Jonny Lang (56K warning - large pics)

[ericgtr]

I caught this outdoor show the other day, this guy is a great musician. It was packed with people but I walked up to the stage like I owned the place and snapped shots until security gave me the boot. I did get close enough to use my 50mm though.

I didn't really have time to setup for less blury shots but grabbed what I could on the move. This was my first time getting into a position where I felt I could grab good shots and I found myself scrambling with lense changes etc. lol I have a lot to learn about this stuff but it was good experience.


http://www.ericsmedia.com/media/jonny/IMG_1972.jpg

http://www.ericsmedia.com/media/jonny/IMG_1996.jpg

[schmoelzel]

Yeah, he's an awesome guitar player and has a voice that is years beyond his actual age........not bad shots for a first try but unfortunately as you mentioned, your focus was a bit off......but you got a couple of classic guitar faces!!

[RAitch]

RE lens changes, that's why most photographers carry backup cameras. They can have 2 on the fly with different focal lengths ready. Mind ya, that get's bulky and heavy.

You must have been left alone by security for a while... long enough for a guitar change anyway.

Do you have photoshop? There seems to be a lot of noise in those images. If you have CS2 the noise reduction works great, otherwise, there are great programs/plugins for that (noise ninja, neat image).

Also, copy the image to a new layer and apply a gausian blur to it. Create a layer mask holding ALT down then paint in where you want the blur... ie the background.
That'll give it a nice smooth background blur.

When you apply your sharpening, also mask off the background and you'll get a subject that pops and a buttery background.

There also seems to be a magenta colour cast to those images. You can either try an Auto Colour adjustment (if you're not adventurous) or create a curves adjustment, switch to the red channel (drop down) and drag the line slightly down. Play with the other 2 channels as well.

There are other ways to correct colour casts... but these probably need some either way.

[tau175336]

Johnny Lang is awsome...am I right in saying he was using an acoustic guitar? If so hearing him "unplugged" would have been very cool!! Good shots of a great musician.

- Kahre

[RAitch]

In the pictures above... looks like he's acoustically plugged in and also using electric. don't think I've ever heard him though.