Humungeous Rock Concert Gig

Nokton48

Nokton48

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My Son's rock band will be playing on July 3rd, during the giant downtown fireworks festival/party. They will be up on one of the main stages for about an hour, in the middle of the afternoon. Weather should be clear as a bell. We have stage passes, and once we pass through the two mandatory bomb checks, we can drive our cars and stuff directly up close to the stage. Crowds in the past descending on the downtown area are counted in the hundreds of thousands. Now we have a second gig, right after the first! On the top floor of the parking garage of one of the local restaraunts, where we will have VIP passes.

Initially I had decided to take my Hasselblads, but now, I am switching to Leica. M2 with TomA Rapidwinder, Canon 19mm F3.5, Canon 35mm F2, and V1 90mm F2 Summicron, Minolta incident AutometerII, and an Army gasmask bag to hold everything. Eastman XX Motion picture film will be my preferred emulsion. Anything I'm missing here?

-Dan, enjoying studying my collection of Jim Marshall books, for maximum RockN'Roll inspiration.
 
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Blake,
Yeah I like the idea of going simple, just a few lenses, one body and lots of film. I might skip the 90, my V1 Rigid Summicron might also be a good choice, although it's close to the 35mm. Good Ideas.
 
Damn! Memories! I finally wore out my gas mask bag. At least twenty-five years ago! Where do you buy them these days?

You need two bodies. Always get one loaded while you're shooting with the other. Even Leicas break. Two bodies is a must. The 19 Canon is a fantastic lens. Mine did it's share of rock concerts back in the sixties and seventies. A 35 YES! And you'll need a 90 also. A 180/2.8 on a Leicaflex SL would be nice too, but you can survive without it.

Try to borrow a third body so you can keep film behind the 19mm, 35mm, and 90mm glass at the same time.

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com
 
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Trius said:
What lenses do you have for the Blad?
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2-500CMs. 2-500ELMs. 40,50,60,2-80s,100,120,150,250, & 350. Bukoo accessories.
Prefer the quality I get from the blads.

The blads are not extremely heavy, but I want to travel light. Especially when we get to the second gig, where I will want to be more incognito.
 
Al Kaplan said:
Damn! Memories! I finally wore out my gas mask bag. At least twenty-five years ago! Where do you buy them these days?

You need two bodies. Always get one loaded while you're shooting with the other. Even Leicas break. Two bodies is a must. The 19 Canon is a fantastic lens. Mine did it's share of rock concerts back in the sixties and seventies. A 35 YES! And you'll need a 90 also. A 180/2.8 on a Leicaflex SL would be nice too, but you can survive without it.

Try to borrow a third body so you can keep film behind the 19mm, 35mm, and 90mm glass at the same time. I could take it all in my brown Domke F2.

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com
Click to expand...

Howdy Al,
At the local Army-Navy surplus store, for thirty bucks.
I could take my motorized M4-2, and my M5 also, but that's getting into carrying alot of stuff, again. A second body, yes. Maybe the M4-2 for the 19mm.
 
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I agree with the posters who advised taking a 50mm and a second body. 50 mm works reallly well for shooting bands.

Can you go home after the concerts to get more stuff? Are you going to be shooting more than just the bands at this point? I'd leave the 19mm at home for later. There's a lot going on for the 4th. I think you have it about right for covering the bands.
 
i shot a small gig a few months ago with an F3 and got the best shots with my 85mm. i advise you to take your 90 with you and look for tight face shots, hands on instruments, feet, etc.

my lenses were all 1.4 or 2.0 and at 1600 (neopan) it was still real tough. hopefully you'll have more light than i did.

good luck.

- chris
 
"Local"? Army-Navy store? Ha-ha. There's one maybe 15km up State Road 7, but last time I was there a couple years back they didn't have any. I'll check again though. I suspect that a lot of the "new" surplus gets donated to third world countries or bought by various paramilitary groups who risk their lives making sure that our drug supplies get past customs.
 
Thanks, Justin. I ordered a catalog. I can also use some of their lab glassware in the darkroom.

I'm also going to visit my "local" Army/Navy and see what they have in stock. On the way up there I can stop off at the Indian store and see what kind of bidi's they have in stock. Payasam told me that bidi's are the answer to high cigarette prices! That'll leave me more money for film and paper.
 
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I understand wanting to work light. Other than that, I would say use the Blads. With such an event and being so close in, it is a rare opportunity to get that medium format quality and differentiate your photos, at least in that respect. And with the huge crowd, crowd shots from medium format would be so much better.

Good shooting!
 
Don Parsons said:
Can you go home after the concerts to get more stuff? Are you going to be shooting more than just the bands at this point?
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I'd like to go home between shows, but can't. The two shows are back-to-back. When we get to the roof of the restauraunt, we are pretty much stuck there until traffic starts to dissipate (middle of the night).

I think I'm just going to do concert photos.
 
Trius said:
I understand wanting to work light. Other than that, I would say use the Blads. With such an event and being so close in, it is a rare opportunity to get that medium format quality and differentiate your photos, at least in that respect. And with the huge crowd, crowd shots from medium format would be so much better.
Click to expand...

I agree completely, with what you are saying. I could take my brown Domke F2, with 500cm/40mm, take the 60mm, and the 100mm. I could photograph an entire wedding event, with just the 60 and 100. And a couple of extra A24 Magazines, shoot B&W and Color. I have 220 Fuji NPH and fresh 220 Tri-X. And a meter prism on the Blad. One extra body, no flash stuff.

Maximum, amazing image quality, for a non-repeatable event. Not unlike a wedding in many ways. We have to be at the first bomb-check by noon tommorrow.
 
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Well, I loaded the Blad stuff (2 bodies, 40mm, 60, 100 & 150) and hefted it onto my shoulder, and walked around with it for five minutes. I've decided it's just too much to schlep around all day.

Loaded my gasmask bag with M5/50 Summicron, and M2 with Canon 19mm, my 90mm F4 collapsible Elmar and the 35mm Canon. Went into the darkroom and loaded six 35mm cassettes with Eastman XX, M2 and M5 are already loaded, so that gives me eight 36 exp rolls. I think I'm finally set, and it's really not too bad to carry around. If it was only one gig I would take the Blads.
 
Take way more film, alot more. You are shooting 2 gigs with huge crowds and have a stage pass. Take 15 rolls. You will shoot them! Just trust me and take the "extra" film. If space is a problem wear clothes with big pockets and just load up with film. You can't take too much to an event like this. Al Kaplan, tell him the truth!
 
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John Elder said:
Take way more film, alot more. You are shooting 2 gigs with huge crowds and have a stage pass. Take 15 rolls. You will shoot them! Just trust me and take the "extra" film. If space is a problem wear clothes with big pockets and just load up with film. You can't take too much to an event like this. Al Kaplan, tell him the truth!
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You Guys are right, of course!
I've got ten more rolls of 36exp Tri-X, I'll have my wife carry that, in her bag. So that gives me 18 36exp rolls for the day. Also substituting the 90mm Summicron for the collapsible Elmar. Might need the speed.
Thanks John.
 
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Initially I had decided to take my Hasselblads, but now, I am switching to Leica. M2 with TomA Rapidwinder, Canon 19mm F3.5, Canon 35mm F2, and V1 90mm F2 Summicron, Minolta incident AutometerII, and an Army gasmask bag to hold everything. Eastman XX Motion picture film will be my preferred emulsion. Anything I'm missing here?

-Dan, enjoying studying my collection of Jim Marshall books, for maximum RockN'Roll inspiration.[/QUOTE]


Please be aware that MOST of Marshall's best-known "in concert" shooting was done w/Nikon F cameras, 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor, an old Zeiss 180 f/2.8, with an adapter to mount it on his motorized F's, and a 300mm f/4.5 Nikkor.

If you have a 35mm reflex, with a long lens... I'd recommend taking and using it. It's a lot easier for tracking AND focusing, simultaneously, than a Leica and 90mm.

Marshall is actually more famous for photos taken before, or after an artist's actual performance... mostly w/Leicas... sometimes with Nikons and 'blads.

In any case... can't think of anything better than photographing one's own kid, doing something Cool. Good luck!!!!

Greg.
 
The 180/2.8 Zeiss Jena Sonnar was a great lens, good bokeh, great sharpness, but I think most people reading this on the Rangefinder Forum today would be apalled at having to shoot photographs with such a low contrast optic...LOL The 300mm f/4 Sonnar was also a popular lens 35 years ago, and low contrast also.

We didn't buy them because they said "Carl Zeiss Jena" on them either. We bought them because they came in a mount for the Praktisix/Pentacon-Six so you could shoot 120 film, and you'd get a free auto diaphragm adapter to put the lens on any of several 35mm SLR's. But mostly we bought them because they were so cheap!

The East German mark went through a period of being next to worthless before re-unification. Couple that with a series of importers/distributors deciding to drop the line and dumping their inventory for next to nothing and you had a situation where that 180/2.8 was only $99.99 brand new.
 
Well, the job is "in the can" as they say, out in Hollywood. Turns out getting access to the stage was an absolute fiasco, the cops just told us to -get out-. We parked our two extra cars at a close-by garage and walked into the festival. The stage was smaller than I had imagined, lots of people milling around, but not hundreds of thousands. When they started playing, a much larger crowd was attracted, by the music drawing them in.

Anyway, the band sounded great, and -really- enjoyed themselves. I shot a roll through the M2/19mm, and two rolls with the M5/35/50/90mm. My wife shot three rolls with her XE-7, I gave her 35/100mm Rokkor lenses to use.

Met all four of the remaining members of THE MIRACLES, they are all really nice guys, enjoyed chatting with them. And, they -like- our band and their sounds! Also met the late RICK JAMES's former personal manager, who thinks the kids are quite talented!

Also photographed several freaky street people way up close, lots of fun-stuff with the 19mm. They appreciated the attention. I love that lens! And the band before us, I swear, played THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE absolutely to a tee. Closed your eyes, and it sounded just like JIMI. Looked like him, too.

At the second gig, the soundguy was -awful-, so we just had to get through that. At least we got paid for that gig! But we did get an interview and plug from the local rock station, who was broadcasting live from the event. The band made it onto their website, too. BTW I have 180mm F2.8 and 300mm F4 CZJ Zeiss Sonnars (and a Minolta SLR adapter) but it hadn't occured to me to put them together for this type of use. Also I want to try my new 400mm F5 Telyt on the Viso. Maybe at the next concert 😎😎😎😎😎
 
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