The C'Mons were one of two great personal discoveries at the very first festival to grant me media access, 2013's Indie Week. When I heard that The C'Mons were releasing an EP and were willing to let me shoot them, I didn't hesitate. This was an early shoot for me and my serious DSLR and I was excited to capture something that I'd actually call art. I love this picture.
July Talk. I knew I liked the tunes but I had no idea what I was going to experience at my first live July Talk show. They had Lee's Palace entirely decorated in black and white stripes, with two runways extending into the crowd. I thought I was getting there early enough to get a prime spot, but I was so wrong. I'm kind of surprised I got any good shots. I'm really pleased with this one in particular because it captures Leah's stage personality, getting right in there with the fans, and I love the image of everyone capturing a shot of Leah, including me.
Steel Panther are a great band to photograph. They know how to put on a show. And they know how to ham it up for the camera, 80s hair metal style. I had quite a blast shooting these guys and this is one of my favourite rock star shots. Say what you want about Sound Academy as a big barn of a venue in a terrible location, but they have a great pit for photographers and great lights to capture the band.
The inaugural
TURF in 2013 was one of my first ventures into concert photography. Sure I didn't have media access and I was shooting with a point and shoot, but I got some decent enough shots and it gave me the confidence to pursue concert photography further. For the second TURF this past summer, I went in with pro level gear and a media pass. And I got to shoot July Talk for a second time. After the first show at Lee's, they became a personal favourite, and I couldn't wait to shoot them again. I love this shot as it really captures the on-stage interaction between Peter and Leah. Love it. Love them.
From a technical perspective, this isn't the perfect shot of
Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hütz. It's overexposed, his face is blown out and the focus is more on the wine than his face. But it does do what great photography does - it captures a moment - the moment before I had red wine dripping down my forehead - and inside my lens hood. It marks the first liquid to come in contact with my camera gear. And it makes a great concert photography story. Some of my fellow TURF photographers thought that it wasn't cool that he did that, but I say that's rock and roll.
I first saw
Platinum Blonde live at a free show they did at Nathan Philips Square at Toronto City Hall in 1984. I don't think I saw them again until they played at The Ex this past summer. It was a trip to see and shoot an old favourite band who are still in great form. This shot just captures the glitz and glamour and fun of the show.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you've no doubt noticed that I'm a huge fan of
Bob Mould. Hüsker Dü was the inspiration for the formation of my own band, Sugar's
Copper Blue is a desert island classic, and Bob's solo power pop is unparalleled. Even though I've seen Sugar and Bob a number of times,
Riot Fest marked the first time I got to shoot Bob with a proper camera and with press accreditation. What a blast! Bob is a personal favourite and a legend. I had so much fun shooting him and was so honoured to be there, I couldn't believe it. It's got to be a high point in any photographer's artistic life to shoot a personal legend. Unreal.
The National at Riot Fest was another, "Holy shit, I can't believe I'm shooting this band!" moment. I'm a huge fan of The National and was excited to be in the photo pit in front of these guys. They're pretty much the polar opposite of shooting a band of dynamic, posing rock stars. They're musicians who make some of the most incredible music ever created. I was happy to be there to capture how it felt to be there.
Kasabian is a personal favourite band. A shot I took with an old Blackberry at a Kasabian show at Kool Haus in 2012 serves as the site favicon and for whatever reason is on of the most hit posts on the site. When they came to town to play Sound Academy I was excited to be in the photo pit shooting this band. This is a band that headlined Glastonbury and I got to shoot them! Amazing. As a friend described it, this is a real rock star pic of a real rock star.
Augustines. What can I say about Augustines? They ended up being my favourite band of 2014. Their eponymous album came in number 1 on my
Favourite Albums of 2014 list. Their tune "Nothing to Lose but Your Head" came in number 1 on my
Favourite Songs of 2014 list. Their
show at The Garrison blew my mind with how awesome the band it. This pic goes a little way toward capturing the passion and energy that Augustines put into a show. Fantastic.
I've had a great time getting back into seeing more live music over the past few years. This blog has helped keep my love of music going, forcing me to stay a little bit up-to-date on music and getting me out to shows. The concert photography element has rekindled my love of photography and combined it with my love of music and live shows. It's been a fantastic year and I'm looking forward to more shows and fun experiences.
I'm thankful to every promoter, band and venue that let me into a show that helped me hone my concert photography skills. I've met so many great people in this business this year - both virtually and in real life - including lots of cool people who share my passion for trying to capture the live concert experience through photography. Special thanks to Collective Concerts, Live Nation, Embrace Presents, AEG Live, TURF, Riot Fest, Indie Week, The Horseshoe, Lee's Palace, The Phoenix, The Garrison and The Hoxton and everyone else I've inadvertently forgotten. I'm looking forward to many more shows!
