@davidbergman

Last week, I photographed Shinedown in concert at the Filmore New York for Kerrang Magazine. I’ve done portraits with them before, but this was a live concert review.

One thing I always try to do is shoot from dfferent angles. At the beginning of one song, lead singer Brent Smith got the crowd going by saying that they should get louder as his hand went higher in the air.

There was a spotlight right at the front of the stage pointing straight up, so it gave him a “monster light” effect. I immediately crouched down in the pit right in front of him so I’d have his hand in the foreground. All of the other stage lights were off, so the background went dark.

(Nikon D3, 24-70 lens, ISO 2500, 1/500 sec, F/4)

Later in the song, he brought his hand down again to work the crowd, but since I already had the low angle shot, I stayed at eye level.

(Nikon D3, 24-70 lens, ISO 2500, 1/800 sec, F/4)

Now I have two completely different images of Brent doing basically the same thing. It gives me more options in the edit and I can decide which angle to send to my client.

In this case, I sent both.

More concert photos below.

Continue reading Workin’ All the Angles

There are now four new options for ordering prints of my 1,474 megapixel GigaPan image from President Obama’s inauguration. They are available at my new print site and prices start at $9.99.

1. The GigaPan image is available in smaller sizes like 8X10, 11X14, and 16X24 as well as panoramic sizes 10X20 and 12X24. You can get them with or without the inauguration logo.
2. By popular demand, you can now order detail shots of a small portion of the image. These are the original photos that I shot with the GigaPan Epic before they were stitched together. They differ from the full GigaPan image in that each photograph overlaps the one next to it, so you might find yourself in more than one image. Use this grid to help determine which image(s) you want to purchase, then go to the print ordering site to see bigger versions of each individual photo.
3. If you’d like a very special print, I will make a custom version of the GigaPan image for you. Simply identify the area you want blown up, and I’ll create a photo that has both the full panorama with the detail shot you request on the same page. Each photo is unique based on information that you provide. To send your info, click on “add product details” in your shopping cart. All custom print sales are final. Add 3-4 weeks for production and shipping.
4. I have a limited number of other photos from inauguration week in various sizes. They are available with or without text.

** All of the new Obama inauguration photos are available here. **

If you want really big prints, they are still available at Pictopia. These are panoramic prints that you can get with or without text in sizes from 3 feet all the way up to 8 feet wide.

If you haven’t seen it, here is the original inauguration GigaPan image and the new version for printing. To receive future notification about the image, send a blank email to pano [at] DavidBergman [dot] net.

You can also view a portfolio of my music and sports images at www.DavidBergman.net. For assignment inquiries or questions about ordering prints, contact me at David [at] DavidBergman [dot] net. Editorial and commercial licensing of the image is handled by Corbis.

Scroll down to see samples of the new prints.

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Have an iPhone? Daniel Gasienica, a very smart student in Zurich, has made it possible to view GigaPans and other large images on your iPhone or iPod Touch for free. It works best on a 3G network or wifi and you need firmware 2.1 or later. He explains how to do it on his blog.

To view my inauguration photos (both the original and the updated versions), enter this in step 5 instead of the GigaPan mobile RSS feed:

http://www.davidbergman.net/gigapan.xml

Thanks, Daniel!
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(10X20 panorama – available with or without logo)

(8X10 GigaPan – available with or without logo)

(Side by side 8X10 prints of the full panorama with a detail shot)

(Custom printed GigaPan Image – inset photo used as example only)

(The east front of the U.S. Capitol on the night before the inauguration)

(President Bush looking over at President-Elect Obama before the transfer of power)

I had a happy accident during a photo shoot with Thriving Ivory last month (see my first shoot with them in Toronto HERE).

We were in a NYC photo studio and, after doing a traditional shot in front of a red velvet curtain, I pulled out a few scrims to use as background elements.

I wanted the wall to go pure white, so my assistant James Burger pointed a 400 w/s UniJr Dynalite at the wall behind the middle scrim. We used a Pocket Wizard for triggering.

I put two Nikon SB-900 units with umbrellas in the front and took a test shot of James. The SB-900’s had gone into sleep mode and didn’t fire, but the Dynalite was at full power so it blasted the white walls and lit up the whole room.

Thinking this was a mistake, I woke up the front strobes and took another test shot, but it just didn’t have the same shadowy mood on James’ face.

I wound up shooting this setup using only the single light source. I extended the ceiling and toned in Photoshop to complete the picture.

(Nikon D3, 24-70 lens, ISO 800, 1/250 sec, f/5.6)

To learn more about working with one light, I highly recommend the OneLight Workshop DVD by my friend, Atlanta photographer Zack Arias. More info here.

When I made this photo of the Barenaked Ladies on their Ships and Dip cruise a few weeks ago, I didn’t know that it would be the last image of them as a five-piece band.

(Nikon D3, 24-70 lens, ISO 1600, 1/250 sec, f/4. Two SB-900 strobes up high in the back of the audience to light the crowd. One with a blue gel, one with red. Strobes on manual triggered with Pocket Wizards.)

Shortly after arriving back on land, by mutual agreement, Steven Page parted company with the group that he co-founded with Ed Robertson more than 20 years ago. Steven is working on solo projects while the remaining four members of BNL are planning a new studio album and tour in the fall.

This past weekend at Universal Studios in Orlando, BNL played their first gig since the change.

For their new portraits, I decided to shoot them in the “New York” area of the park. It looks like my neighborhood, although it may be a bit cleaner than the actual streets of NYC.

(Nikon D3, 70-200 lens, ISO 800, 1/250 sec, f/5.6. Profoto 7B with Octabank as the main light at camera left. SB-900 behind the band on the right for rim light. SB-800 with a red gel to light the archway and another SB-800 with a blue gel behind Jim to create the streaks in the foreground. Strobes on manual triggered with Pocket Wizards.)

A big “thank you” to my old friend Preston Mack, an excellent photographer who graciously agreed to assist me on the shoot.

(Nikon D3, 14-24 lens, ISO 400, 1/250 sec, f/5.6. Profoto 7B with Octabank as the main light at camera left. SB-900 at camera right. Two SB-800’s on the ground in the back to light the doorways – one with a red gel and the other with blue. Strobes on manual triggered with Pocket Wizards.)

The guys seemed to be enjoying themselves during the show and the fans danced and sang along as they always do. It was a Mardi Gras celebration, after all, and this was the biggest crowd Universal has had for its concerts this season.

(Nikon D3, 24-70 lens, ISO 2500, 1/500 sec, f/4.)

I’ve posted the concert photos at TourPhotographer.com and, due to popular demand, I’m making 5X7’s available for $9.99. If you’re on Facebook, you can also join my group here.

In the meantime, I’ll be cleaning up the streets here in New York City.

Last weekend, I photographed Neeta Mirchandani and Andrew Renner’s wedding in Atlanta.

I met the couple for the first time on the night before the wedding, but I immediately felt like a close family friend. Neeta and Andrew are both warm, loving, fun people and it was a joy to be with them and their families on this special day.

The ceremony was rooted in Indian tradition, so the entire wedding party all wore customary Indian clothes. Neeta needed a bit of help from her mother when it was time to get into her sari.

(Nikon D3, 14-24 lens, ISO 1600, 1/160 sec, f/2.8. One SB-800 strobe off camera bounced off the ceiling and one SB-800 placed on the floor near the door behind the bride.)

At an Indian wedding, the groom is supposed to be treated like a god. Andy’s brothers didn’t think they were worthy of being in his presence.

(Nikon D3, 14-24 lens, ISO 800, 1/250 sec, f/4)

I made a portrait of the couple near the hotel’s indoor pool.

(Nikon D3, 70-200 lens, ISO 800, 1/80 sec, f/4. Two SB-900 strobes into a Chimera softbox at camera left, a gold reflector at camera right, and one SB-800 with a blue gel skimmed off the surface of the pool.)

I’ll post more of the photos in the coming weeks as I edit them.