Today’s cameras allow just about anyone to take a photo that’s in focus and exposed properly. So, how do you separate yourself from the pack?
The best way is to make the extra effort to go beyond what most people can or will do.
On New Year’s Eve, I documented Pat McGee‘s “Down the Hatch” concert in Annapolis, MD. I produced a photo book and sold prints for fans on my site TourPhotographer.com.
I wanted to make unique photos that were better than anything that the fans could take — photos like this shot of Pat and his parents toasting the new year right after midnight.
(Nikon D3, 70-200, ISO 2500, 1/160 sec, f/4)
The concert took place in a hotel ballroom. Even though the stage lighting was pretty good, the scene looked like this:
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 3200, 1/160 sec, f/4)
The crowd is a black hole and there’s no context in the photo. So, what to do?
Add my own light, of course.
I put a red gel and a blue gel on two Nikon SB-900 flashes and taped them to the speaker towers on the side of the stage. By pointing them at the ceiling and triggering with Pocket Wizards, the light bounced down on the crowd and gave me a nice colored backlight.
My lights had virtually no effect on the band – only the crowd. You can see the strobes and their effect below.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 3200, 1/160 sec, f/4)
I made a fun photo earlier that day in Pat’s hotel room as he got ready. He watched a youtube video that showed him how to tie a bow tie. It still took him about 15 minutes and multiple views. Those suckers are tricky.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 1250, 1/60 sec, f/2.8)
On New Year’s Eve last year, I was in Detroit with the Barenaked Ladies and made a photo of Steven Page also getting help with his bow tie.
Ten years ago, I covered Gloria Estefan‘s millennium concert for the Miami Herald. The paper sent out a few photographers to make celebration photos at midnight and transmit back to the office on a very tight deadline. I’m proud of the fact that my image made the front page and is locked in a time capsule somewhere in South Florida.
