Steel Pulse in concert at the Del Mar Racetrack

I am often asked what my favorite band to shoot is. For me, if the band is having fun on stage, really enjoying themselves, then I want to photograph them. Last night, Steel Pulse were having a blast on stage and it was really great. The show was part of the Friday Night Concerts at the Del Mar Racetrack. I have a long history with the band and have had the privilege to photograph them many times over the years. They allow me more access which allows me to capture more of the show. It also means that I get to capture some of the stuff that happens before the show. One of my favorite subjects is Amlak, who plays bass. He has always been a great subject and allows me to capture some of the best angles. So here are the photos from the show.

About an hour before the show I ran into Amlak on the way to the stage and managed to get a couple of quick shots of him with his bass, including the new Red, Gold and Green Carvin.

Moments before Steel Pulse take the stage. The huge crowd is getting into it. One final shot before getting off the stage and down into the photo pit for the first couple of songs.

Being in the pit does limit the angles that you can get especailly of the musicians towards the back of the stage. That is where having more access really comes in handy. I was able to position myself on the side of the stage to get shots otherwise impossible.

Then I went all the way to the back of the venue and up to the 5th floor of the grandstands to get an overall shot of the crowd.

Then it was back to the stage. A long round trip to get one shot, but worth it.

Amlak really likes to go out into the crowd. I knew it was coming and positioned myself in the pit right up against the stage to get the shot of him getting up close with the fans.

Then I stayed in the pit for a few minutes capturing the action on stage when a tap on my shoulder from one of the crew gave me a message from Amlak that I should be up on stage for a while.

I positioned myself behind Amlaks rig and got these great shots of him working his magic.

What can I say. I usually try to stay hidden from the musicians I am photographing, but this was one of those cases where a little eye contact and acknowledgement didn’t hurt.

If you haven’t seen Steel Pulse in concert, you need to understand that there is a lot of interaction, dancing around and general enjoyment going on during the show. I tried to capture that in these shots and even though I really like the way they came out, they can’t fully capture the fun going on.