Eels @ Den Atelier
I have to say that I was amazed when I saw that the venue was sold out. Especially on a Sunday night with a big Music Festival and the yearly fair going on at a few km away. I guess that speaks for the Eels popularity around here.
I was however to be hugely disappointed (not musically) by the Eels. I was told (as were all the other photographers) that we had our regular 3 songs no flash routine, but we were thrown out of the pit after a minute or so into the show. And that for no apparent reason. On the way out of the pit somebody from their crew told us that we could take a few more pictures from within the crowd though if we wanted.
Now I do and always did respect the rules that management has laid out for us, sometimes it’s one song only, sometimes it’s from an elevated spot in the back of the venue, sometimes it’s even from the side of the stage and I don’t mind, the rules are the rules. But I don’t understand why photographers are allowed into the pit only to be asked to leave before their allocated time is over?
What happened then? Well by the time we were back in the crowd the second song was nearly over, I looked around took one picture and to be honest at that point I thought, well if they don’t want us in the pit they don’t want their pictures taken and I left (first time I’ve done that). Especially since there were ans who paid to be there who saw a bunch of photographers blocking their view.
The few pictures I was able to get can be seen in the flickr slideshow below:
Reamonn @ The Rockhal
What a nice way to start the season…….. I photographed Reamonn before at a festival. When I heard they were coming back I knew I wanted to see and photograph their show again. The Irish-German band played for the first time in 1999 and became famous with their hit single: Supergirl.
Photographically it was quite tough for a start. I was only allowed to photograph two songs and the light was varying from very bright to very dark. I used the 28-75 F2.8 only as I felt with only two songs I did not want to wast time switching objectives.
You can see the rest of the pictures below in the flickr gallery or by clicking here.
Pale Obsession band promo shoot.
We had only 3 days to prepare the shoot, the location was only confirmed the afternoon of the shoot, some gear that we needed was still on it’s way from Germany, and this was our first band shoot ……. all these elements and the lack of precious sleep created quite a sense of pressure that day.
But in the end we’ve had a lot of fun, and the result was well worth the effort. The location was the Rockhal Club in Luxembourg/Belval and it’s entry hall which provided us with a total of 4 sets. For these sets we used quite some gear: 2 Canon 5d’s, 24-105F4L, 70-200F2.8L, 17-40F4L, 15mm F2.8 Fisheye, 3 Flashguns Elinchrom D-Lite 4′s and 2 continuous lights, 2 Elinchrom remote triggers, 1 Flash as a back light, reflectors and a fog machine (thanks guys), and some HLS’s ….. thanks Mick and Tania.
It turned out to be a great experience, the guys from Pale Obsession were great and very patient. We’ve had some trouble in finding the right light setup for the fog and I wish we’ve had one or two more flashguns for the more complex shots, but in the end there was nothing we couldn’t handle and by having to deal with the gear at hand made us learn some interesting stuff.
Check out Pale Obsession on iTunes, and keep your eyes open for the release of their new CD.
Make sure you check out the rest of the pictures on the slideshow below or here:
Summer Break
Well we’re here, ….. the summer break. Concert planning is running at it’s slowest pace here in Luxembourg. The last three weeks were mental, non stop concerts, long hours of waiting for the bands to start, photographing the support acts, editing the pictures, facing picture theft and so on. It was a tough time but I enjoyed every single minute of it. It was very rewarding in terms of publications, contacts and public exposure in general.
The video below is Pale Obsession’s CD release trailer, made with various photographs from our photo session (post to follow).
That being said now it’s time to take it easy for a while and spend some quality time with family and friends. Leaving on a trip pretty soon and looking forward to snap some shots of things a bit different than performing artists. Although I am still wondering how to fix a D-Lite4 with it’s Battery Pack in the middle of a “Via Ferrata” without killing myself or anybody else in the process……….. If somebody’s done it before and is reading this, … any piece of advice is welcome
I’ll also spend a tiny amount of time on some other projects with InFocus. We were quite busy getting everything up and running in the new studio. But after the first two or three sessions in there I think I can say that we’re there. Lately requests have been increasing exponentially which is nice but it also takes it’s toll
The Kooks @ Den Atelier
The Kooks performed before a packed Atelier last night. The indie rock band from Brighton made it to Luxembourg once more to the delight of their fans.
The show started off with stroboscopic effects, I was a bit afraid that it set the tone for what was to come. But it was only for a few seconds. The light was actually very nice, a lot of variation in colors, brights and darks. The pit was packed with photographers so movement was very restricted. I’ve photographed the whole 3 songs with the 28-75mm F2.8.
The rest of the pictures in the gallery here or in the slideshow below.
Daniel Balthasar @ Den Atelier
Daniel Balthasar opened up for The Kooks at the Atelier. It’s a local band that has made it’s name here in Luxembourg. Those who were not fans before they started probably are now if I believe what I’ve heard behind me in the pit. Visit them on their website.
The light was quite ok here, the only drawback was that I had the opportunity to go on stage to take my pictures, but the stage was so cramped that there was no point, movement would have been close to impossible. A whole part from the second song was lit with red spotlights which is not so nice. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 for all three songs.
You can see the rest of the pictures here or below in the slideshow.
Bullet for my Valentine @ The Rockhal
It’s not the first time the welsh metalcore band stops in Luxembourg for their show. Their fans are numerous as the Rockhal was sold out for the event. The band has quite some history that goes back all the way to 1998. As I stated in a previous blog I am not a metalcore fan but I must say I kinda liked Bullet for my Valentine.
The light was good and diverse on this one. The stage was quite big and empty which made it tough for group compositions. The pit was quite narrow which made it difficult to move and the left part of the stage was not reachable for most of the three songs. I shot the show with the 70-200mm F2.8 and the 28-75mm F2.8.
The rest of the pics here, or in the slideshow below.
Rise Against @ Den Atelier
Rise Against kicked ass last night @ Den Atelier. The venue was sold out for weeks now and fans were eager to see Tim McIlrath and his guys from Chicago. They were fantastic on stage. By the time the played “Long forgotten sons” people were out of it.
Photographically it was ok. A mixture of blues, magentas and the dreaded reds. Some whites here and there. Security had a lot of work in the pit so that was a bit distracting. I shot the whole show with the 28-75mm F2.8. The stage was too busy for the fisheye and I was too close for the 70-200mm.
The rest of the pics here, or in the slideshow below.
Suicidal Tendencies @ The KuFa
I used to be a huge fan of Suicidal Tendencies but never saw them live. When I heard they were playing in Luxembourg I couldn’t wait to ask for a photo pass.
When I arrived at the venue yesterday I saw people playing basketball in the court. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I realized it was the band ……… they were having a game just like that, no security no restrictions. I asked for permission to take some pics and sure enough they had no problems with that. It was awesome …….
If you get achance go an watch them, take it. It’s well worth the money. They were full of energy and on top of their game. Guys if you read this: You are amazing!!!!!
Photographically it was a tough one, the light was dim with some brighter moments. The pit was divided in small spaces that you had to choose from in the begining and couldn’t move anymore afterwards. So it became quite a static session for us. The challenge here was to photograph Mike Muir, he kept on moving soooo fast around the stage, it made it really hard to get a sharp shot at 1/100th, F2.8 ISO 1600. Couldn’t go any faster without going up to ISO 3200, which I am not too fond of with my trusted 5D.
The rest of the pictures in the gallery or below in the flickr slideshow:
The Temper Trap @ Den Atelier
When I heard about this assignment I didn’t know the Australian band. It’s only when a friend send me the link to the video of “Sweet Disposition” that I got to know them. It’s a great video, if you haven’t seen it yet have a look at their website or youtube. Anyway, since then I was hooked and really looking forward to this concert.
Photographically it was a good mixture of lights. The show in itself was quite static which made it tough to make different compositions.
The rest of the pics here in the gallery or below in the flickr slideshow. Enjoy…..
36 Crazyfists @ Den Atelier
36 Crazyfists were part of the three bands that performed on Sunday. They were the first ones to start the show. I was impressed by seeing them close to the stage already well before the show began. They were talking to fans and signing autographs. When they were done with their show they all were amongst the fans, having a beer, talking, taking pictures with fans. I think that’s really impressive and sends out a positive message. Respect to them for that.
Lighting was rather dull, blues, magentas and reds. Quite dark too, but that’s the usual treatment with metal bands most of the time. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 only for this show. The pit was the biggest I’ve seen tough, it really left a lot of room for movement and composition.
As always the rest in the gallery here or below in the flickr slideshow.
RSS Feed subscription change and some other stuff.
I’ve received some emails from people telling me that there were some issues with my RSS feed. It has indeed changed in the beginning of the month and I have to admit that I forgot to post the change. Anyway don’t forget to update it in your RSS Readers. The new link can be found on top of the blog or use this one: http://www.tomdimaggio.org/blog/?feed=rss2
On another note check out Everwaiting Serenade’s new mySpace page that resulted from our shoot a few month back. Here’s the link to the page. It was a really nice day out shooting with the guys and we’re all really happy with the results. A lot of lessons were learned that day…..
If you dig their music they will be playing on July 3rd in the Kufa‘s 12 Stonnen Rock Festival. Normally I should be there too to take some pictures. I’ll mainly photograph the young but great “Anthem of the sun” which is a rather new but promising band here in Luxembourg.
I was asked for my pictures from the Lila Downs concert by her managment. They’ve been put online here last week.
The concert season is slowly coming to an end but there’s still some pretty good shows that I’ll be covering:
- The Temper trap
- Suicidal Tendencies
- Rise Against
- Bullet for my valentine
- Slash
- Pink Martini
- Papa Roach
I’ll post the 36 crazyfists and Claudine Muno pictures tomorrow, …..
Unearth @ Den Atelier
I can’t say that I am a metalcore fan, but when I see a show like the one performed yesterday by Unearth, I can see that change some time in the future. Unearth was founded in 1998 in Boston, so they’re not really new in the scene. In fact one of the show goers told me that Unearth was at the very beginning of the metalcore movement.
Photographically magnificent, they really gave me something to photograph, they even sometimes went as far as “announcing” their moves with small gestures. I had a blast photographing this concert.
The rest of the pics here or below in the flick gallery below:
Atreyu @ Den Atelier
Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/lyricist Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight and drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller. A very energetic band and a fantastic crowd made it a treat to be in the pit and take photographs.
Photographing this show was both: excellent and one of the toughest at the same time. Excellent because the guys were great, they gave their fans a show to remember and that’s always great to photograph. Tough because the light went from dark, I really mean dark, 0 light to very bright. I had to time my shots and hope for a nice pose when the lights were there. I shot the whole show with the 28-75mm F2.8 as I didn’t want to waste any time changing lenses.
The rest of the pictures below on flickr or in my gallery here.
Radio Dead Ones @ Rockhal
Beverly Crime and his guys from Radio Dead Ones rocked the Rockhal as a support act for Beatsteaks. It’s a band that was formed in 2003 in Berlin, the hype around them hasn’t stopped to grow.
This was a very tough concert to photograph. The light was not that bad, but Beverly was moving a lot and very fast at that. The headgear he was wearing made it a challenge to get a picture in which his eyes are visible. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 for all of the pictures.
The gallery is here.
Article published on Steve Huff’s blog
Steve Huff published my article about black & white photography on his blog. It’s heavily based on a post I’ve written here back in February I think. Have a look at it and while you’re there check his blog out. It’s a really nice resource for us photographers and the community it great too.
Thanks for posting the article Steve.
Mika @ The Rockhal
It was a full house yesterday for Mika, and by the sounds of it, his fans were more than pleased with his performance. The stage as very well lit and very interesting. The opening in itself was …. special. I have to say, I was quite impressed by Mika and his crew.
The lighting was very bright and changed a lot. Not the most difficult situation to expose for. Mika moving around so much was more of a challenge. The stage was quite dynamic in itself which kept the backgrounds changing and interesting. The toughest part was not getting run over by the camera teams in the pit. There were 3 cameras on rails, and boy they really don’t care about anything else than filming the event……
The complete gallery can be seen below or a higher res version here.
Alkaline Trio @ The Club
Alkaline Trio are an American Punk Rock band from Illinois. Their sound rocks and one can notice that the three of them have been touring together for a while now.
Photographically this concert presented two challenges. One is the most common that you will have to face as a concert photographer: Light, … it was a disaster. Spots only from the ceiling at a very steep angle. A lot of reds and magentas, some blues from time to time. And the second challenge was new to me. The stage is quite a big one, and the band which counts 3 musicians were spread all over the place with nothing on stage but drumms and two microphones. It was very tough to still have an interesting composition in that situation. I used the 28-75mm F2.8, the 15mm F2.8 Fisheye and 70-200mm F2.8 for this gig.
As usual the rest of the pics in the gallery here.
Article on DPS
An article I’ve written for DPS (Digital Photography School) about band photography just went online. You can read the article here. The bands on the pictures are Everwaiting Serenade and Pale Obsession. Check them out ……
Emily Loizeau @ den Atelier
Emily Loizeau is quite a famous french singer/songwriter. The stage setup was somewhat different than the usual, which made me curious. She used a kind of small construction to stand on, even though she’s not that small.
From a photographic point of view it was a bit dull. The lights were orange and constant except for some very few moments and there was not a lot movement on stage. The light was quite low as well which forced me to shoot at ISO 1600 all through the 3 songs. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 and the 15mm F2.8.
EWS Band Promo
EWS (Everwaiting Serenade) was the first concert that I’ve shot. When I was done taking my pictures I really had big doubts. I was used shooting in the studio with controlled light and rather static subjects. The result was not as bad as I had feared and the band really enjoyed the shots.
Fastforward to last month, we’re in touch for a Band shoot. They were in dire need of some shots for various supports. It took us a month to find the correct location for the shoot. We decided for 3 locations and several sets at each.
The studio shoot was the first one. The Canon 5D was used along with the 24-105F4L, 70-200F2.8L and 50F1.8 lenses. Elinchrom flashes with a Beauty Dish and small 60×60 Softbox, a Walimex flash for the background or backlight depending on the setup. And finally some reflectors for fill light here and there.
The second location was the restaurant “Opium“, we’ve had an hour for our 3 sets so things went quite fast there. We were done in 35 minutes which allowed us to shoot a 4th set and squeeze some portrait shots in. Here we used a combination of Elinchrom strobes with a softbox and a beauty dish. The people at “Opium” were very nice and had a lot of patience. Shooting there was a blast.
Make sure you check out the rest of the pictures on the slideshow below or here:
Rickie Lee Jones @ Atelier
Rickie Lee Jones has been on stage for a while now, she seemed at easy and enjoyed performing. Rob Wasserman on the bass astonished everybody when he used a bow (violin) on his bass guitar. The sound was quite remarkable.
I used the 28-75 mm F2.8 only, as I thought I had one more song (she asked the photogs to leave after the first song. No idea what happened), for which I would have used the Fisheye. The lighting was quite dark and monotone, with yellows, blues and some reds.
Make sure you check out the rest of the pictures on the slideshow below or here:
Everlasting discussion about black and white concert photography.
Since I’m shooting concerts there’s always been that discussion in the pit about black and white concert photography. I’ve always avoided being drawn into that discussion as I don’t think that one can definitely say it is acceptable or not. To me it often sounds an awful lot like the “to photoshop” or “to not photoshop” discussion. Ultimately if the photograph is bad to start with, it is not a conversion to black and white that will save it.
The last such argument that I’ve witnessed (which was in the pit at a concert), and some questions from blog readers concerning my Epica post prompted me to write this post and “take sides”. That being said, not every photograph works in black and white, in fact most don’t, especially with concert photography, because of the lighting which is a key component of the show is rendered invisible by the conversion.
What I want to do with this post is demonstrate the positive or negative impact the black and white conversion can have on a photograph, and maybe demonstrate that a conversion doesn’t necessarily be a means to hide defects, whatever they are.
The next four shots are ones that worked better in black and white than in their original color. You can click on them to get a close look:
This shot from Ben Kowalewicz (Billy Talent’s lead singer) looked a bit dull to me in the blue tone, but the expression is great. The shot is better in black and white as it conveys more passion than on the mono one.
Machine Head’s lead Robb Flynn, is a very intense person. He really lives his music. This one “screamed” for conversion, the subtle change in Hue on the red background provides a great base for a conversion.
When I was selecting the pictures from Epica I didn’t notice this one straight away. It’s only a day or two later that this photo of their lead singer Simone Simons came to my attention. If there is one reference shot for a black and white conversion, this would be it.
Joe May from Pale Obsession was 100% into it at this point. The red vari-light on his face brings the intensity of the shot way down. A conversion solves that problem.
The next four shots are ones that loose in quality once converted to black and white for me, you can click on them to get a close look:
The colors at the Tori Amos performance were great. They actually help the photograph to come to life, getting rid of them would be taking away the impact of the picture.
This picture of James Morrison is full of emotion, the bright spot and smoke in the background actually make the atmosphere in this one. This and the harsh shadows on his face would brake this picture if converted to black and white.
I like the photograph of Jennifer Kae both ways. But the color version looks a lot more intense to me, the colors really fit well together and the warm tone in the background give a lot to the strength of the picture.
The lighting at Charlie Winston’s concert were very warm. They are somehow part of his music. Conversion would simply not fit to the music.
Pale Obsession @ Atelier
Pale Obsession was opening up for Epica at “The Atelier” yesterday. I liked them a lot, and judging by the cheers of the crowd I wasn’t the only one. It was quite challenging to photograph them as the light was quite dim in the begining and started to open up a bit at the end.
I’ve used the 28-75/F2.8 for the first two songs, and then switched to the 15mm/F2.8 Fisheye. I had a blast with that lense, but it’s very easy to over do it with this one. the stage is quite low and you tend to get really close to the performance which makes it the ideal place to give it a try. The rest of the pictures can be seen in the Gallery here.
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