Gladys Knight @ Chumash, 10/12/06

[DwightMcCann]

Gladys Knight was at the casino last week. Except for those who haven't allowed any shooting at all she set a new record for totally gratuitous shooting restrictions: 30 seconds of the first song. It was so absurd that the talent buyer told me to go ahead and shoot at least the whole first song. So, I shot about 290 frames, packed up and left, so I have no idea if the show was any good. If you click on the image below it will take you to the gallery of a dozen photos:

http://www.dwightmccann.com/Images/GladysKnight101206/GladysKnightCollage-200.jpg (http://www.dwightmccann.com/ChumashCasinoResort/GladysKnight101206/GladysKnight10122006.html)

[blackshadow]

I can't understand such stupid restrictions

[alan_potter]

You just couldn't get more professional-looking than this... Excellent!

regards,
/alan

[Exit]

30 seconds is brutal!!! I've had the 1 song limit a few times and it's not that bad, but 30 seconds is just wrong :D

The pics look great in the amount of time you had!

[KIPAX]

Great pics... But I wouldn't have left.. I am going to put a Gladys Knight CD on right now while I look at the pics... great artist..

Truly.. great pics :)

[Carzee]

Maybe the talent mgr is avoiding the sweat/hot pics. Makeup runs?

exif tells me iso 1000, 300mm at f2.8 on masny shots. Drooling.

[Curtis N]

Actually a very nice set, considering the time restriction. I hope you're not getting paid by the hour! She seems to have her eyes half-closed a lot, but you managed to get a catchlight in one or two.

Image #225 caught an unflattering expression that I don't think belongs in a collection of otherwise very nice shots.

Whatever happened to the Pips?

[johnstoy]

Again, it's a great set of photos, the performing artist should be proud of...

I see, you posted the photos in the same sequence that you shot them...

I reviewed this set first thing, after you had just posted them...but didn't have the heart to express my disappointment at her, for the 30 second limit...

Her close ups and stage shots are tremendous too...

[René Damkot]

You got all of this in one song? Hats off!
That is something I really must learn: shoot fast. I am trying however, but that's still way down in the pipeline...

[DwightMcCann]

Richard, I can only guess, but believe that the restrictions are setup for when shooting in an arena with 20+ photographers who push their bellies up to the stage in a "pit" and cause a great distraction. In my venue I am usually the only photographer, I don't like shooting up the nose so don't get belly to the stage or cause much distraction. I think that it is just easier for them to have a fixed set of photographic restrictions. I expect that only a few of the performers care that much, but the road managers like to show that they are in charge. But I don't really know.

Alan, thank you.

EXIT, it isn't so bad ... I shoot with two cameras blazing: 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and 300mm f/2.8 ... the worst part is the very limited range of lighting and perspectives, that is, all the pictures tend to look alike.

KIPAX, I am not much of a music person ... there are only a handful of artists (what a strange thing to call singers) that I would bother with. And I am very hard to impress after seeing 80 world class performances in the past two years. KISS was superb but I still chose to pack up after shooting two songs on the second night and go home to watch a movie in the park across the street with my four year old daughter. I am pretty nearly to the point where I see them as just a few guys who get together and sing in costumes ... but the spectacle of the lights is really nice.

Carzee, like your new avatar. Ya', since I had so little time I couldn't get to my 400mm f/2.8 on a tripod, but I did for the Marco Antonio Solis concert a few weeks ago if you want to really get your keyboard wet the pictures are on my website.

Curtis, I think you're right ... but last night when I was selecting them about half had "odd" looks and this looked good by comparison and I thought it looked "moody". She tends to pucker her lips A LOT and spin her head around to make her hair fly out which looks even worse (in the light of day!)

John, thanks, yes I always post in the order I shoot in each camera, but the images of each camera are separate. I will forever be grateful I spent the money for the 300mm f/2.8 ... not my most used lens but it is my best loved.

I will photograph Ana Gabriel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Gabriel) tonight ... popular Latin performer whose tickets are over 1/3 more expensive than Clint Black who performs next week, although both shows are sold out ... I honestly don't think the casino tries to maximize their ticket prices like some of the venues in Santa Barbara. I hope she lets me shoot more than 15 seconds. :rolleyes:

[DwightMcCann]

Rene, yes, with two 1D Mark II's (one an 'N') blazing! About 200 frames (in 5-frame brackets) up front, then walk backwards up the center isle stopping to shoot about every twenty feet, winding up at the light board and shooting until the end of the song for another 90 frames. About all I worry about is getting an AF/metering point on the headliner and that they are not looking back into the band ... but I still have a huge percentage of outtakes. I had a very interesting 1/13th second shot of one of the drummers that I posted over in "Show Your Drummer Shots" that I think you saw.

[simonSE15]

Some great images there. I love Gladys Knight! Thanks for posting.

Im gonna go put my Gladys Knight CD on now :-)

[DwightMcCann]

Some great images there. I love Gladys Knight! Thanks for posting.

Im gonna go put my Gladys Knight CD on now :-)

Well, feel free to copy any of my images for personal use ... I can't sell them because I don't have a model release. They make great computer wall paper.

[Permagrin]

Well done Dwight. Even more so, considering the restrictions. I can't believe what you were able to do during one song. Your page set-ups get better and better as well...these days I'm loving your opening shot composition photos.

[DwightMcCann]

Well done Dwight. Even more so, considering the restrictions. I can't believe what you were able to do during one song. Your page set-ups get better and better as well...these days I'm loving your opening shot composition photos.

I thank you. I get A LOT of help (aka criticism) from here on POTN and from one of the lighting equipment supervisors who has a grand talent and is brutal ... sometimes says things like, "This is crap. Worst one you've done so far! You need to do x and y and z!" So, I make the changes and everyone is impressed with me and it is Nils Thyrring's fault! (How's that for a name? He is a Set Designer by experience.)

[Dooglla]

I am glad I stopped over here to see these. Excellent photo of Gladys...I grew up listening to her and the Pips.

[MDJAK]

Dwight, great shots. The lights and the "smoke" give such a cool effect. Almost looks like it was added PP, but I know it was not.

As to the short time you had to shoot and everybody here going gaga over how many shots you took in that relatively short time, I'm sorry but I'm not at all impressed. ;)

The way I figure it, if the first song lasted even two minutes, and it was probably about three, that's 120 seconds at 8.5 fps = 1,020 frames.

Allowing you a second or two to switch cameras and another second or two for waddling down the aisle, you should have gotten at least 750 frames. Shame on you.:lol: :lol: :lol:

mark

[SuzyView]

Dwight, I was so glad you posted those photos. I was just at WalMart and bought her's new CD. Actually, I bought 2! :) She is amazing! I love her and she sounds great. I don't know why some concerts are so restrictive, but there is usually a reason, whether rational or not. I wish I could have been there.

[DwightMcCann]

Dooglla, I'm never gonna' grow up!

Dr. Jak, the problem is that the buffers don't flush fast enough! And I don't shoot when the talent is facing away. That's where the other half of the images went!

Suzy, I am happy that I have helped WalMart. And on the "up" side, I get paid the same whether I shoot for 30 seconds or two hours or not at all but it's usually me who presses to shoot longer.

[taygull]

Dwight,

I sure get tired of seeing such great images. I've got to start practicing shooting 2 songs.

I'm sure you have a "pre-shot" routine........I'd be curious how you start and finish, do you do a pattern each time?

[DwightMcCann]

Dwight,

I sure get tired of seeing such great images. I've got to start practicing shooting 2 songs.

I'm sure you have a "pre-shot" routine........I'd be curious how you start and finish, do you do a pattern each time?

I check all the settings and batteries on both cameras, format the CF cards and shoot test images on both cameras. I have backups of everything in my case. If I am know I am short on time, I try to start in the center isle and if that is not allowed, get right up to the stage but all the way off to one side. I start shooting as soon as the talent starts. I try to shoot from both sides in addition to the middle if possible. Then I walk back to the light board and shoot the whole stage from there. If time, I was up the bleachers and shoot over the heads of the LD and SD. If more time it is back to the stage on the other side but from back along the walls.

[Exit]

Dr. Jak, the problem is that the buffers don't flush fast enough! And I don't shoot when the talent is facing away. That's where the other half of the images went!

How are you hitting the buffer if you're shooting JPG? Don't tell me shoot at 8.5FPS non stop until the buffer fills then change cameras....oh the horror :o

[MDJAK]

Thanks for pointing that out. I realized it but didn't want to call Dwight on that faux pas. I didn't want his angina to kick in.;) :lol:

mark

[DwightMcCann]

How are you hitting the buffer if you're shooting JPG? Don't tell me shoot at 8.5FPS non stop until the buffer fills then change cameras....oh the horror :o

Well, um, er, ah, I, uh, you see ... OK, yes, that is exactly what happens and since I don't have both cameras within easy reach the whole time (I often set one down in a seat or on the floor or on some equipment and walk to a better angle ... the casino is VERY SAFE and no one would dream of abusing my equipment) I can't keep them both full and buffering into the CF cards. Remember, I am shooting 5-exposure brackets at 8.5 fps each time I pull the trigger. I find that much more efficient than shooting RAW and spending hours adjusting to get a good exposure ... I did no PP other than resize, add logo and sharpen on any of these or most of my other recent images. The RAW guys can argue themselves blue in the face (and are correct about the added flexibility and quality that can be gained) but it is hard to beat this efficiency.

Back when my Q&A was more active I would get asked about my percentage of "keepers". Let me say again that I have no clue what my percentage is ... it is totally irrelevent. The only question in this area that is worth answering is, "What is your pecentage of getting the images you need to please your client?" That answer is 100%. As the ex-Photo Editor at the Santa Barbara News Press used to tell me, "Who cares how many bad shots you get ... you only need ONE good one!" I need more than one but the concept generalizes. Oh, and I shoot with 8GB CF cards.

I am always pleasantly surprised at how considerate the guests are at the Latin events ... they ALWAYS duck down as they walk through my line of fire or even stand and wait for me. And the talent is almost always actively cooperative. Last night when shooting Ana Gabriel it seemed as though every time she opened her eyes (which was about 10% of the time ... those spotlights are brutal) and saw me she would turn right toward me and look into the camera. The non-Latins, both guests and talent, seem much less concerned about me. I find the Latin artists much more pleasant shooting ... and they dress well and their teams look sharp. This is one reason I mentioned cultural differences in the FAQ I started for Performing Arts ... there are significant differences from one culture to another.

[Exit]

Spot metering? Single shot? Manual mode? No need to bracket?

[DwightMcCann]

Spot metering? Single shot? Manual mode? No need to bracket? Spot metering on face, AI Servo, Av f/2.8, ISO 1000, zillions of images, EXIF and IPTC included.

[MDJAK]

(I often set one down in a seat or on the floor or on some equipment and walk to a better angle

Not that I'm no thief or nuttin, but I'm gonna have to visit that there fancy Ka Seen No with an empty camera bag on my shoulder and walk out with it full one day soon.;) :oops: :lol:

mark

[Permagrin]

Spot metering on face, AI Servo, Av f/2.8, ISO 1000, zillions of images, EXIF and IPTC included.

Thanks for sharing this. I always wondered (but was too awed to ask) how you managed to get such perfect exposure in those types of conditions :)

[DwightMcCann]

Not that I'm no thief or nuttin, but I'm gonna have to visit that there fancy Ka Seen No with an empty camera bag on my shoulder and walk out with it full one day soon.;) :oops: :lol:

mark

Well, Dr. Jak, please do if you want to spend a few months here at taxpayer's expense ... there are (real) security cameras everywhere! Must be ten or more in the Samala Room proper. And there are probably ten uniformed guards and six plainclothes guards there during the concert. Then every corridor, doorway, and room has numerous cameras ... remember, this is a casino and cheaters are always lurking! I didn't say the guests were honest at heart ... they just all know that they are being watched! :-)

[johnstoy]

I am always pleasantly surprised at how considerate the guests are at the Latin events ... they ALWAYS duck down as they walk through my line of fire or even stand and wait for me. And the talent is almost always actively cooperative. Last night when shooting Ana Gabriel it seemed as though every time she opened her eyes (which was about 10% of the time ... those spotlights are brutal) and saw me she would turn right toward me and look into the camera. The non-Latins, both guests and talent, seem much less concerned about me. I find the Latin artists much more pleasant shooting ... and they dress well and their teams look sharp. This is one reason I mentioned cultural differences in the FAQ I started for Performing Arts ... there are significant differences from one culture to another.

I find that Latins are romantics, as are their "Romance Languages)...Having lived in the South West for more than 10 years, I know what you mean...
Personally, back here in the North East, I am stunned at why just as I start to shoot, some people walk up and stand right in front of my camera, within a foot or two of me, and stand there to get a close look at the show...

I, find myself speechless, and go back to my seat, to return later for another attempt at the two or three second shot...

I like your tempo during your set up and execution of task at hand...It's the settings that I've fumbled through, thus resulting in lots of near failures for me...I'm getting better though...

Now, regarding Gladys; her very first photo is fabulous and one she would be very,very proud of, along with all the great, colorful stage shots...

[thelightofsound]

i just ate lunch at gladys knight's chicken and waffles. sorry there is no exif data; camera phone doesn't record. also, pardon the large watermark, but i value my work ;)

http://mdsaba.com/temp/gladys.jpg

[DwightMcCann]

i just ate lunch at gladys knight's chicken and waffles. sorry there is no exif data; camera phone doesn't record. also, pardon the large watermark, but i value my work ;)

An example of your fine work I am sure!

[Edit: I will come back later when I have time and explain what prompted this posting by Michael ... I am sure he wants you all to know.]

[TARPONTIM]

Dwight if she new how good you made her look i think she would have wanted you to stay. Once again great stuff.

[DwightMcCann]

Dwight if she new how good you made her look i think she would have wanted you to stay. Once again great stuff.

It takes a long time to build a reputation. I have only been shooting world class talent for two years.

[QUASIPHOTO]

Good lord, your images are just gorgeous Dwight.

[DwightMcCann]

Good lord, your images are just gorgeous Dwight.

Thanks ... I've finally gotten to the place where even I like them. :rolleyes:

[Exit]

Thanks ... I've finally gotten to the place where even I like them. :rolleyes:

That's always the hardest thing to do :cool:

[the.good.life]

Those are nice photos. Shooting with different stage lights is always a challenge to me especially if there are strobes. Great job!

[DwightMcCann]

Those are nice photos. Shooting with different stage lights is always a challenge to me especially if there are strobes. Great job!

Thanks! Stage lights are what makes the show! :-)

[bdub]

30 seconds?
What's next?

[DwightMcCann]

30 seconds?
What's next?

Nice to hear from you again! For a while it seemed like every image in the NP was yours and they were spread everywhere. :-)

After 30 seconds they go to NONE, like Lyle Lovett and Englebert Humperdinck did. The casino pays me anyway ... they are fairest employer I've ever had.

[bdub]

I can't beleve you get paid wether you shoot them or not. I would say they are the best employee ever.
It doesn't bother me when they don't want to be photographed at all but if they are going to let you in why can't they let you get the best spots for a few songs and out?

The NP has been keeping me pretty busy and it's nice to make a few bucks here and there. One of these day's I'll get around to posting here.

[DwightMcCann]

I can't beleve you get paid wether you shoot them or not. I would say they are the best employee ever.
It doesn't bother me when they don't want to be photographed at all but if they are going to let you in why can't they let you get the best spots for a few songs and out?

The NP has been keeping me pretty busy and it's nice to make a few bucks here and there. One of these day's I'll get around to posting here.

The casino is supposed to interface the talent which they usually do about 20 minutes before showtime. Since I am there an hour before it is too late to tell me not to come, so they pay me. I would much rather have the images! I think that those who don't want to be photographed at all have had bad experiences with ill mannered togs! :rolleyes: