camknows: PHOTOS: Anberlin Concert @ Showbox at the Market

My good friend Randy hooked me up with a photo pass for the Anberlin concert in Seattle on March 3rd. I've wanted to try my hand at concert photography for a little while now and this was the best opportunity I could get as Randy is good friends with the band since he's toured with them a few times. They headlined a show at the Showbox at the Market with All Get Out and Paper Route opening for them.

I didn't really know what to expect from having a photo pass since I've never done it before. Obviously I knew that I could bring in my Canon 5D Mark II (DSLRs are typically banned from concerts for the general audience), but beyond that, I wasn't sure. I brought everything with me and was happy to learn that only my flash was not allowed to be used during the show.

I ghosted around a bit and tested some lighting settings in the venue. When the opening band, All Get Out, went on stage, I started taking some pictures from the crowd. I wasn't too happy with them. That's when I saw a DSLR stick up at the front of the crowd, right in front of the stage. You see, in my previous experiences with the Showbox, the crowd went right up against the stage. For this show, they had set up a photo pit/mosh pit barrier and about a half dozen photographers were in there snapping away. I immediately went over to the side of the stage and pointed at my photo pass sticker for a security guard and he nodded and let me in the pit. OH. MY. GOSH! This made a world of difference. I was right up against the stage directly in front of the band members.

My finger was holding the shutter button down practically the whole time. The hardest thing about concert photography is that you barely have any control over the environment. The lighting is crazy and all over the place, the fog from the fog machines interferes with focus and clarity, and the performers are doing whatever they want to please the crowd, not you. So, I found that changing the settings (i.e. high ISO, opening the aperture, adjusting the exposure) and then taking a few dozen photos on that setting, then changing it again and taking a 30-40 more really helped. Yes, you are often just praying that at least one shot out of the numerous shots turns out, but it usually worked. I took about 800 photos that night; I edited and posted 59.

If you've never gone down in the photo pit before, you might be interested to learn that it's pretty typical that they only allow you to stay there for the first three songs. So, really, you only have about 10 minutes per band to get some good shots. When you're in there, you feel like you don't want to waste any time. You're also scrambling around the other photogs in the pit to get different angles and poses. Once you're kicked out of the photo pit, you are welcome to go in the crowd and keep snapping pictures with your camera from there. The general audience can take pictures with their phones, but not with their point and shoots, which I found interesting. Some phones produce way better pictures than p&s these days. But whatever, I saw many security and staff members scolding people with these cameras.

I really hope I get a chance to do this again because it was seriously a blast. Already one of the highlights of the year for me. If any popular bands come across these pictures and would like me to take photos of your concert in Seattle, please do not hesitate to contact me. =)