Driving Blind: Aint That the Truth...

In June, I had the honor and the privilege of shooting photos for an old friend, and prior band mate of mine. As the story goes, I flew into Albuquerque about mid-month and was excited to hear that his band would be headlining a show while i was in town. So, I thought to myself: "I should shoot some photos of them playing". I didnt turn out how i had expected it at all! Mind you, I would never leave home without the handy dandy camera, and gear.

I went there expecting to only shoot photos of them playing live.... But as the night went on, my old friend asked if i would be interested in shooting some portraits of them while at the show. I did not hesitate. Quickly i picked up all of the gear i had with me(Two SB800's, D200, and D300 and a single tripod).

This type of situation is something i was completely new to, and to be completely honest i was terrified I would look bad if i screwed up. I have had my share of shooting single portraits of one person, but never multiple people in one photo, while maintaining a good amount of lighting. As my mentors have said in the past, its always good to be uncomfortable because it means you are learning from your mistakes.

Being uncomfortable is a good thing, and driving blind will allow for you to make mistakes. I would suggest to whom ever is reading this that you make it a point to go out of your way to be in an awkward situation.

I felt very down about the situation, because i was alone and wanted these photos to be outstanding for the band. But, I charged through it and made it out on top.

Step out of your box, and learn a little. I was recently reminded that a photographer is as good as he wants to be, and the best piece of equipment he has is the camera right next to him. Instead of spending my time worrying about all the little petty things, i should have been confident in the quality of work i can produce.

On a side note, it was because i used what i had in hand, and worked so hard that i am now privileged to work with one of the Atlantic Records Reps. out of Albuquerque, NM. With a little more work under my belt and time spent behind the lens practicing this type of photography, maybe i can begin to shoot bands for the rest of my career?? :)

To explain a little about the photos.... I used a single strobe directly behind the subjects for some sort of "back" lighting to seperate them in the photo. Using the other strobe I was able to grab my friends brother, and direct him where to hold and point the flash as i shot. Simple set up = simple situation.

Because of the time of day, and the back light available i shot at about an ISO of 500 to compensate. Allowing me to keep my shutter speed up, and maintain a steady amount of light.

I guess at the end of the day you really dont know what your capable of unless you take that leap of faith, right? Blinddryve was a great band to shoot! I hope to work with them in the near future!

BlindDryve Myspace

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO CREATIVE TODAY?