A.J. Laird — and a little bit of Chris Trotier — belting out some no-holds-barred Celtic Rock at The Abbey On March 15th.
It goes without saying that a shot like this would not be possible without the consent and cooperation of the musicians involved, and the ‘Carvers have been more then gracious with the access they’ve allowed me. I humbly thank them all.
Here, I was standing off in the wings — stage right — just out of sight of all but a few in the crowd. This is the kind of shot that concert snappers hope for; the live, spontaneous interaction between the musicians.
It is, however, a little hit or miss in that the musicians, for the most part, are looking away from you. This would be a very boring shot and as the photographer, you can’t waste too much time waiting around for a moment like this as you’ll miss a bunch of other opportunities.
In the case of this shot, there were also a bunch of technical hurdles to overcome, such as the darkness from the audience area and daylight streaming in from the windows along the side of the venue…both of which are behind the performers (in this case), with the subjects themselves bathed in stage lighting … exposure has to be spot on for a balanced shot.
But, when you’re there in the wings … and you see it coming … and everything comes together and you’re there to actually capture it …pure magic, indeed.
It makes you feel good, not only in your own ability, but more importantly, to be able to pass along a shot like this to the performers.
With shots from side or back stage, there are, of course, rare opportunities for shots like this:
…but in all honesty, more times than not — from an aesthetic point of view — they just don’t work. I was lucky with this shot of Liam from Hothouse Flowers, in that I was able to capture some of his profile in the shot. If not for that, this would’ve been a complete dud of a shot.
All things being equal, covering concerts is probably my favorite type of photography.
And while I’m on the subject of concert photography, I want to pass along that tomorrow night I’ll be at McAuliffe’s Pub in Racine, WI, covering the Two Loons for Tea show with the incomparable William Kopecky guesting on bass guitar. Come on out, have a pint or three, see a great band …
… and stop over and say hi to The Celtic Camera!
The Sandcarvers: St. Patrick’s Celebration 2008 – March 1 thru 17 Various Venues
Slainte
Gareth—The Celtic Camera Photography
Prints and photo gifts (Mugs, T-Shirts, Puzzles, etc) are available for non-commercial purchase by clicking on the shopping cart at “The Celtic Camera Photography.” Photos are also available for commercial contracts by simply contacting me via the “mailto” links which can be found on the homepage of “The Celtic Camera Photography.”)
and all of which will be saved for future posts. Suffice to say that I had a blast covering this very special Celtic rock extravaganza, and I’d like to thank The Sandcarvers (A.J. Laird, Bryce Lehman, Chris Trotier, Jeff Miller, Raven & Tony Keller) for the opportunity to hang with them, for the access they afforded to be able to capture these special moments and most of all for their trust, friendship and, in one case (my wife, Raven…”The sexiest Sandcarver”), love.
