My Favorite Concert Shot From Last Weekend

I got out to see one of my favorite bands ever, The Woodshedders, last weekend. Here's my favorite shot from the show.

Dwayne Brooke of the Woodshedders, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 Lens

iso 250, f2.8, 1/250 sec.

 

I took this from backstage. I spot metered Dwayne's face, letting everything else go very dark. Dwayne's a very thoughtful, creative guy, and I think this picture represents him well.

 

I will likely share more from this show, and my pics are going to be featured on the concert blog Cosmic Vibes Live in the coming days.

 

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My Favorite Shot From the Weekend

I'm been laying low lately, not going to very many live music shows. This past weekend, I got to go see one of my favorite bands, The Woodshedders, at one of my favorite venues, Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville, Virginia.

 

This was my first concert shoot with the Nikon Df. Here's my favorite shot from the evening:

 

Jesse Shultzaberger, Drummer for The Woodshedders, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D

iso 4000, f2, 1/125 sec.

 

 

Pretty amazing performance at iso 4000. The Df is going to be a great concert camera for me.

 

At this show, the lights were quite low, except for those damned blue LEDs, the worst for digital photography ever. The problem with colored LEDs is that you get very high intensity in whatever color channel they match, and NOTHING in any other color. So, I usually end up converting them to black and white. Not really a problem, since I love B&W anyway. The only other thing I've found to neutralize this problem is to add a little fill flash. I didn't bring a flash to this show.

 

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with the Df's performance.

 

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Whole Lotta Leica - February Results - W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 With The Woodshedders at Lovettsville Library

 

The Woodshedders at Lovettsville Library, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f3.5, 1/60 sec

 

One of the benefits of living in Northern Virginia for me is the vibrant local music scene. The Woodshedders are one of my very favorite bands in the area. Ryan Mayo (bass), Jesse Shultaberger (drums), Dwayne Brooke (guitar), Jared Pool (mandolin) and Dave VanDeventer (fiddle) usually play to larger crowds in nightclubs and music festivals.

 

(Click Here) to go to the Woodshedders web page. Don't pass up a chance to see them.

 

On this particular Saturday in February, they played an acoustic show for the local library in Lovettsville, Virginia. The Hello Kitty and Spongebob balloons on the wall are not part of their normal stageshow.

 

My daughter and I attended this show, and it was wonderful, as expected. My February Whole Lotta Leica lens, the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM, worked quite well for this close up and intimate setting.

 

The Woodshedders at Lovettsville Library, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f2.8, 1/125 sec

 

Dwayne and Jared, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f2.8, 1/125 sec

 

The audience was a mix of regular Woodshedders' fans, and regular library patrons. The picture below shows that some kids really know how to mix their sources of entertainment.

Reading (and Music) Are Fundamental, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4, 1/30 sec

 

I like how the Nikkor allowed me to focus on the detail of the book page, rendering it sharply, yet include enough in the background to let you know what's happening back there. The 35mm focal length gives a wide enough field of view to include some context, even in a small room.

 

I now know the Woodshedders well enough to coerce them into a posed shot once in a while. I thought it would be fun to get a shot of them studiously reading in the library. I started off by handing them children's books, but a helpful library employee quickly gathered biographies of musicians - much more appropriate.

 

Saturday Afternoon With The Woodshedders at the Library #1, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4.8, 1/30 sec

 

Jared took a book on Monk, Dwayne - Django, of course, Ryan - Mick Jagger, Dave - Jimi Hendrix, and Jesse - Sting.

 

Standing on a chair, I closed down the lens to f 4.8 to get a little more depth of field, and shot.

 

Saturday Afternoon With The Woodshedders at the Library #2, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4.8, 1/30 sec

 

I always feel a little rushed when I have five people waiting for me to get the shot so they can go on their way. I think these shots turned out well, but I must admit that I held my breath until I got home and checked that I was able to get all of the band members' faces in focus. I should have taken a shot or two at iso 1250, with the aperture closed down another full stop. That would have ensure that no one's face came out blurry. But, I got lucky with f4.8.

 

For me, it's important to learn from each and every photo opportunity. Learning to slow down, make sure I've got the shot, and not be shy about directing my subjects to do what I want to capture are all lessons that I need to continue to focus on.

 

After shooting live music for a couple of years now, I am really enjoying the chance to shoot some more personal shots of the bands that I really like. It adds nicely to the stage shots that I've focused on so far.

 

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