Dave Matthews Band photo contest - im in!!

[abel]

i entered a contest in june with the dave matthews band fanclub which would pick 10 winners throughout the country based on their submitted photos. the winner would get a pair of tickets to a DMB concert as well as a PRESS PASS in order to shoot the first 10-20 minutes or so of the concert.

yesterday i received a call saying that i won one of the 10 spots. this is the photo that won. shot with my old canon g5.

http://www.nitrocross.com/temp/soldiersm.jpg

i know its not the best composed shot and i prolly would have done it different now that i have about 4 more months of experience under my belt. at least it was good enough to get me a press pass!

of the 10 people that won they are suppose to give away 5 nikon cameras and 2 certificates to enter the Nikon School classes for free. those havent been decided on yet so im crossing my fingers.

DMB happens to be my favorite band so i am looking forward to it!! gotta get a faster lens and more experience with my 10D before then...

[AzzKicker]

Congrats.

[piku]

bastard! ^^ i'm going to the carson, ca home depot concert on 8/28

have a great time!

[CyberDyneSystems]

Cool!

[abel]

thanks guys i appreciate it.

just need to mess with some morelow lighting shots for practice...

[drisley]

Nice photo, and congrads.
But, what does that picture have to do with the DMB?

[abel]

thats just it... it doesnt.

we had to submit regular everyday photos for the contest. they did not have to be DMB related at all. just photos in general.

[drisley]

Kewl!
Do you know what Ni**n cameras they are giving away?
If you win one, let us know. Will you be selling it for a Canon :wink:

[abel]

more than likely the cameras they are giving away are in the coolpix line. prolly $200-$300 range. im not 100% sure but that would be my guess...

... so ill be keeping my Canon... :)

[drisley]

Hey, so this whole thing sounds like it's sponsered by Ni**n.
They will probably block your view if you go in with a Canon!

[abel]

yeah it is sponsored by nikon...

we'll see what they decide to give away...

[daaaveman]

If you're gonna be close, I'd be sure and have the 50 1.4 (or 1.8) with me and I'd take an 85 1.8. With Nikon guys hanging around though, you need a "big whitey" to hang off your camera. I don't know what's in your kit but I'd rent/beg/borrow/steal the lenses I needed before the show. Best of luck and congrats.

[abel]

thanks dave.... i appreciate it. i plan to rent a lens or two locally for the show. or i still may just drop the coin and buy my own 70-200 2.8 lens.

a Big Whitey will definitely make people believe i BELONG there... :)

[robekert]

or i still may just drop the coin and buy my own 70-200 2.8 lens.

What an awesome opportunity. I am a DMB fan too and would be totally psyched to shoot a DMB concert. It would be cool if they gave you a Nikon D2H or a D70.........Oooops! Did I say that.

Hey, this screams of reasons to buy a EF 70-200 2.8 IS USM Lens 8) Dave 8) Carter 8) Boyd 8) Roi 8) Stephan

Cheers,
Rob

[abel]

I HEAR YA!!!

although id have to go with the non-IS version.... i can name 500 reasons why that is the case...

hehe

[New Shooter]

I saw them play in London about 8 years ago. Absolutely awesome. The bloke with the dreadlocks who plays the electric violin looked great from the pit, so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and remember to post the results here.

JD

[abel]

just an update...

i noticed this morning that a band named Ozomatli will be performing here in houston the weekend before the dave matthews show so i contact the bands publi relations person asking what is required in order to get a photo pass for their show...

i just mentioned that i was an amateur and that i will be shooting the dave matthews show as well in august and i just got an email stating that there will be a photo pass waiting for me at will call. sweet!!!

gonna get a nice little portfolio going... maybe this will lead to a paying gig one day.

[piku]

oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaan.... ozo is a great latin/hiphop band... they roll w/ tuna from jurassic 5 as well. lucky bastard =p good luck w/ the pics!

[Conk]

Abel, that is just awesome! Congratulations. This has been one of the more exciting threads I've read in a long time. I truly hope you have a blast. I'm sure you will.
It should be funny to see you in the press row with the lens that means business and all the "N" point and shooters. The only thing is you might not be recognized as a contest winner, and if you are, they'll likely feel silly giving you a $300.00 Coolpix. :lol:

[jaypie77]

I have done a bit of press-pass photography before working as a semi-amateur journalist. I've gotten into a lot of big events with minor/made-up credentials. Honestly, if you simply want to get in to take shots for the first 2-3 sets, you can easily get a press pass for anything.

Also, congrats on the contest - looks like you might be able to score a trade in towards a sweet lens. Maybe, as a contest winner, you'll get to meet the band too.

[abel]

thanks guys... i am looking forward to both shows... in fact i may be going to a smaller local venue here in town on saturday to try some shots... a guy from the FM Forums shoots there quite a bit so i may be meetin him up there to get some tips on concert shots etc etc...