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Steel Pulse in Concert
If you have read this blog over the last few years, there re certain bands that come up time and time again. Steel Pulse is one of those bands and I feel very fortunate to be able to photograph them when our schedules allow it. I have been a huge fan of this band from when I first started to listen to them back in my college days. Over the years I have cultivated a great working relationship with them and it is always a pleasure to see and hear them and photograph them. This show was at the San Diego House of Blues and while the lighting was...
read moreKenny Wayne Shepherd in concert
Last night I went to photograph George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Right now you are probably asking yourself why I called this post Kenny Wayne Shepherd if I went to shoot George Thorogood, well, the answer is simple, Kenny opened the show and since the Thorogood contract was really restrictive, I thought I would post these shots instead. Nikon D700 with 300mm f/4. 1/200 of a second, ISO 800 f/4 on Hoodman Raw CompactFlash cards Humphreys is one of my favorite concert venues in San Diego. It is really quite unique and I have been seeing...
read moreBush at the 91X X-Fest
This was my second time photographing Bush and while I loved the sunset light at the Epicenter show this time I got to see the Bush lighting in action and it was great. This was a show that would defiantly separate the pros from the amateurs. There was a lot of moving lights, and then the smoke and fast action. This was a show that was made for manual mode and I am really happy with all the images I got that night. These are just a few of my favorite from the show. 1/400 of a second, f/2.8 ISO 1600 1/320 of a second, f/2.9, ISO 1600 1/200...
read moreIncubus at the 91X X-Fest
The 91X X-Fest took over the Cricket Amphitheater on July 16, 2011 and I was lucky enough to be there to photograph the headliners. The bands included Iration, Face to Face, Bush with Incubus closing the show. The photo pit was huge and not crowded making a big improvement over the 70 plus photographers at the Mayhem festival the previous week. The interesting part was the mix of photographers at this show, some that I had seen before and others that acted like this was the first time they have ever shot a show. But hey, everyone needs to...
read moreNik Silver Efex Pro 2 Webinar
Join me this Friday at 10am Pacific time for my webinar on using Nik Silver Efex pro 2. Now this webinar is how I use this Nik software especially when it comes to concert images that have bad color casts. For example, this shot was taken under the new LED lights that are becoming real popular in concert venue. I don’t hate the color cast but I think it looks better in Black & White. Enter Silver Efex Pro 2… I’ll also cover the natural frame settings that I love using even on color images. Use the following link to join...
read moreiPad 2 Fully Loaded
My new book, iPad 2 Fully Loaded is now available wherever books are sold. This book is the follow-up to the iPad Fully Loaded which was released very late in 2010. I really just want to make a few things clear. The first and most important is that the while there is a small overlap in content, especially when it comes to email and the basics of syncing, the books are different. The second point is that other than the sections on the iPad 2 cameras, the two models of iPads (the original and the iPad 2) are close enough that the books work...
read moreDaniel Lanois’ Black Dub
I’ll start by saying that if you get a chance to see this band, just go. Don’t worry about what else might be going on that night or getting the required 8 hours of beauty rest, just go. This was my first time seeing / hearing this band and if there is a god in this universe it will not be my last. Check out their website for tour dates, they are on the road right now. www.blackdub.net To start with, you might not know who Daniel Lanois is. You have heard his music, at least I know you have heard the music he has produced since it...
read moreVicente Fernández
Do you know who Vicente Fernández is? I didn’t until last week when I got to shoot him in concert at the Valley View Casino Center. That’s when I found out that I had been living under a rock. Vicente Fernández might have started his career singing for tips on the street, but know he fills concert venues around the world and has become a Mexican cultural icon. He has recorded more than 50 albums during his 35-plus years of performing. His repertoire is pure ranchera, a style described by the Miami Herald as representing...
read moreInterview
A couple of weeks ago I sat down with Glyn Dewis and spoke about me. Since Glyn is based in Europe and I am in San Diego, California we actually sat and spoke via Skype but he result is the same. I rambled on in great detail about how I ended up doing what I do. It’s a pretty good read and there are some of my favorite photos as well. Check it out here: http://glyndewisblog.com/2011/05/25/guest-photographer-alan-hess-shotlivephoto/ and if you like, leave Glyn a message. Also while you are there, check out Glyns work, it’s really...
read moreLita Ford
Last night I got to photograph Lita Ford in concert. It nearly didn’t happen.This is one of those stories that happens to concert photographers and most of the time it doesn’t have a happy ending. This time it did. I showed up at the box office with plenty of time and went to the will call window where I handed over my id. The young woman then informed me that I was on the list for a ticket but nothing else. Since I was there to photograph the show I was surprised and asked her if she could please check with the tour manager since...
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