Three Facts

[Breezy85]

Just to give three little facts about what I like to capture with musicians...

1. The musicians interacting with each other.

2. Musicians getting in the crowd and interacting with the fans.

3. Just straight up get in the action!

 

[Jeff G]

Looks like you get some challenging lighting to deal with sometimes.

 

[Breezy85]

Looks like you get some challenging lighting to deal with sometimes.

Yeah it depends on who it is and what kind of lighting system I have in place. 2 and 3 were both shot at a festival. 3 was difficult with the bright sunlight in the back of that cover. 1 was on a solo band tour which they usually have good lighting, but I liked that moment with the brothers back to back.

 

[Gary A.]

These are quite nice, well done.

 

[Breezy85]

Thanks Gary

 

[Granddad]

I can't decide between 1 and 2 for the prize.
1....
...No, 2.
...Maybe 1? ...

 

[Breezy85]

I can't decide between 1 and 2 for the prize.
1....
...No, 2.
...Maybe 1? ...

You don't like 3? It's pretty nerve racking being behind that guy on drums, he's such a beast! One of my good friends.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

IMLO, #1 is the absolute best of the set. I like the entire group, but the first is just incredible.

 

[Breezy85]

Thank you Dean!

 

[Breezy85]

These were a couple shots from the same festival. I found a great spot by the sound board to sit and get some killer crowd shots with the lights. I was playing around with some settings on my fisheye to get starburst effects on the lights which I'm pretty happy with the results...

 

[Granddad]

I can't decide between 1 and 2 for the prize.
1....
...No, 2.
...Maybe 1? ...

You don't like 3? It's pretty nerve racking being behind that guy on drums, he's such a beast! One of my good friends.

I like 3 just fine but it doesn't have the same impact as 1 and 2. As he's a beast have you tried a close up of him from the front?
Like this? https://i.pinimg.com/originals/29/46/0f/29460f41782e75401e0848a8a9d13bdc.jpg

 

[Derrel]

I have to agree...shots 1 and 2 have good impact; shot 3, with the guy on the drums does not have anywhere near the same appeal...it's a shot of a sweaty guy's back...no face...not very appealing. Shot #2 has a youthful, attractive young man, we can SEE his face...the crowd is out of focus in front of him, and rendered large due to a longer lens...in the drummer shot, the crowd looks tiny, far away, and meaningless, nothing to see much...that's the problem quite often with picture shot with wide-angle lenses: backgrounds that lack recognizability and which lack obvious, clear, visual impact. Shot #1 has the two singers silhouetted, against cool lights, and rim-lighted; it is high on symbolism, high on gestalt; the drummer shot has unappealing gestalt to me: overweight,sweaty guy,seen from the back.

In the second posting, with the added photos, yes, the starburst effects are nice, but all that empty black sky in the first shot makes everything else smaller. In the second fisheye crowd shot, the red gel from the show's lights adds a lot of interest to the people in the foreground. However, once again, the lack of actual "size" on the stage and on the people in the crowd is a by-product of using a short focal length lens...it makes the background SMALL, and un-interesting...that's the issue the drummer shot has: too short of a focal length to make the background people 1)large 2)visible with detail and 3)visually compelling. That is why, for me, shots 1, and 2, are the most-compelling shots. I have absolutely no personal knowledge of the man who is your friend, in shot 3...because of that, I have no love for the shot whatsoever. I was not "at the show", so my perceptions of the photos carry no personal associations, and that's why I literally want to "see" larger on-screen images of the setting, the scene, the stage, the crowd. And that is why to grandad, and to me, shots 1 and 2 are the obviously best of set.

 

[terri]

I respectfully disagree with my friend Derrel about the drummer shot - I quite like the perspective from the drummer's view. It's hot and lonely back there; drummers work their tails off (and yes, I have a buddy who's a drummer, too!). I like the entire capture for what it is: nice festival atmosphere, action, and an appreciative crowd. Derrel is correct about the distortion from the lens; likely that is what makes him appear larger than he probably is. Still, for me, the crowd wasn't rendered so small that the viewer can't tell they are enjoying the performance.

All of these are full of energy and fun, though some stand out technically better than others. These are challenging environments. Nice set, Breezy!

 

[Breezy85]

I can't decide between 1 and 2 for the prize.
1....
...No, 2.
...Maybe 1? ...

You don't like 3? It's pretty nerve racking being behind that guy on drums, he's such a beast! One of my good friends.

I like 3 just fine but it doesn't have the same impact as 1 and 2. As he's a beast have you tried a close up of him from the front?
Like this? https://i.pinimg.com/originals/29/46/0f/29460f41782e75401e0848a8a9d13bdc.jpg

Haha actually yes, I get shots of him from the front all the time like this one...

I respectfully disagree with my friend Derrel about the drummer shot - I quite like the perspective from the drummer's view. It's hot and lonely back there; drummers work their tails off (and yes, I have a buddy who's a drummer, too!). I like the entire capture for what it is: nice festival atmosphere, action, and an appreciative crowd. Derrel is correct about the distortion from the lens; likely that is what makes him appear larger than he probably is. Still, for me, the crowd wasn't rendered so small that the viewer can't tell they are enjoying the performance.

All of these are full of energy and fun, though some stand out technically better than others. These are challenging environments. Nice set, Breezy!

Thank you! I disagree with Derrel too, not just cause I'm bias toward my own photos. I actually get approvals and requests from drummers to stand behind them. The reason I like getting behind the drummer and even shots from next to them, much like this one attached below, is because drummers are mostly hidden in the back, hardly any light on them and lots of photographers tend to forget about getting photos of the drummers. Not just cause these bands are friends of mine. I like capturing the drummers. I also like capturing the view from the drummer to the rest of the band and the audience. I'm trying to get the band and the crowd in one shot. Lots of these bands like those kinds of photos.