The photo that required 7 months and the breaking of a 40-year-old mindset to take
Last edited Sun Jul 16, 2023, 04:12 PM - Edit history (23)
In the "olden days" of film-based rock photography, I generated enough experience and skill to fill a shoebox with photos. I thought that transitioning to digital rock photography would simply be a matter of finding a camera in my price range -- but it's been more like being a piano player who's been handed a synthesizer. Suddenly, I was a clueless amateur again, which I resented. Fortunately, I faced the fact that I was NOT going to be able figure it all out within a few days, weeks, or even months.
For instance, it turned out that I'd bought the wrong camera for rock photography -- twice. Just as "serious" rock guitarists are supposed to restrict themselves to playing only Gibsons and Fenders, pro photography employs a similar "brand snobbery" about Nikons and Canons. I've used Canons almost exclusively, but I had to face another fact: the Canons and Nikons that I could afford just didn't supply enough of the features needed for digital rock photography.
It looked like I was sunk, and nearly took my Canon to a pawn shop to invest the proceeds in a self-pitying boozefest in honor of my latest failure. But it simply didn't make sense to me that the camera I needed at the price I needed didn't exist. Instead, I did some additional homework outside of the Nikon/Canon "aristocracy," went to a camera a pro shop, asked the right questions, and worked a trade-in deal for a Panasonic.
From there, it was simply a matter of investing in the "Six P's" -- preparation, patience, persistence, and what the bands I photograph are expected to do: practice practice practice. Which brings us to the seventh P: the payoff.
After seven months, I think I've reached the tipping point where I'm less occupied with the operational aspects of the camera and getting back into the business of "capturing moments." Pics of the bands I've photographed are starting to turn up on their Web pages, and most recently in a local band Facebook "10-photo artist challenge." And just in time for the holidays, LOL!
rocktivity
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Happy Holidays - you rock 
You swallowed your pride and stubbornness.........and your creativity showed up!
Beautiful photos!
--No more waiting for pictures to be developed.
--No more having to buy the developing chemicals yourself, finding a place to do the developing, putting up with the chemical smell, and no more fading of old photographs.
--Being able to instantly email pics to friends and to post them on an internet web page.
--Being able to use amazing tools like photoshop to both clean up bad sections of a photograph and to add things that you could not easily or cheaply add in real life, such as cool special effects.
Now that you are good at digital, you might go back to old-style photography once in a while for nostalgia, but you will know right away all that you will be missing, so odds are the journey will be a short one.
Last edited Thu Aug 13, 2020, 03:53 PM - Edit history (7)
which for concert photographers HAS to be film of the more expensive 400-speed variety.
As for Photoshop, I've been using it since it came on floppies LOL. I now use its Camera Raw feature after I convert my RAW files to JPG with Panasonic's SilkyPix software.
rocktivity
Last edited Sun Jan 5, 2020, 04:20 PM - Edit history (6)
Rock photography requires stop action in low light, and that requires lens apertures in the f/1.0 vicinity. My Lumix's f/2.8 maximum aperture and 5-stop exposure compensation allows me to live in that vicinity!
rocktivity
Last edited Wed Dec 25, 2019, 06:27 PM - Edit history (1)
And on CHRISTMAS DAY????
rocktivity
