Live in Concert: Avenged Sevenfold

[earplugsrequired]

Hey everyone. It's been a bit since I actually posted some of my shots. Have had a few shows. Had to deal with strobes at one. Now seriously I would rather have red lights than strobes! My next one was Avenged Sevenfold. Here's a few from that one. The band had light boxes that they stood upon. I'm working on some of my shots of Sevendust and Fort Minor right now. Can I just say I would rather deal with red lights over baseball hats and hoodies any day as well!

http://www.earplugsrequired.com/bands/a7x/a7x_93012.jpg
http://www.earplugsrequired.com/bands/a7x/a7x_93014.jpg
http://www.earplugsrequired.com/bands/a7x/a7x_93017.jpg

[DwightMcCann]

OH, man, Courtney, your performers are so much more interesting than mine! What marvelous costumes! Is that drummer a girl? I agree, red lights are part of the aroma and should be appreciated rather than minimized ... the LDs go to a lot of trouble setting up what they want the lighting to be ... but the magenta is almost too much for me as I don't think the Canon sensors deal with it effectively.

So, what sort of music do these groups do and what are the venues? What did you shoot with? Did you get any wide angle shots of the venue?

[earplugsrequired]

OH, man, Courtney, your performers are so much more interesting than mine! What marvelous costumes! Is that drummer a girl? I agree, red lights are part of the aroma and should be appreciated rather than minimized ... the LDs go to a lot of trouble setting up what they want the lighting to be ... but the magenta is almost too much for me as I don't think the Canon sensors deal with it effectively.

So, what sort of music do these groups do and what are the venues? What did you shoot with? Did you get any wide angle shots of the venue?

Whoa slow down. hahaha.. Costumes? lol. This is what rock and roll is all about. This is how they normally dress. I posted photos of them before in actual Halloween costumes! All are men in the band. That drummer is shirtless too. I was happy to get drummer shots this time around. Got quite a few. These were in a club that holds about 1200 and they have been selling out every show on their tour. Next tour is bigger venues so it will be great to see what they do with their stage show. They say they bring arena rock to smaller venues. These were shot with my 350D,lens was 28-70 2.8 ... I've been using that a lot lately. I want to next time do some shooting from back at soundboard to get the entire stage. Now I had three songs in the barricade and then I had a "non-pro" digital with me so I shot more outside the barricade from where I watched the show. None of these are those photos..

[DwightMcCann]

Just trying to pack all the questions in at one go! Those certainly are costumes and makeup! I'm sure when they take their dates home to meet Mom and Dad they don't look like that. :-) But I certainly agree that it makes a much better show ... many of my subjects wear jeans and a nice shirt, are scrubbed meticulously clean and have exactly the right amount of five o'clock shadow and rarely an outfit more exciting than a few sequins sown onto a sports coat ... but then they're almost all 50 to 70 year olds, sigh.

So, is this "barricade" thing something like the "chickenwire fence" someone else posted about recently? It's clear to me I don't get out often enough.:rolleyes:

I'm shooting the Conway/Korman comedy team tomorrow night ... they were famous before you were born!:lol:

[Steve Parr]

I dig the lighting in that first shot a lot! Would like to see a little less space above his head, though.

And, Dwight? Those aren't costumes and, yes, the parents get to see it...

Steve

[earplugsrequired]

Just trying to pack all the questions in at one go! Those certainly are costumes and makeup! I'm sure when they take their dates home to meet Mom and Dad they don't look like that. :-) But I certainly agree that it makes a much better show ... many of my subjects wear jeans and a nice shirt, are scrubbed meticulously clean and have exactly the right amount of five o'clock shadow and rarely an outfit more exciting than a few sequins sown onto a sports coat ... but then they're almost all 50 to 70 year olds, sigh.

So, is this "barricade" thing something like the "chickenwire fence" someone else posted about recently? It's clear to me I don't get out often enough.:rolleyes:

I'm shooting the Conway/Korman comedy team tomorrow night ... they were famous before you were born!:lol:

The barricade I'm in front of definitely isn't chicken wire. This is a very stable barricade. It stays in place because of the people standing on it keeping it there. This is the space between the crowd and the stage and there are security people in this area catching the crowd surfers...

They boys dress this way all the time.. Little funny thing said today to me is that I need to find boys with art on the walls not on their arms.. :D

[earplugsrequired]

I dig the lighting in that first shot a lot! Would like to see a little less space above his head, though.

And, Dwight? Those aren't costumes and, yes, the parents get to see it...

Steve

Yeah I'm actually cropping the original shot to get rid of some of that space. I loved that lighting then.. They did a lot of the blue/green lighting.

[DwightMcCann]

Well, I can see there is an objection to "costumes" but if they aren't costumes then why don't we see this style of wear permeating the countryside ... I work on a liberal university campus and while there are some odd, goth outfits, they aren't like these guys. And if they put on all that makeup accessories just before a performance, then it is makeup and those are costumes! :-)

[René Damkot]

Nice shots!
And Dwight: what costumes? The guys are just wearing t-shirts.

[earplugsrequired]

Nice shots!
And Dwight: what costumes? The guys are just wearing t-shirts.

Yes they just have on tshirts.. the one guitarist does have on quite a bit of face paint but it's all rock and roll! :D

[Steve Parr]

Hey Dwight, take a stroll down Hollywood Blvd. some Saturday night. These guys are tame...

Steve

[DwightMcCann]

UNCLE!

[Steve Parr]

UNCLE!

Hehehehehe... Yeah, that's what I thought!

To be honest, no, you don't really see folks like this walking down the street every day, and many "ramp it up a bit" when they work on their on-stage ensemble.

I dunno'; jeans and a t-shirt, ala' Jimmy Buffett, always worked for me...

Steve

[DwightMcCann]

Steve, thank you ... and I know I was trolling by using the term "costumes" ... which for some reason always seems to bring objections ... but then I think the face painting women do as costumes, too, but it infuriates my wife when I call her makeup that. I know it is all a sexual ploy and these outfits play off deep seated archtypes and genetic triggers, like ovulating women showing more skin ... now there's a nice equivalence! And I agree it makes a much better "show" and helps differentiate the groups since the talent is otherwise so evenly spread.

[earplugsrequired]

Steve, thank you ... and I know I was trolling by using the term "costumes" ... which for some reason always seems to bring objections ... but then I think the face painting women do as costumes, too, but it infuriates my wife when I call her makeup that. I know it is all a sexual ploy and these outfits play off deep seated archtypes and genetic triggers, like ovulating women showing more skin ... now there's a nice equivalence! And I agree it makes a much better "show" and helps differentiate the groups since the talent is otherwise so evenly spread.

Okay guys.. enough. :lol: Seriously though I love photographying these type of bands. I love the makeup on the boys! And it definitely makes for interesting photos.. you can check this band out at : http://www.myspace.com/avengedsevenfold

I love the guitar playing!

[DwightMcCann]

Ears, I'm afraid to look! I've looked at some of that myspace stuff and it is WEIRD!

Well, that was a mistake ... I watched their video and now I won't be able to sleep for a week ... although I found the girl in red very attractive ... until she bit me, sigh, gurgle.

[earplugsrequired]

Ears, I'm afraid to look! I've looked at some of that myspace stuff and it is WEIRD!

Well, that was a mistake ... I watched their video and now I won't be able to sleep for a week ... although I found the girl in red very attractive ... until she bit me, sigh, gurgle.

Dwight you make me laugh. I do love that video. I love that the harlot gets it in the end.. Listen to the music. I love the guitar playing in it, it's what drew me to it.

[shakin360]

How was the show, they're playing around here in may I think with Coheed & Cambria. I've been thinking about going. I have their last 3 cds and C&C's latest. Just wondering how they are live.

[earplugsrequired]

How was the show, they're playing around here in may I think with Coheed & Cambria. I've been thinking about going. I have their last 3 cds and C&C's latest. Just wondering how they are live.

Yeah they will be in Milwaukee at Eagle's Ballroom. Go see them. That's a co-headlining tour so once the tour starts so I'm not sure who is closing which nights on the tour. Either way, it's going to be a great show. a7x puts on a great show and I know that for the show here recently everyone had a great time. Me, I spent my time in the bar during some of the opening bands..

[shakin360]

Now if I could only shoot the show that would be awesome!

[earplugsrequired]

Now if I could only shoot the show that would be awesome!

Are you affiliated with any publication? Find a local one and have them send in a request. I'll be covering them again out here on the same tour..

[Shabookie]

One day I hope to be half as good as you!
Your shots have so much color, mood, and action.....
Great shots.

[earplugsrequired]

One day I hope to be half as good as you!
Your shots have so much color, mood, and action.....
Great shots.

Thanks for the compliment. Most of that comes seriously from the artist and their lighting guy. I'm just there to capture the moment. Not to make light of what we do though. I think with concert photography there is a lot to say about knowing the subject. I love this band and having seen them before I know some of how they act on stage and am able to follow that to be able to get some of these shots ie the two guitarists together. It's the same as with some of the bands that I know when I shoot them multiple times the second and third time is always better than the first. I learn the lighting sequences and how they are on stage. I can say that when shooting singers I look to see how they hold the mic and if they tend to use one hand over the other so i can position myself accordingly.

[marathon]

nice photos... i'm getting into concert photography too and have learned a few things from this forum. ooh, and i might get to see avenged sevenfold in milano on the 28th! it all depends on whether i'm broke or not... :)

[woman4life]

I like the drummer shot. :) And drummer shots are the hardest to get, imo.