Category: Blog

I had a phenomenal time out at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts yesterday evening. Summer is the off-season for the venue in regard to theater shows and ballet. However, it is currently running an exciting series called “Kauffman Center Presents” in which it brings in musical artists for a variety of shows. Last night, the influential ‘80s British new wave band Culture Club performed live in the second concert of the series, and I was fortunate to be granted with a media pass to shoot photos for my website, Live80sKC.com.

Such a friendly crew there, everyone from marketing to the events staff is so kind and welcoming. Combined with the intimate atmosphere, it really set a show at this venue apart from any other. With a nostalgic act like Culture Club too, the ambiance was simply impeccable. It is certainly an evening I wish that I could relive. The band is currently in the midst of a world tour with all of the original members for the first time in 14 years. So, to say that this was an absolutely rare opportunity is an understatement. The group sure delivered as well, seeming so youthful and energetic. All of the big hits were played plus songs from its upcoming album. You can check out my review here.

Shooting the Culture Club show was a blast. One thing about these bigger concerts though, there is generally a 3-song rule allowing media to only shoot the first few songs. This was the case for this particular one, so I definitely had to work quickly. I always shoot in continuous mode anyhow, and that certainly helped in regard to walking away with a greater amount solid images.

Also, sometimes there is an ability to shoot from the pit and others from the soundboard. I like to be knee deep in the hoopla, of course, especially because I like pretty tight shots. However, for this show, we were stationed inside of a media room a bit farther back behind upper orchestra. Luckily, I just picked up that brand new zoom lens this week though, which gave me approximately 20–25 extra feet and bit more light. I had to shoot all the out the entire time and still did not get quite enough distance, but it sure helped tremendously.

The night was also a great opportunity to meet and learn from some amazing people, all of whom possess incredible talents in areas that I hope to follow. I met a freelance marketing professional who is currently helping at Kauffman plus a career photographer from The Kansas City Star and the owner of I Heart Local Music in Lawrence were both covering the show as well. I am so blessed and grateful for that opportunity and hope to cross paths with all them again in the future.

If you have followed my pet life gallery, then you have definitely seen a ton if pictures of this little guy. This is my wife’s and my pride and joy, our toy schnauzer, Gus. Full name, Sir Franklin Augustus. We do not have any children yet, but he is very much considered our kid. This is the latest image I shot of him, and I have to say that it my favorite to date. He definitely gets the attention of the lens more than anything. Although a tad camera shy at times, he is incredibly photogenic. Here he is waiting by our sliding glass door anxious to go outside. He loves running through the backyard, fetching the flying disc, playing with his best friend and neighbor, Chunk—the golden lab also seen in the gallery—and chasing rabbits and squirrels. These are the real deal puppy dog eyes that he gives us every day, so you can only imagine that he is the most spoiled pup you could ever meet.

I shot this picture with my brand new Sony FE 70–300mm f/4.5–5.6 G OSS Lens that I purchased for my Sony A6000. We were headed outside to give it a test, but I had to snag this shot before we hit the grass. So far, I am incredibly excited about it. I needed a new zoom lens for shooting concerts, especially festival shows where location can be a bit difficult. I also needed something that would give me more light at a greater distance. Although the zoom options for this camera are a bit limited at the moment, I think this lens will serve me well. At first it seemed a bit cumbersome for the body, but it became comfortable to use quite quickly. Sharpness at this point seems amazing. Definitely stay tuned though, I will share more as I put it to use.

Sometimes I find myself in a shooting situation that are a bit difficult, but like taking the opportunity to get a bit more creative. My wife and I recently took a little concert roadtrip with my parents to Omaha, Nebraska to see Grammy Award-winning rock and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist Kenny Loggins live at Bank of the West Celebrates America on July 1. The annual Independence Day weekend festival took place at Memorial Park and featured local cover band Finest Hour and Lincoln-based country group Dylan Bloom Band as the opening acts. The entire event is definitely one of the best produced that we have attended. It was expected this time around though as my parents and I made the same trip a couple of years ago to see Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo with Canadian rock band Loverboy.

The park is on a hill, which makes for a perfect seat anywhere you can find one. Of course, though, I like to be right up in all of he action. There was a railed off VIP section at the forefront, but we were able to get right up against it. You would think with the “gates” opening at 5am that it would be tough to find a good spot by showing up at 5pm. However, the park is so large that everyone is spread out nicely and we were able to sit just about anywhere we wanted. Although extremely close, I wish that I would have had a better zoom lens with me. I shot the concert with my Sony E 55–210mm f/4.5–6.3 Lens, so shots were a little wider and getting enough light was a little more difficult. It is an excellent option, but works best for me when I can be right up against the stage. Shooting from the side also made it harder to utilize the amazing stage lights. Regardless of the shooting situation, though, I was incredibly happy with how the images turned out for me. You can see the entire gallery here.

Because I was unable to get as tight of shots as I would have liked, I also had to work around the two cameramen set up at the front. I originally had a really bad spot and am incredibly grateful to another photographer who had a better view and let me squeeze in with him. I still had to work around the videographers a little, but decided to capitalize on the circumstance and use them in some of the photos. I really love how the one above turned out, how it shadows and blurs the cameraman in the foreground and highlights and focuses on Kenny Loggins in the background. I feel that it is almost like the “making-of” or a behind-the-scenes look at producing the concert.

This is one of my favorite things to do in a tough shooting situation. At one point I even started snapping shots of the sign language interpreter down front and at another point, I couldn’t get a clear shot on the keyboardist, so I made the stage truss part of the photo. During lots of other shows, I end up shooting with people in front of me and have to deal with hands and cellphones in the way, but this often lends itself to some awesome shots as well. I just enjoy trying to the make the most out of shooting situations and being creative with everything happening around me. Many times, I walk away with those images as my favorite or best shots of the night.