their first headlining tour, I jumped at the chance to shoot the show.
This was a show that was full of surprises. When I showed up, there were around 50 people there (surprise #1), so it was...
Motion City Soundtrack, A Rocket To The Moon, Sing...
Motion City Soundtrack - State Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida - April 24, 2010
Alright, long time, no blog… I know. Lots of pictures here, so let’s get straight to it.
This was a show I was looking forward to. A lot. Why?
fun.
I arrived to disappointment, however. As I walked up to get my photo pass, I saw the sign on the door announcing that fun. would not be performing due...
Being Prepared - Green River Ordinance Portrait
Green River Ordinance - Outside The Ritz Ybor in Tampa, Florida - April 13, 2010
Remember when I said that knowing Steven Samuels, GRO’s tour manager, had an advantage? This is it. I showed up early and was able to do a quick portrait session before the show.
When I got to the parking garage (just behind the venue), I texted Steven to let him know I was there. He told me they were about...
Green River Ordinance and Angel Taylor
The Ritz - Ybor City, Tampa, Florida - April 13, 2010
When I emailed Green River Ordinance’s band manager to request a photo pass, I got quite a surprise when he replied. Not only did he reply within just a couple of hours of my sending the request… Not only was it after midnight when he responded…
He copied the band’s tour manager on the email as well. What’s...
May 2010
2 posts
Copeland, I Can Make A Mess..., Person L, & Deas...
State Theatre - St. Petersburg, Florida - April 8, 2010
The photo above is probably my favorite of the night. It’s Brian Medlin from Person L rocking out on the drums.
This was Copeland’s farewell tour. Since they’re from Lakeland, FL, it was definitely a packed house full of longtime fans singing right along to every song.
Honestly, it’s been nearly two months since...
Mat Kearney and Ingrid Michaelson with Cara...
House of Blues, Orlando Flordia - March 26, 2010
This was a fun night for me, because I actually got to shoot alongside my buddy Alan Hess, who I’ve learned tons from about concert photography. It was right after Photoshop World, which is why he was in town, which gave us a great opportunity to shoot together.
This was my first time shooting at House of Blues Orlando, so it was a cool...
April 2010
6 posts
Gungor with Bellarive & Built To Be Broken
Plaza Theatre, Orlando Florida - March 18, 2010
I discovered Gungor last year via a friend’s Facebook status which linked to this video from the band that was fun, catchy, and really hit a bunch of nails on the head regarding what certain Christians have tried to turn God into.
Being a person who enjoys challenging the norm (and growing up in a very conservative church), I immediately...
Five for Fighting & Matt Wertz
Plaza Theatre, Orlando Florida - March 14, 2010
Before the portrait session with Matt, I was able to go in the venue and photograph sound check. This was a bit of an honor, because photographers are not generally allowed in until they open the doors to the public. But thanks to a mutual friend of mine and Matt’s, he let me come in and hang out before the show.
The man with the...
Matt Wertz Portrait: Lighting Walkthrough
Outside Plaza Theatre, Orlando Florida - March 14, 2010
I shot a series of portraits of Matt Wertz before his recent show in Orlando where he was opening for Five for Fighting.
The idea behind this was to show the glamorous life of a traveling up-and-coming musician, so I thought I would photograph him in his van. This thing is essentially a dorm room on wheels that takes him and his band...
5 Lessons from Kitchen Nightmares to Help Your...
If you’ve been in the photography business very long, you know it’s about way more than just being able to work behind the camera. There are tons of moving parts that you have to maintain in order to be successful.
Lately I’ve been watching Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. In this show, Chef Gordon Ramsay (also of Hell’s Kitchen fame) goes into failing restaurants...
"How Do You Get Concert Access?"
That’s the number one question I’ve been asked since starting my concert photography a few months ago, so I thought I would do a quick blog post to answer it.
I’ll start off by giving credit where credit is due. My buddy Alan Hess has been an integral part in helping me figure all this stuff out. He teaches a half-day pre-conference class (alongside Scott Diussa) at...
Needtobreathe, SK6ers, Graham Colton
State Theatre, St. Petersburg Florida - March 11, 2010
If you’ve been following me on Twitter for a while, you may remember this as the concert of many tweets. Being my first time shooting in this venue, I didn’t know what to expect. First thing I noticed - no photo pit. The crowd was just leaning right up against the stage.
Luckily I’m a charming enough guy and was able to...
Jim Marshall
As many photographers and music lovers were last week, I was saddened to hear of the passing of legendary music photographer Jim Marshall. I was lucky to have the opportunity to meet Jim a few months ago at the Leica booth at Photo Plus Expo.
It was a very brief meeting, but one I’ll remember for years to come.
Andrew Hetherington has video of a presentation Jim gave last year posted...
March 2010
4 posts
Brandi Carlile & Amy Ray
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater Florida - Feb 17, 2010
I have a confession… Before this night, I had never listened to Indigo Girls.
Now, the only reason that might possibly surprise anyone is because some of my favorite musicians put Indigo Girls pretty high on their list of influences. After seeing Amy Ray (who opened for Brandi Carlile and is half of Indigo Girls) perform, I can see why....
Winter Jam
This was an interesting show to shoot because I showed up unsure if I was going to have a photo pass or not. I had emailed someone at the venue to request one but never heard a yes or no. So I showed up, went to security, and asked them if I had one. About 15 minutes later someone showed up and handed me a pass and said, “First three songs of each band.”
Stupid me left my camera in...
This Week...
…I’ll be working my butt off at Photoshop World, so there won’t be any new “real” posts this week, though I may throw up something from the concert pre-con (but I make no promises). You might see some of my shots from the conference up on Scott Kelby’s blog throughout the week, so keep an eye out there.
Students shoot at last year’s concert photography...
December 2009
1 post
Chris Tomlin's Glory in the Highest Tour
So, I wasn’t able to get a photo pass for the David Crowder show, but luckily he has the same management company as Chris Tomlin, who was coming to the same venue just a couple of weeks later on his Christmas tour. When I was turned down for my Crowder pass, I went ahead and asked for a pass to the Tomlin show.
The day before the show, I get an email saying there will be a pass waiting on...
November 2009
1 post
The David Crowder*Band
The David Crowder*Band is one of my favorite bands, but this was a show that almost didn’t happen for me. I had tried to get a photo pass to the show, but waited too long and they didn’t have any available. The show was sold out, but I was planning on going anyway and grabbing a ticket at the door (church groups are notorious for buying too many tickets and selling their extras at...
October 2009
1 post
Chris Sligh's Back to School Tour
Last fall Chris Sligh’s “Back to School” tour came to my church, which gave me easy access to photograph the show. Along with him were Andrew Witt, Meredith Andrews, and Aaron Shust. Not my typical musical cup of tea, but the show was decent, and luckily the church has pretty decent lighting and stage setup :-)
The sound guy (he was really cool)
Aaron Shust and band
...