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.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Continuing the Quest for a High Speed Color Film - Fuji Natura 1600 is Next

I recently tried a new film, CineStill, which lists the ability to push it to very high iso levels as one of its features.

 

(Click Here) to read a little about CineStill. I bought mine from Freestyle.

 

I shot two rolls of CineStill at a house concert, which should have been the perfect test location. I shot it at iso 1600, and asked The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com) to push it one stop in processing. I'm not ready to enter a verdict on CineStill yet, and will write more about that later. Suffice it to say, I don't think I'm done looking for a great color film for low light concert shooting. Once I find one, I will do my best to replicate the look in Lightroom, exactly as I've done for Ilford Delta 3200 for black and white images.

 

On my way to the flight home from Japan, I found five rolls of Fuji Natura 1600 color print film.

 

Fujifilm Natura 1600 Color Print Film

 

At a little less than $10 per roll here in the Tokyo Narita Airport, it's about the same price as CineStill. I'm looking forward to giving Natura a try.

 

If it works well, I'll have a good basis for defining a new color look in Lightroom. That's the possible upside. The possible downside is that I'll fall in love with the film's look; it's essentially not available in the USA at all, as far as I can tell. I saw a couple of questionable-looking ads, at about $20 per roll. I won't be doing that.

 

Anyway, once I've thoroughly evaluated CineStill, I'll post the results. Of course, I'll also post any results I get with Natura. More film fun!

 

Surprisingly, this is the only photographic product I purchased on my trip to Japan. I saw a few interesting products, but nothing good enough to part with my cash.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Dreaming in Monochrom(e) - Mink's Miracle Medicine Show

My friends Rudy, Melissa, and Erik, former members of the band Acoustic Burgoo, came together to play a show under Melissa's new band name, Mink. The show was at Cristina's Cafe in Strasburg, Virginia.

 

(Click Here) to find Cristina's. If you're ever passing through Strasburg, stop in for a "Sexi Mexi Combo!"

 

I shot the show with my "Dreaming in Monochrom(e)" camera, the Leica M4-2, and my new favorite black and white film approach, using Ilford Delta 3200 exposed at iso 1600, and processed by The Darkroom.

(Click Here) to learn about The Darkroom, the best film processing service I've ever used.

 

Melissa Finishing Up the Set List, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I shot with two lenses, the Zeiss C-Sonnar 50mm f1.5, which is a modern remake of the classic Sonnar design, with the latest materials, technologies, and optical coatings. The second lens was my Leica Summilux 35mm f1.4 version 3, from the 1970s.

 

Mink and Friends, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

This was a very laid back show, which is sometimes nice. I got to hang out with my friends, have some excellent Mexican food, and move around and shoot as much as I liked.

 

Erik Burnham, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

We saw various combinations of the three performers, and when not playing on stage, Erik stayed busy playing off-stage, dancing with our lovely waitress (whose name I didn't get, sorry!).

 

Dance, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

Rudy B. and Erik, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

Erik and Rudy are in another band, The Plank Stompers. You'll see images from my frequent attendance at their shows as well here at DMC-365.blogspot.com. The shot below is from behind them on stage. That's Britt in the audience (with the beard).

 

 

Mink and Friends, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

Here is a shot that took advantage of the stage lights to play with some internal reflections and unpredictable properties of optics. Chance rather than design, I like how it turned out.

Erik and Rudy, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I think I have a style for many of my concert images now, at least the ones I want to shoot in monochrome.

 

I'm in the process of testing a new color film (CineStill), to see if it can be an equally satisfying solution for color. I shot two 36 exposure rolls of it last night at a house concert; we'll see how that turns out in a week or so.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

About to Try Ilford Delta 3200 For My Concert Photography

As you may know, I've been shooting some concerts with black and white film in my Leica M4-2 film camera, as part of a series I'm calling "Dreaming in Monochrom(e)." The idea is that I'm exploring using one of my Leicas in monochrome only, exploring how I'd really work with a digital Leica Monochrom if I had one.

 

Anyway, I've been shooting concerts with Kodak TMax 400 black and white film, pushed two stops to iso 1600.

River Whyless, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, 50mm Zeiss C-Sonnar f1.5 Lens

Kodak TMax 400 Film Pushed to iso 1600

 

While I'm really liking this new look to my concert photography, I'm finding the extreme contrast that I get by pushing 400 speed film two stops a little bit limiting. So, I've decided to try some Ilford Delta 3200 black and white film. My experience with Delta 3200 in the past was that the negatives can be a little thin; I've had better luck shooting it at iso 1600 than the labeled 3200. Apparently, the native iso is more like 1000, but it's got extremely wide exposure tolerance.

 

So, I think I'll shoot it at 1600 this time.

 

Here's an example concert shot on Delta 3200by Kontantinos Bezios:

 

Image Source: http://kbesios.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/20120904-105104.jpg

 

Konstantinos shot this on a medium format Plaubel 67 camera. I think the gray tones are very nice, and I hope to get a similar effect in my Leica.

 

(Click Here) to visit Konstantino's blog and see more of his work.

 

My only question now is whether or not I need to inform The Darkroom (my favorite mail-in film developer) that I shot Delta 3200 at 1600 or not. I tend to think not, as I read a lot of posts about shooting it at 1600 and developing normally.

 

By the way, if you want truly excellent film developing, (Click Here) to visit thedarkroom.com.

 

With any luck, I'll have some interesting new concert photos to share in a week or so!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Local Music Scene Continues to Evolve

As you probably know, I am a big live music fan. When I was a kid, it was "the bigger the better," at least up to the point of a stadium show, where you may as well go see the performers in a movie. Now, I prefer intimate settings, and even performers that I have the benefit of knowing. Lucky for me, there's an unusual concentration of musical talent where I live here in Northern Virginia.

 

Last year brought some changes to the musical world I follow. Some very positive, some will take time to work out. Positive - The Woodshedders, who you'll find pictures of here on my blog, put out an incredibly creative album. The Plank Stompers are alive and well. Otherwise? Well, one of my favorites, Acoustic Burgoo, is on hiatus with Ben now living in New Orleans and Melissa in a new project (Mink) and traveling a lot as well. Both are doing well, but it's changed our local music quite a lot. Along the same lines, Timmy, Josh, and Jack, of Jake and the Burtones, have also all moved off to continue their trajectories. But, Jake and the Burtones not only continues, it's thriving. I got to see them a few weeks ago - lots of new music in their set list and new people on stage, amongst two of the three originals (Timmy was in Malta).

 

Here are some shots from the show:

 

 

Jake and the Burtones, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 20mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, and 85mm f1.8 AF Lenses

 

The D700 is such an amazing camera. Most of these were shot at iso 6400, and stand up quite well. I know, the D4/Df is even better, but I'm pleased. I did use bounced flash as well - the light was pretty low. I am finding that the 20mm f2.8, which I've had for a long time but used relatively little, is spectacular for capturing the whole band at once in a very tight performance space. This show was in the White Palace, a restaurant here in Purcellville, Virginia.

 

So, we're all watching the changes, seeing some of our established favorites, some new arrangements, and sometimes a combination of the two. Music is an enriching part of life, and it's always better live, if you ask me.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Live Music - My Report on The Infamous Stringdusters is Up!

I've been writing periodically for the live music blog, Cosmic Vibes Live. Last week, they got me into a great show - The Infamous Stringdusters at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. My report is now up.

 

(Click Here) to read my show report on Cosmic Vibes Live.

 

The link above will let you read the musical aspects of the experience. I'll hit a few of the photographic aspects here.

Infamous Stringdusters, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 20mm f2.8 AF-D Lens

iso 1600, f2.8, 1/125 sec.

 

First, I usually rely on my Nikon DSLRs (D700 and D300) for indoor live music events. The high iso performance is unmatched by my other cameras.

 

Many concert photographers shoot with two or three zoom lenses. In the Nikon system, that's usually the 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and 12-24mm lenses, all fixed f2.8. I prefer to shoot Nikkor prime lenses. On this evening, I took a 20mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.8 and 180mm f2.8. I understand the tradeoff between primes and zooms. Yes, I have to change lenses more frequently in a crowd than I'd like. However, the generally faster f-stops are worth it. They're also a lot lighter to carry. On the long end, my 180mm f2.8 Nikkor is one half the weight of a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom.

 

I used the 20mm f2.8 on my D700 a lot at this show. My strategy was to move right up to front row center at the set break. While I didn't get all the way to the barrier, I was only one row of people back. I did have to lift my camera above everyone's heads, but that worked. With the 20mm field of view, it was relatively easy to compose overhead, even without an articulating LCD screen. I rarely use LiveView on my D700, but it came in handy for this.

 

 

Infamous Stringdusters, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 20mm f2.8 AF-D Lens

iso 1600, f2.8, 1/125 sec.

 

The 20mm also worked well for shooting people in the audience close up, though there was a lot less light:

First Set List, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 20mm f2.8 AF-D Lens

iso 3200, f2.8, 1/30 sec.

I also shot a lot with the 85mm f1.8 on my D300. The APS-C sensor makes this roughly the equivalent of a very fast 135mm f1.8 lens. Occasionally, I used the other lenses, or even swapped the 20 and 85 between the two bodies to take advantage of the different field of view due to sensor size differences. The D700 is better at high iso than the D300, but both perform very well at iso 1600 or even 3200.

 

Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D Lens

iso 1600, f2, 1/250 sec.

 

I have been having a lot of fun writing and shooting for Cosmic Vibes Live. I hope to keep this collaboration up for a very long time.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live Music Coverage - The Woodshedders' New CD Release - Shot With Nikon DSLRs

This weekend was live music-filled. I went to two release shows for The Woodshedders' new CD, "Wildfire."

 

(Click Here) to go to The Woodshedders home page. If you haven't listened to them, you should give them a try. An uncommon mix of bluegrass, jazz, and overall Americana, their music has a lot of soul.

 

Anyway, Friday night's show was at the Opera House in Shepherdstown, WV.

 

Shepherdstown Opera House, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 24mm f2.8 AF lens

iso 200, f8, 1 sec.

 

This is a great venue, an old cinema converted into live performance space.

 

(Click Here) to see what other shows are coming up at Opera House Live.

 

Kicking the night off right, The Green Boys warmed the crowd up. Maybe that's a poor choice of description; it was so hot that night that we could all have used a cooling down. In any case, this Richmond, VA-based group plays bluegrass in lively fashion. I've known these guys for a couple of years, and really enjoy every chance to hear them.

 

(Click Here) to check out The Green Boys.

 

Ryan Green (The Green Boys), by Reed A. George

Nikon D300, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF lens

iso 3200, f1.8, 1/60 sec.

 

My go-to Nikon DSLR is the D700. Full-frame, reasonable resolution (not so high that noise becomes an issue), the D700 is the single most capable camera I have ever owned. Not as fun as a Leica rangefinder perhaps, but definitely more flexible and capable, especially at high iso. I recently picked up a nice D300 from KEH for a second body. With the APS-C size sensor, the D300 is not quite as good as the D700 in extremely low light. That said, the D300 performed quite nicely here. The shot above shows what fast class can do for you.

 

Dwayne Brooke of the Woodshedders gave me the opportunity to shoot some pictures of the band. We made good use of the loft area in the Opera House, and here are a couple of my favorites.

 

Marilyn Dropped by the Session, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 35mm f2 AF lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

Flash (Nikon SB800) Bounced Off Ceiling

Another example of the flexibility of the Nikon system. Outfitting myself for an evening of low available light shooting, I decided to throw my SB800 flash in the bag. Not knowing that I'd get the chance to pose the band, I wasn't sure I'd use it. When the opportunity came, I simply set the camera to TTL flash, pointed it toward the ceiling, and away we went. This would not have been as easy with any of my other cameras.

 

 

The Woodshedders, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 35mm f2 AF lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

Flash (Nikon SB800) Bounced Off Ceiling

 

Here are some shots from the show itself. I don't know how these guys survived the heat.

 

Onstage, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 35mm f2 AF lens

iso 3200, f2, 1/125 sec.

 

Jesse Shultzaberger, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF lens

iso 2200, f1.8, 1/125 sec.

 

 

Ryan Mayo, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF lens

iso 2200, f1.8, 1/125 sec.

 

 

"Fiddlin' Dave" VanDeventer, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF lens

iso 2200, f1.8, 1/125 sec.

 

 

Jared Pool, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF lens

iso 2200, f1.8, 1/90 sec.

 

 

Dwayne Brooke, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF lens

iso 4500, f1.8, 1/125 sec.

At the intermission, both bands retired to the loft to chat with members of the audience, many of whom are person friends; these guys have quite a following around here. The shot below was made then, and is one of my very favorite images from the evening. I saw the red light outlining this young lady's hair, and that drew me in. The blue further back adds to the scheme.

Intermission, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AF lens

iso 6400, f2.8, 1/45 sec.

The crowd stayed lively throughout. In fact, some were so happy they were swept off their feet (or levitated?).

 

Uplifted, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 35mm f2 AF lens

iso 2200, f2.8, 1/60 sec.

Flash (Nikon SB800)

 

What a great show! If you're interested in seeing more from this show, (Click Here) to go to my web page, creativeobjective.com.

 

I'm still sorting images from Saturday night, and will post them separately. More to come!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

My Shot of The Acoustic Burgoo Wins the Piedmont Virginian Photo Contest!

The Acoustic Burgoo, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 100mm

iso 6400, f4, 1/100 sec.

 

My photo of the local band, The Acoustic Burgoo has won first place in the Arts/Music category in Piedmont Virginian's 2012 photo contest!

 

(Click Here) to go to the Piedmont Virginian's website.

 

The hard copy magazine will be on shelves in early July.

 

Once again the Lumix G3 comes through for me, even at high iso settings!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

After A Night of Shooting Nikon At A Concert - A Night of Shooting Leica At A Concert

 

The Acoustic Burgoo, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 1250, f2, 1/125 sec

 
 
Well, the night before this shot was taken, I photographed Larry Keel and Natural Bridge with my
most trusted high iso camera - the Nikon D700 (see yesterday's post). On this night, I chose to shoot the Leica M9. There is so much focus on high iso perfection these days, the M9 is considered weaker in this area, and I was concerned about noise. I decided not to push it over iso 1600 in any case, and tried to stay at 1250 most of the night. This meant shooting wide open, or very nearly wide open, with my lovely Zeiss Sonnar C 50mm f1.5 lens.
 
So how did the experiences compare, shooting Nikon DSLR and Leica M9 on subsequent nights, at live music concerts in the exact same venue? First, I shot a lot more with the Nikon. Shooting mostly with the 28mm f2.8 AF Nikkor and 85mm f1.8 AF-D Nikkor lenses, I felt fine shooting at iso 3200. I only used the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D for a few shots.
 
I picked 32 images from the Nikon night to include in my set on flickr.

(Click Here) to see those selections.
 
On the second night, shooting the Leica, I relied almost exclusively on the Zeiss 50mm f1.5 Sonnar C. Because I had to shoot at a lower iso than the night before, I had to rely on the fast f-stop of the Sonnar. I did shoot a couple with my Zeiss Biogon 25mm f2.8, but not many at all. At iso 1250 or 1600, f2.8 was just not fast enough.
 
I picked 20 images from the Leica night:
(Click Here) to see my Leica selections
 

The Grand Finale, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 1250, f2, 1/125 sec

 
I can say that I had more perfectly focused shots using the Nikon. Maybe this is obvious, since I was able to use autofocus with the D700. Also, high iso noise is definitely lower than the M9. Having a fast f1.8 telephoto was very nice for use with the D700. I was pleased with a fair proportion of shots.
 
On the second night, the Leica was a blast to use. First, I got to go backstage with the band for a little while, and the M9 was the perfect camera for that. Small, unobtrusive, quick to use. I would not have felt nearly as comfortable with the Nikon DSLR. Also, I love the feel of the M9, and enjoy manual focusing, even though that affects the number of sharp images negatively - especially shooting moving subjects in low light. The noise at iso 1250 is quite acceptable in my opinion. I did feel limited to the 50mm lens, as neither my wide (25mm f2.8) or telephoto (90mm f2.8) was fast enough at iso 1250.
 
So, when shooting concernts in the future, if I'm going for great stage shots in low light, I'll lean toward the D700. However, if I'm looking for more relaxed shots of performers and fans, and the light permits it, I'll always favor the M9. As usual with me, no clear decision to limit my equipment choices. Both cameras are excellent, but in very different ways.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Using Micro 4/3 for Concert Photos

 

Monograma, by Gary Ayala on mu-43.com

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f88/brea-jazz-festival-ii-34199/

 
Gary Ayala has shared a series of images from the Brea Jazz Festival, all shot with an Olympus OM-D. He used both Lumix 100-300 4-5.6 zoom (as in the shot above) and the Olympus 75mm f1.8 prime lenses.
 
(Click Here) to see Gary's post on mu-43.com. There are more pictures there.
 
I have been using my Panasonic Lumix G3s for live music events for quite some time. Most opt for DSLRs, for the larger sensor and lower noise performance. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the G3, even at high iso settings.
 
Here are a couple of my own results. The first is with the 100-300mm zoom:
 
 

Storyteller Tim O'Brien, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 100mm

iso 1600, f4, 1/100 sec

 
 
And here's one with the Olympus 75mm f1.8 that I just got. This is the first and only show I've shot with it so far.

Acoustic Burgoo at Watermelon Park Festival 2012, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Olympus 75mm f1.8

iso 800, f2.8, 1/100 sec

 
I'm very happy with the Olympus lens so far. But, as I mentioned, I've got a lot more testing to do with it. It is a gorgeous lens, and sharp as a tack.
 
I need to learn how fast I need the shutter to be to handhold it steadily, since it does not have stabilization (that's built into the body with Olympus, so the lenses don't have it). The rule of thumb is to keep your shutter speed faster than 1/ the focal length (equivalent at full frame 35mm). So, in this case, since 75mm on the Micro 4/3 sensor has the same field of view as a 150mm on the full frame sensors, I should keep it faster than 1/150 sec. The shot above is at a slightly slower shutter speed, so I got lucky. That wasn't always the case. I would have been better off increasing the iso to 1600, and getting a 1/200 shutter speed. I didn't want to open the aperture wider, since I wanted all of the band members to be reasonably within the depth of field. In terms of focus and depth of field, I achieved my goal - central focus on Melissa, the singer, and the rest of the band in adequate focus.
 
Lots of fun to be had with the new Micro 4/3 products - that's for sure!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

My Report on Watermelon Park Festival 2012 Is Up On CosmicVibesLive.com

 

The Acoustic Burgoo Plays Watermelon Park, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Olympus 75mm f1.8 Lens

iso 800, f2.8, 1/100 sec

 
I recently attended my favoritie local music festival, Watermelon Park Fest. It was held in Berryville, Virginia, September 20-22. I wrote up a report for Cosmic Vibes Live, a Mid-Atlantic live music blog.
 
(Click Here) to read my report on cosmicvibeslive.com
 
I shot a few different cameras on this weekend. The bulk of my photos were taken with the Lumix G3. It was my first outing with my new Olympus 75mm f1.8 - I'm very impressed with that lens. It really rounds out my lens set for live performances. At f1.8, it's perfect in low light situations, and has just enough focal length to allow tight compositions from the audience. It produces beautiful colors, and is as sharp as can be.
 
I also shot with my new Leica M9, and an old M4-2 film body. Lots of fun.
 

Watermelon Park Morning, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 (ca. 1937)

iso 200, f13, 1/350 sec

 

I've been writing for Cosmic Vibes for a little while now, and thoroughly enjoy the experience. It's a nice combination of three of my hobbies - live music, photography, and writing. And Jeff Socha, who runs the blog, is a super nice guy. In fact, I've got two more reports in process for them now.
 
Make sure you check out cosmicvibeslive.com
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com