For your listening pleasure...

[purplehaze]

Souvenirs from this summer's folk festival.

#1



f/4, 1/500, ISO 1250, 300 mm

The performer is Alexa Dirks, formerly of Chic Gamine, now Begonia. I encourage you to give her a listen.

#2 Charlotte Cardin



f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 1000, 300 mm

#3 The Bruce (the Canadian one, that is)



f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 900, 300 mm

#4 A particular favorite of mine, Daniel Lanois



f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 1100, 300 mm

C&C welcome

[george013]

Good pictures.
I can see you like that lens.
Just curious, what was about the distance of shooting?

George

[Shadowman]

Oh those pesky microphones, nice series.

[Geoff F]

Oh those pesky microphones, nice series.

And the out of focus hand in #1. Maybe I would try cropping from the bottom to avoid most, or all, of that area.

This sort of real life scene is always going to present problems where you just have to go with the available angles and accept some slight imperfections. The main subjects are well focused and have good exposure.

[bnnrcn]

Nice series Janis

[Dave Humphries]

Good series Janis,

Shooting from the side seems to have helped give you relatively clean backgrounds, at the expense of some foreground clutter on occasion from adjacent artistes, but having shot once at an event like this, I appreciate it is unavoidable.

Thanks for the links too, they set me off on another musical exploration around YouTube

Cheers, Dave

[purplehaze]

Thanks, guys. Sorry, George, I am no good at estimating distance. These range from mild to fairly severe crops. I'm thinking sometimes I was 15-20 ft. away and other times more.

Yes, Geoff, that hand is bothersome. I will see what I can do about it.

Good series Janis,

Shooting from the side seems to have helped give you relatively clean backgrounds, at the expense of some foreground clutter on occasion from adjacent artistes, but having shot once at an event like this, I appreciate it is unavoidable.

Thanks for the links too, they set me off on another musical exploration around YouTube

Cheers, Dave

It really is a challenge to get a clean shot. I try not to stand in front of other spectators unless I am there for a quick in and out, so that is one limitation. My own height is another. And then, people are invariably passing in front of the lens, so I don't feel I have the luxury of waiting for the best moment. In any case, when the best moment comes, I am invariably too slow to catch it. ;-) Hopefully, I will get better with practice.

[William W]

Clean Shots; Pesky Microphones; Bothersome Foregrounds . . .

All the mics, in those photos, are a SHURE SM58.

Legendary vocal microphones that take incredible physical abuse yet allow a smooth response across all vocal ranges: perhaps their choice by many vocalists is the possibility to use a “Close Mic Technique” with little or no popping on plosives.

Ideally suited for husky voices singing intimate ballads, in minor keys.

The SM58 has been around for a long time, I used them in the 1970 and 1980s – and they were an established item then.

***

For me, (because of my experiences/history), the images #2 and #3 are enhanced and specifically made more intimate to the viewer’s eye because of the inclusion of the Microphone - I can "hear" those two photos clearer.

Probably goes to show how we each ‘see’ things differently – and isn’t it great that we do: better still great that we can share our experiences even if they’re only little bits of personal history.

WW

[William W]

. . . I am no good at estimating distance. These range from mild to fairly severe crops. I'm thinking sometimes I was 15-20 ft. away and other times more.

Hi Janis,

The four final images frame up to be about "An Half Shot".

If you did NO CROPPING in Post Production, then, using a Nikon D7100 and a 300mm lens, you'd be about 40~50ft away to pull the shot.

Considering that you did crop, then you were farther away than 50ft for those four shots.

WW

[purplehaze]

It’s hilarious to know just how bad a judge of distance I am, Bill. Now I will know to multiply by a factor of 2.5 or 3! I don’t feel so bad though after watching a Jason Lanier video today in which he asked his model how far away she was from his Rotolight Aeos.

Thank you for your observations about the mic and the closeup technique. I didn’t know you are a musician as well as a photographer, but those comments make me better appreciate what I witnessed and recorded.

I have been thinking a lot this week about different ways of seeing. I have a lot to learn about technique still, but I think I could stand to trust my own vision more.

[fatehproductions]

closeup technique is nice. The details in pic are great and clean

Thanks
Jagmeet SIngh