experimenting with some new gods

I've been progressively pushing the experimental aspects of my live photography lately. This is not to say that far-out, psychedelic effects are always better than a straightforward shot; that is most certainly untrue. But sometimes, they are as good, if not better. Sometimes, an experimental photo represents the music and/or the artist more closely than a traditional photo could.

I'm not sure if that is necessarily true of these shots of New Gods, which I took recently at Ding Dong Lounge in the city. I went there with the specific intention to try out some new techniques. This is partly because I thought New Gods - with their interesting instrumental work and sometimes erratic frontman - would suit a less conventional approach to live photography. It is also because I need to become more familiar with these effects, and hone my skills, so that in future I can make informed decisions as to which shooting mode will be more effective - and so I will have a reasonable idea of what the results of this unconventional style will look like.

I think the photo at the top of the post captures something of the band and the performance more effectively than the second two. Even though none of these three communicate movement, which is something that I generally love in live shots, the top image is somehow more evocative - all the pretty lights dominating the top third of the frame, the gorgeous lighting on Richard's face (left), and the fact that Dominic is still the focus, but in a more subtle and collaborative way. A talented songwriter backed by a devoted unit of musicians, perhaps. There's something very intimate about the shot, which I think comes from its composition. It evokes warmth (camaraderie, perhaps?), and a richness of sound that seems apt for the music, whereas the other two deceptively sparse.

Again this one feels quite sparse, and I don't think it's a great representation of the band. But it is an interesting effect, and in trials like these, interesting is all I ask for.

I actually really like this, and I think it's because of the strange, out-of-focus exposure of Dominic (the yellow figure), which again adds warmth to the image. Together with the lights, it creates a lovely atmosphere - almost dreamlike. I also like that Sam is in it - which is rare, because thanks to stage position and poor lighting, drummers are frustratingly difficult to include in live shots. However, the shot doesn't include Richard, so it's not an image of the whole band.

That movement I was talking about?

This technique is very new to me, albeit a pretty organic extension of my multiple exposure work. It's not a perfect image by any means, but with its chaos leading to an emotive cry from Dominic at the far right of the frame, it contains a lot of promise. This technique is one that needs a lot more practice - and one that will definitely be getting it.

(PS: Part Two of my investigation into film vs digital is well underway, and should appear in the coming week. I just wanted to give some photo love to the internet in the interim.)

musical bits and pieces

For better or worse, music has been preoccupying my lenses of late. I have some very specific music- and non-music-related projects coming up, but before I get to that stuff, here is a relatively arbitrary collection of images from various music-themed shoots/events.

In my last post, I wrote about the recent shoot I did with a singer/songwriter. It was a wonderfully successful day, and in good time the final images will show up here in all their glory. Until then, I'm choosing to display a few nondescript shots. This one wasn't planned; I was walking down to the backyard to shoot from a low angle and I noticed his hand resting on the railing. I know it's quite a plain image, but there's something about it that I love. I think perhaps it's because the formality of the black-jacket-white-shirt sleeve contrasted with the relaxed state of the hand intrigues me. The gumtrees and the old verandah railing are also very Australian, and that's always nice.

I'd never heard of Immigrant Union before going to see them play, but I always like the challenge of shooting something or someone I'm unfamiliar with. Unlike bands such as Money for Rope, Royal Headache and Saskwatch, all of whom I love and whose songs I am extremely familiar with, shooting an act unknown to me means that I have to make decisions in the moment, with no forethought or preparation. I'd loaded black and white film just before the performance and I immediately regretted it when the smoke machine came out and the colours came alive through the haze. While colour film would definitely have been interesting, though, the smokiness still makes the lighting more dramatic with this black and white film (in the second shot), and I think that the first shot would look less appealing in colour. I still would have preferred colour for the night, but I guess what I'm saying is, there were a few interesting results regardless.

As incredible as the action on the stage can be, the audience can be pretty appealing too. Both of these shots were taken at a small music festival in South Gippsland. There was a very convivial atmosphere throughout the crowd, and the festival in general, and the lighting from the stage was giving all the happy faces such lovely colours. The first shot is slightly out of focus, but the softness is in keeping with the cloud-covered moon. While technically this is significantly flawed, it has a special feeling to it, and I love the deep blue of the night sky against the magenta of the stage-bathed crowd. There's not a whole lot to say about the second shot here - it's just really cute.

There'll be more coherent thoughts and collections from me soon, but I think that taking some time to pick out a few photos that maybe don't fit in with them is a great thing to do. Because they're interesting at least, lovely (or cute) at best, and I don't want them to get lost in the depths of the photo library and be forgotten.

sweat 'til you can't sweat no more

I'm sure there are other, more insightful similarities between the two gigs I saw and photographed last week, but in my mind and memory, there is one thing that unites them above all else: sweat. I'm not just talking a bit of upper-lip moisture, either. I'm talking about drenching my shirt, stinging my eyes, trickling down the back of my neck, threatening to drown my camera every time I looked through the viewfinder. I actually didn't realise I was capable of producing that much sweat. Twice in one week.

Both shows occurred during Melbourne's March heatwave, both were in venues that are notoriously warm when things get busy, and both were at capacity. The first was Saskwatch returning to Cherry for the first show of their March residency (above). The second was Royal Headache playing a wonderfully intimate show at the John Curtin Hotel (top).

I've been using the grainy black and white a lot for live stuff lately, and to be honest I think it's my go-to for this kind of thing. In large part, that's because it's the most capable film I know for low-light situations, but I also love it because it's different from most other black and white live stuff you see around the place. In the first guitar shot here (Royal Headache), it's kind of washed out and grey, and in the second (Saskwatch) it's got a lot more contrast. Usually I always prefer high contrast, but sometimes it's nice to have some variety, and there is something charming about the greyer image; again, the almost faded grainy look is just very different from most stuff I see, which is a positive .

I only used black and white for Royal Headache, but for Saskwatch at Cherry I decided to embrace the red curtain and shoot some slide as well. The way I shot and processed it really brings out extreme contrast and extra red, which again, makes them quite different from a lot of live stuff out there. Don't get me wrong - I am not against 'regular'-looking film, but with a type of photography (live music) that so often looks the same, it's important for me to experiment with how I can bring something new to the images. The intense contrast+red in these shots isn't my favourite effect in the world, but I do think it has potential, and in the second photo of these four, I think the lighting and contrast works beautifully, especially on Nic's face (centre).

As with the black and whites above, the first two photos here show how the same film and shooting conditions can produce pretty different results. The first of the two is really high contrast, while the second is a lot less intense, and red almost looks faded. I think in this case, I like the second, faded look better. Having said that, LOOK AT THE THIRD ONE! What an incredible image to have shot and not photoshopped or anything - just to have the red of the curtain and the red of the stage lights and the film producing this intense two-tone effect. I love this.

I just want to take a moment to celebrate this really animated image of the horn section. They're usually tucked away behind their very large and obscuring mic stands, so it's difficult to get a dynamic image of all of them. At this moment, they came out to the centre of the stage during their cover of Robbie Williams' 'Kids', and encouraged the audience to sing the refrain. It's particularly appealing to me because they're all active: Liam and Will are singing, Nic is wiping the sweat off his face, and Sam is encouraging the crowd to sing it loud. Great.

In my ongoing attempt to get something slightly left of centre, I often try to get in close and focus on small details that still capture the energy or some other essential part of the performance. Olaf's keys-playing is a good example, and works well here because you can see Rob's guitar in the background so the shot's a bit more dynamic. But really, the stars here are the ones of Nkechi. She's such an incredible photography subject when she's on stage, because the way she moves and the way she physically sings are mesmerising. If it weren't for all the dancing this band commands of its audience, I'm quite sure people would just be transfixed on Nkech the entire time. These images of her arm and her hand on the mic stand here are just two examples of getting in close to capture elements of her physical performance. I'd love to do this more with her, because by God, there are a lot of things to capture.

Royal Headache's lead singer, Shogun, is mesmerising in an entirely different way. He alternates between pacing frenetically across the stage and pausing to crouch and focus on singing intensely and beautifully. I was right up the front for this gig, which was great for shooting, but not great for my physical well-being; Shogun's freneticism is nothing compared to the brutal energy of Royal Headache's die-hard fans, who evidently love to shove, stage dive, crowd surf and smash shit. But I was tough! I was going to get my shots! A kick to the head, a stranger falling onto my lap and a million little bruises all over me weren't going to deter me! And my persistence paid off; apparently Shogun wasn't so sure of my physical capabilities and eventually insisted that I get onto the stage to shoot in order to be a bit safer.

I think this selection captures the energy in the room quite well. The square shots were taken on my Holga, using a flash - which I don't ordinarily do for fear of annoying people but I don't think any of these people even noticed it; with all that activity a flash of light is the last thing on their minds.

These capture the more subdued moments in the set, where the energy relaxed momentarily in anticipation of the next adrenaline surge. I feel really lucky that I was close enough to photograph Shogun like this; it's rare in any live situation to be literally face to face with a performer. In this case he knelt right in front of me to sing a little. Just perfect.

I wasn't sure about this one when I first saw it, but actually I really love it. The focus is on the guy in the audience, who is sweaty and looks exhausted, but also looks like he's loving it. Then you see the blur that is Shogun, and the movement implicit in that blur betrays the energy of the performance, giving us some idea of why the dude in the crowd may be so sweaty and satisfyingly exhausted. It just works really well for me.

These are just a few more I had to include. Like I think I've made clear above, they're basically an awesome band to watch and to shoot. I took a lot of photos but I felt that I couldn't stop because if I did I'd miss something amazing. These also represent a success story in terms of shooting at the Curtin, because in the past I've found the lighting really difficult. I think this film is the key. (Or shooting with a flash in rare cases.)

Both of these shows were incredible, and a privilege to shoot. Engaging performers, great musicians, responsive crowds and all-round awesome music is a pretty good combination for getting good shots, despite any technical obstacles that can (and do) arise.

So what I'm saying, in conclusion, is this: the sweat, the bruises, the exhaustion - one hundred per cent worth it. 

push it (push it good)

So I've been trying my hand at live photography lately, as you would have gathered if you read my last post, and it's been quite the challenge. This is largely because when shooting dark environments like those on a stage, it can be very difficult to get enough light through the lens; if you don't, you can end up with a black mass rather than an actual image.

There are several ways to do this, all of which I am still exploring. There are long exposures, which lets a lot more light in, but unless you have a very motionless subject you'll get little more than a blurry mess. That can sometimes be a good thing, but it's not a viable solution across the board, especially when performers tend to move. A lot. There's fast lenses (that allow you to shoot at really wide apertures), which are fantastic but, unfortunately, lenses are damn expensive so I don't have a never-ending supply. Besides which, a fast lens will only get you so far.

The final option (at least, as far as I understand) is the film. Fast films are much more forgiving in dark conditions. But if you find you still can't make it work with a fast film, you can always push it.

Pushing film is something I always meant to experiment with but for some reason never got around to until recently. It involves simply 'tricking' your camera by telling it that the film you're using is faster than it actually is, then processing the negatives according to the faster speed. The result is more grain, higher contrast and more light on the film. When I began looking at live photography, this seemed the perfect time to try it out. And the fact that I love high contrast and big grain was a bonus. The first time I tried it was when I shot Saskwatch live for the first time, but I'll post those photos separately another time. The results were mixed, but promising, with some gorgeous, exciting results. The same could be said for the above shots, which I took when Boomgates launched their album at the John Curtin Hotel late last year. I used two different types of film, which you can probably tell from the shots, and pushed both of them. While there were a lot of shots that didn't work so well, I think the above images are pretty interesting. They capture various aspects of the performance, and they look different to most live photography.

A friend of mine asked me to shoot his new band, Farrow, at The Workers Club a couple of weeks ago, so I took along a roll of colour film and, again, pushed it to make sure I could capture enough light. The lighting at the Workers is evidently pretty good (only a few dark corners), so the results were for the most part successful. While they are perhaps less unusual than the Boomgates shots thanks to the venues' respective lighting demands, they are still quite unique, with that glorious grain and contrast.

This is one of my favourite films to shoot with, and it's perfect for live stuff because it's super fast. Despite being extraordinarily tired after the night of my life at (and with) Sharon Jones the night before (more on that in an upcoming post), I took my camera along to New Gods' first Melbourne headline show at the Northcote Social Club. Again, there were some less successful results, but among them were some really interesting shots, such as those above. I particularly like those of Sam, the drummer, as the dramatic lighting on his profile is extremely evocative. I also adore the way this film makes any direct lighting glow.

And there you have it - my adventures in live photography and pushing film thus far. There are some misses, for sure, but there are also plenty of hits - or at least the promise of many more hits to come.