Live gig by available light.

[Dave Rosser]

This post is by way of killing two birds with one stone. Firstly I want to learn how to post pictures on forum and get some comment back. Secondly I uploaded these pics to an online site that claims to use AI to rank pictures by ther likely popularity. One of these got a quite high rating and one so-so but the one getting the high rating was the one I rated lowest and vice-versa, you might want to do your own ranking.
I took these pics at a gig organised by friends of mine at a preserved steam railway I volunteer at, the venue is actually the engine shed. The camera was an x-pro 1 with 23mm f/1.4 lens shooting wide open at around ISO3200 using whatever light was available - I have a lifelong dislike of flash and other artificial light sources.

[RSL]

Can't help reflecting on the fact that nowadays in order to do a believable musical performance you have to appear in ripped jean shorts and an obscene t-shirt, and have long, dirty hair and a beard. If you're not "dressed" that way, well, you just don't get it. It wasn't all that long ago that in order to appear before an audience of music lovers you normally wore at least a dark suit with a dark bow tie on a white shirt. Even the Beatles wore presentable, though sometimes casual clothes. I guess that's progress. Right?

Anyhow, welcome aboard, Dave. I share your dislike of artificial light, though I use it often enough when I'm doing stuff for other people. I remember a story about Gene Smith lecturing an audience of photojournalists. He said something about preferring available light. There's was a general whoosh of indrawn breath among his audience. He paused for a moment and then said, "By that I mean any ....ing light that's available."

[Dave Rosser]

Thanks for the comments.  Despite my 70+ years I dressed down to take these pictures, jeans and a sweater but then crawling around in a coal fired railway engine shed can be a bit dirty even if it has been cleared of rolling stock, the people on the left of the second picture are standing over a (covered) pit full of firebox detritus. 

[Rob C]

Who'd believe that at any gig somebody's nose would be down into a cellphone... maybe he just made a snap and was wondering if to send it to Rolling Stone or at least to Getty...

I don't usually like to offer "critique", even when requested, but in this case, I think your muso shot has a lot going for it. If you are into Photoshop, then I'd suggest leaving the muso much as he is and do a lot of work playing around with that backdrop.

In the new world, the original file is just a starting place, as with a St Ansel negative. That's the best reason always to shoot RAW.

Play with it, blur bits of b/ground, clone it around; you'll be surprised how far imagination can take one and convert mundane into "I never would have imagined!"

Welcome to the coal tender.

;-)

Rob

P.S. Jeans and sweater is dressing down? Ye gods, there's no hope left for me: I thought that was being quite formal!

[Peter McLennan]

...in order to do a believable musical performance you have to appear in ripped jean shorts and an obscene t-shirt, and have long, dirty hair...

That must be a superb image for you to be able to tell that he has both dirty hair and an obscene t-shirt. 

[RSL]

You can see the hair, Peter. I don't need to see the t-shirt. The guy's conforming to the stock image of a rock musician. If he were dressed like the Beatles and had clean hair and a jacket nobody would come to his concert. Oh, and the picture's not bad though I think Rob's on to something.

[Dave Rosser]

Who'd believe that at any gig somebody's nose would be down into a cellphone... maybe he just made a snap and was wondering if to send it to Rolling Stone or at least to Getty...

I don't usually like to offer "critique", even when requested, but in this case, I think your muso shot has a lot going for it. If you are into Photoshop, then I'd suggest leaving the muso much as he is and do a lot of work playing around with that backdrop.

In the new world, the original file is just a starting place, as with a St Ansel negative. That's the best reason always to shoot RAW.

Play with it, blur bits of b/ground, clone it around; you'll be surprised how far imagination can take one and convert mundane into "I never would have imagined!"

Welcome to the coal tender.

;-)

Rob

P.S. Jeans and sweater is dressing down? Ye gods, there's no hope left for me: I thought that was being quite formal!

Good thinking, I'll do some work on it.
An alternative without the fellow on his phone (must have been texting - no way he could have heard anything on it above the band  )
BTW I always dress like that now, only ever wear a suit and tie to Funerals  something about being a "suit" most of my working life.

Dave

[Dave Rosser]

You can see the hair, Peter. I don't need to see the t-shirt. The guy's conforming to the stock image of a rock musician. If he were dressed like the Beatles and had clean hair and a jacket nobody would come to his concert. Oh, and the picture's not bad though I think Rob's on to something.

Well here is the lead singer conforming  . By the way this (amateur) group is not performing again this year, the lead singer is going to be a daddy.

[RSL]

Looks like a nice quiet bunch. I'm sure you can relax and enjoy the easy listening.

[Rob C]

Dave to put my meagre money into the space occupied by my mouth:



This is just a simple window shot that cried for some tlc; I gave it the little that I could find at the moment. Frankly, not too much is often required, when just dumping the colour can make it more as one felt it might be in a perfect world.

I'm still working on speech therapy for this girl and her sisters, but with little luck to date.

Rob

[Dave Rosser]

Who'd believe that at any gig somebody's nose would be down into a cellphone... maybe he just made a snap and was wondering if to send it to Rolling Stone or at least to Getty...

I don't usually like to offer "critique", even when requested, but in this case, I think your muso shot has a lot going for it. If you are into Photoshop, then I'd suggest leaving the muso much as he is and do a lot of work playing around with that backdrop.

In the new world, the original file is just a starting place, as with a St Ansel negative. That's the best reason always to shoot RAW.

Play with it, blur bits of b/ground, clone it around; you'll be surprised how far imagination can take one and convert mundane into "I never would have imagined!"

Welcome to the coal tender.

;-)

Rob

P.S. Jeans and sweater is dressing down? Ye gods, there's no hope left for me: I thought that was being quite formal!

I have played around and gone back to my old love - monochrome - in the old days I'd have shot this on some superfast B&W film (ISO 1600  ), say Kodak 2475 Recording film developed in HC110 for 9 min at 68 deg F.  Anyway below are a couple of B&W interpretations - I could spend hours trying different looks - fun!

[graeme]

I have played around and gone back to my old love - monochrome - in the old days I'd have shot this on some superfast B&W film (ISO 1600  ), say Kodak 2475 Recording film developed in HC110 for 9 min at 68 deg F.  Anyway below are a couple of B&W interpretations - I could spend hours trying different looks - fun!

The tighter cropped BW version is quite something.

It might be fun to eliminate the upper & lower light rays leaving behind the one that looks like it's emanating from ( or piercing ) the guitarist's head.

He looks pretty clean to me.

T shirts: Years ago in Newcastle a pal of mine bought a black T shirt with 'F*** HAPPENS' printed on it in huge fluorescent green lettering. Quite impressive.

Unfortunately almost as soon as he got the thing his life started going to hell: His girlfriend dumped him, there were financial problems, trouble at work etc. Anyway he blamed the T shirt. As a good friend I offered to take it off his hands ( for free of course ).

Trouble was during the alcoholic & herbal haze of the evening someone else left with the T shirt. I was robbed.

The guy who was the T shirts new owner went on to have quite a crappy few weeks.

Karma?

[Dave Rosser]

The tighter cropped BW version is quite something.

It might be fun to eliminate the upper & lower light rays leaving behind the one that looks like it's emanating from ( or piercing ) the guitarist's head.

Karma?

Something like this you mean?

[David Eckels]

I really liked the dynamism of the first (3364) shot. In my view, you need the context of the entire frame to see that the white light emanating from the guitar player's forehead is from a spotlight. The color version separates the beam from the player's head.  I also like the natural light tones. Welcome to the forum!

[graeme]

Something like this you mean?

Yes. I'm not saying this version is artistically better, but it could be a good publicity shot for the band. It might look quite striking on the cover of a magazine or fanzine. ( I'm showing my age - do people even do fanzines anymore ? ).