Night two of the Blind Rage tour found Accept at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. And while the previous night shoot was horrible, this was the exact opposite. Great lighting, a rocking band and lots of access made for a much more enjoyable shoot. I was able to shoot the first three songs up front and while it was crowded with photographers, it wasn’t the worst I have experienced. As a bonus there were a couple of photographers (Chris and Stephanie) who I knew from sharing pits at Mayhem fest and shows in the LA area.
Photographing a band that is having fun is always a blast. And Accept really seem to have fun on stage.
My plan of the night was to start off right in front of the stage with the 24-70mm on the Nikon D4 and the 20-35mm on the Nikon D700. The 70-200mm f/2.8 would come into play later in the night when I moved off to the sides and back of the room. I knew that the one shot I wanted to make sure I got was the final bow of the band.
The Saban Theater is a very cool old theater. After the first three songs, I headed up to the balcony to get an overview shot of the theater and the band. To get details in the building, I need to over expose the stage slightly, especially where the follow spots were on lead singer Mark.
Having the permission to shoot all night allowed me to move around and try to get photos of the band at different angles, something jut not possible you are limited to 3 songs from a set position.
I love capturing moments of interaction between the band and the audience. Sometimes it’s a look, other times it’s a physical interaction.
When you get to shoot the same band multiple times, you can start to anticipate what the band will do and get into position to capture it.
All photos taken with Nikon D4 and Nikon D700 with 20-35mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8
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