While updating some stuff on youtube, I noticed some other Slayer videos online from the same concert I shot. These were shot from the front of the audience, so you can actually see the photo pit. I can be briefly spotted in them, if you look close enough…
Selling old camera gear…
Do you have some photo gear that you want to sell? Well, I got a call from someone who is looking for gear to buy. They are a reseller, so you might make more selling it on your own, but the convenience of having a buyer come to you sounds kind of nice. This is the info I was given (I’m not affiliated with this company in any way, just passing along info):
I am coming to Dallas from September 1st to 18 to buy photo equipment, If you have anything for sale, do let me know or if you know anyone that that may, please forward my information:
Eric Mehl, buyer
Columbus Camera Group,inc.
55 East Blake Ave.
Columbus,Ohio 43202
614-267-0686
Flip it…
When shooting a concert, flip the camera around and capture the crowd. You’ll sometimes come back with more interesting, moving pics of the crowd than of the stage performance! This is just a random sampling of crowd shots that I’ve taken over the years. Hopefully, it will give you an idea of the potential waiting behind you at a concert:
I’m seriously jealous…
I stumbled across Erin Trieb’s website today. I haven’t seen her in a couple years. I met her when she did an internship at The Dallas Morning News. She lives in Austin now. Her work is very cool:
Your new friend…
A lot of photographers seem to love the Canon Powershot G10 as a good pocket-sized camera to carry with them. It is perfect for location scouting, casual pics, model selections or any other photo that doesn’t require the use of pro-level gear.
Well, it looks like Canon is going to release a new and improved version… the G11:
New Business Cards…
My proof is ready for my new cards. I will go approve it tomorrow and then (hopefully) have cards not long after. Why do I bother telling you this? Maybe, because I get “real” cards, not cards printed on the home computer… not the ten dollar cards you can get at Office Depot (the ones that look like you found for free in a dumpster). I pay decent money to get custom cards made.
You are handing this card to someone who may pay you hundreds or thousands of dollars for a photo shoot. You need to hand them a card that looks professional. You need to hand them a card that looks creative. You need to spend a little money here.
OK, you are saying to yourself, “But, custom cards cost $50 to $100 to make, not $15 or $20 like the ones I currently get from Staples. I don’t want to pass out expensive cards to everyone and their daughter.”
OK, I’m right there with you. I don’t want to waste my expensive cards on a homeless guy asking me for change or the woman who was just telling me about her recent alien abduction. Nothing wrong with aliens or the homeless, but if they show absolutely no interest in photography, a fancy business card isn’t going to change their mind.
However, when I meet someone working in the marketing department of a local business/corporation, I want to hand them something very professional. I want them to see my confidence in my craft. I want them to see that I didn’t just print off a card at home and decide that “today is the day I’m going to be a professional photographer”.
Spend some money on good cards and hand them to potential clients. It is worth the extra money. Trust me.
Robert Capa…
One of the most striking, moving photos of the last one hundred years has received a new batch of criticism. As a photographer, there is a good chance that you are familiar with Robert Capa’s “Falling Soldier” image. As a photojournalist, you pretty much HAVE to know about it. Even if the name isn’t instantly recognizable – like say Ansel Adams would be to the average photo fan – you’ll probably still know the image.
Well, read this story regarding the debate behind the image:
Was it staged? Is it real? What do you think? How do you think that affects the impact/emotion/importance of the image?
No more Zilker Park dust…
I know many of you following my blog are specifically music photographers. Many of you will be down in Austin, TX for the Austin City Limits Music Festival held at Zilker Park. Many of you also know how dusty and dirty it gets from all the dry ground being kicked up by hundreds of thousands of footsteps. Well, this year might be a little different:
It looks like the parks department and ACL grew a ton of grass. In theory, this grass should still be alive and thriving during the three day music festival, so… no more dust storms?!? Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
I’ll see you all down there this year (I’ve been ALMOST every year – just missed the first one). Looking forward to another amazing line-up!
The O’s and Alternative Press…
So, I finally got a copy of the April 2009 issue of Alternative Press Magazine (a national alternative music publication) that had my picture of The O’s in it. I was expecting the pic to run 1/4 page or bigger, so I was a bit disappointed with the smaller size. However, it’s still nice having another major music pub that I can add to my list. And, you’ve got to start somewhere with every potential client. My first shoot for Spin started out years ago with a small picture of rock band Fuel, eventually working my way up to full page feature photos…
By the way, if you haven’t yet heard The O’s, you are missing out! They are absolutely amazing and deserved to be part of this “100 Best Bands of 2009” issue.
The Canon 5DmkII vs Slayer…
I decided to test out the Canon 5DmkII at a recent heavy metal concert that I was shooting. The show gave permission to shoot video during the first minute of the first two songs. Of course, I was being paid to shoot still photos of the show, so I didn’t want to burn up that much time testing video.
So, I decided to shoot the audience cheering as the band took the stage and maybe 30 seconds of the first song, to get a feel of how a stock Canon 5DmkII would handle such a loud and colorful subject. I think it will give you just enough video to see what the Canon can do.
I bet the camera could capture much better images during a show that didn’t have such pummeling, extreme lighting. However, the mic probably won’t hold up to anything but a stripped, folk, acoustic-style show. Of course, a separate mic setup with adjustable attenuation and meters would be easy to add. Other options are to record sound from the soundboard (if you have access/permission to do so).
Overall, I think it’s safe to say that something like this Slayer concert would be the extreme. Most concert video from the Canon 5DmkII should fair much better. Now, the next big challenge is to find a way to easily keep focus held while shooting in a busy photo pit, without having to add a complex follow-focus system to the kit.