Check out a few more pics over at SoundSpike.

I came out of the closet about being an Adam Lambert fan back when he was performing on American Idol.  And yes, I admit that as well, I do watch  Idol…it’s pop culture, how can I not.  When I heard Adam’s Glam Nation Tour was making a stop in Denver I all but sold my soul shoot the show for the Denver Post.  The only bummer was, I didn’t get to stay for the entire show, just the first three songs.  But that’s ok, I’ll get the scoop on the rest of the show from my soon to be 70 year old mother.  That’s right, she’s a massive fan and plans on hitting Adam’s set in Albuquerque at the Sunshine Theater next month.  I’m seriously considering making the drive to join her.  If you find it odd that a 70 year old woman is a massive fan, you’d be surprised (as surprised as I was) about his demographic.  I was expecting to see mostly LGBT and teenage girl fans, but I was a little off.  There were a fair number of the a fore mentioned, but also a pretty big group of women in 35 – 50 range, along with their husbands.  For the record, I myself am a lesbian turning 40 in a couple months.  I think it’s fantastic that he brings such a wide range of people together.

Be sure to check out the official Denver Post Reverb review written by Emily Zemler.  You’ll see a few more pics.

A few technical notes

This was a soundboard shoot, which isn’t ideal but you take what you can get.  Unfortunately, I didn’t know it was going to be a soundboard shoot so I didn’t have my monopod with me.  Shooting telephoto at low shutter speeds is never ideal but it’s possible.  Luckily, in preparing for the show I had watched a few You Tube videos so I knew what to expect in terms of his movement and choreography.  I did learn a valuable lesson though, always keep my monopod in the car, just in case.

I shot primarily with my 70-200/2.8L with a 2x extender.  The first two songs I was shooting that lens on a Rebel xTi so I could get that added .6 magnification.  ISO 1600, F5.6 (lowest I could go because of the extender), 1/80th.  For the the third song, Ring of Fire, the lighting on Adam dimmed quite a bit so I switched to my 5D body to get an extra stop by bumping my ISO to 3200.

You can see the full set of images at Reverb.

OR, I’m trying something new on my website, a “Stories” section.  It’s a work in progress but, you can also see them here, www.denisechambers.com/stories/passionpit

A Few Technical Notes

Shooting a show like this definitely tests the skills and technical “know how.”  It was first three songs only, not out of the ordinary but always adds just a bit of pressure.  Before the set started I had decided to use my 24-105/4.0 which is my staple.  I only had one camera with me so I wanted a lens that would give me options, nice range of wide to telephoto. For the opening band I had used my 16-35mm, shooting at ISO 1250, F2.8, 1/125ish so I figured I would probably be ok shooting my 24-105mm at ISO 1600, F4.0, 1/100ish.  Not ideal but I can usually manage that.

As soon as the first song started I immediately switched back to my 16-35mm. Why?

First, holy insane lighting.  Definitely had a rave feel to it, heavy strobe back lighting, minimal front light.  Great if you’re a fan in the audience not so great if you’re trying to shoot the show.

Second, way too much motion.  The lead singer, Michael Angelakos, was all over the stage.  He barely stayed still.  Again, great if you’re a fan in the audience not so great if you’re a photographer in a narrow pit with 4 other photographers.  Scratch that two other photographers and two teenage girls who somehow managed to sweet talk their way into the pit.

The wider lens helped me in a few ways…first the 2.8 aperture helped me get more light without more sacrifice to shutter speeds. Also, by shooting wide, I could minimize the movement of my camera, a few small movements on my part kept Michael in my viewfinder the entire time, which again allowed me to shoot at less than optimal shutter speeds. Had I been shooting normal to telephoto I would have had to worry not only about his movement but also mine. Finally, because of the crazy lighting..heavy on and off back lighting, flashing lights, etc..auto focus is a pain. I don’t know if this is an issue just with Canon gear but auto focus in low light is tough enough already, then when you add in the extreme fluctuations with the light, it’s near impossible to rely on auto focus.  Manually focusing on a continuously moving target is not that fun either, but shooting wide gives you a bigger “acceptable focus” range.

All in all a fun show to shoot.  But I am definitely thinking I need to shell out some cash to upgrade my camera.  I’m shooting the 5D, which limits my ISO to pretty much 1600.  I’d love to get a somewhat clean file at 3200 or higher.  Technology changes so quickly, seems like I’m always a few paces behind… my iPhone is 1st Gen.

You can see the complete set, along with a review by Cassandra Schoon at the Denver Post Reverb.

Technical notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Lenses: Primarily the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

ISO: 1250, 1600
F-Stop 4.0 & 2.8
Shutter speeds: anywhere from 1/15th to 1/100th depending on the lighting

Leftmore:

Mark’s Midnight Carnival Show:

Jeremy Facknitz w/The Charlie Milo Trio:

Benjam Pratt also performed, however I missed his set so I’ll have to catch him next time.

You can see more photos from the night at the Denver Reverb Gallery or on my Flickr page.

A Few Notes

I’ve shot several times a the Black Sheep and the lighting there is pretty much what you would expect from a dive bar kind of place…pretty crappy (but better than the Hi-Dive up in Denver).  The Black Sheep doesn’t have any constraints regarding flash but as I’ve mentioned before I prefer not to use a flash.  However, during this shoot the lighting was especially horrible.  Not really sure why but, WOW, it was bad.  Mostly green and red…which makes me wonder if the lighting guy was trying to make a statement about christmas.  Sooo, I did occasionally fire my 550EX.  Can you tell which ones from above?

Technical notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lenses: Primarily the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, but also the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM for a couple shots

ISO: 800, 1250, 1600
F-Stop 4.0 & 2.8
Shutter speeds: anywhere from 1/15th to 1/50th depending on the lighting

You can see more pics on my Flickr page or over at Denver Reverb.

A Few Notes

I get quite a few random questions about my shoots so I’ve decided to start putting a little bit of shoot info along with the pics. What was nice about this shoot was that there was not a three song limit, what was not so nice was that there was no photo pit and the theater was packed. Luckily I arrived just shortly after the doors were opened so I managed to squeeze my way up front. But no photo pit meant I was pretty limited in terms of perspective.

If you’ve ever been to so Flyleaf, you know that these guys put on a real dynamic show, lots of movement. Which, is great for multiple photo ops but not so great when you aren’t shooting with a flash. And I generally don’t like to shoot with a flash. Sooo, this set was a little challenging. Heavy back-lighting wasn’t that fun to deal with either.

Technical notes:

Cameras: Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS Digital Rebel xTi
Lenses: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM and Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4.0L IS USM

ISO: 1600
F-Stop 2.8 & 4.0
Shutter speeds: anywhere from 1/30th to 1/250th depending on the lighting

I was extremely happy to be shooting State Radio for the Denver Post Reverb Music Blog.  First, because State Radio is awesome and I was so happy they decided to make Colorado Springs a stop on their current tour.  If you’re not familiar with State Radio they are a band out of Boston, MA who are extremely dedicated to helping bring about social change by promoting human rights and they encourage their fans to do the same.  Currently they are partnering with Oxfam America to help end violence towards against women. To learn more about their activism and see how you can help change the lives of others, check out the Calling All Crows website.

The second best thing about the night was Elephant Revival..FANTASTIC!  They are an experimental folk band based up in Nederland, CO.  I absolutely fell in love with this band.  Lovely blend of vocals and instrumentals.  Can’t wait until they come back down to the Springs.

Here are a few photos from night:

You can see a few more on Reverb.  Also, I’ll post a few to Flickr some time soon.

As for the art of making pictures, I’ve been continuing my trend of shooting live music.  Below are a few highlights from the last few months. If you feel so inclined, you can see more shots from each of these shows either at Denver Reverb or on my Flickr site.

Israel Nebeker and bassist Luke Ydstie of Blind Pilot at the Hi-Dive in Denver Colorado

Ukulele Loki and the Gadabout Orchestra at the Bluebird Theater in Denver, Colorado

Caroline Polachek of Chairlift at the Bluebird in Denver Colorado”

The Epilogues at the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs Colorado

Alkaline Trio at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison Colorado

The Offspring at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison Colorado

I can’t remember the last time I saw a keytar!!  Speakeasy Tiger at the Westword Music Showcase

Kate Cooper and Damon Cox are An Horse. I think you may know, I LOVE these guys!!”

My favorite thing at the Death Cab For Cutie Show, watching Ben Gibbard move/dance around

St. Vincent at the Central Presbyterian Church. Not my favorite venue but St. Vincent was lovely.

Heartless Bastards at Stubbs. The back lighting was killing me but I was able to get some decent shots.

An Horse, or to be more precise Kate Cooper’s feet, at Friends Bar. The lighting in the venue was crap so I was trying to be a little creative. Plus, I have a thing about shooting feet, pedals, and/or set lists.

3oh!3 at Stubbs. These guys are from Boulder Colorado…so I had to check ‘em out. They had crazy energy.

Tori Amos at La Zona Rosa…swoon. We were only allowed to shoot one song and the photo pit was jam packed, no pressure. I felt a little bad about leaning all over the photographer in front of me to get this shot, but what are you gonna do.

Shiny Toy Guns, SXSW Live on Direct TV. Did you see me?

Echo and the Bunnymen, SXSW Live on Direct TV. Amazing how music can transport you back in time. I was flooded with memories from my teen years.

White Lies at Stubbs, Awesome! I love these guys. They remind me so much of the music I discovered in my early teens, Joy Division, The Sisters of Mercy, Early Depeche Mode.

Silversun Pickups at Antone’s. The place was packed. I tried to fight my way up to the front but I’m not a very pushy person so it was a loosing battle. Instead I sweet talked my way up to the production balcony:

Chris Guanlao, the drummer for Silversun Pickups, is INSANE (in a completely fantastic way). He reminded my of Animal from Sesame Street.

Great job to all the behind the scenes stage, sound and lighting crews!

Stubbs, my favorite venue at SXSW:

Completely random shot while walking waiting at a stoplight in the South Congress area:

I still have a bit of editing to get through, but sometime in the next week I’ll post some more shots on my Photo Shelter Archive.