Saturday night I shot American Aquarium’s CD release show at the Pour House in Raleigh; a year and a half ago, when I was just starting to edge into the scene in the Triangle as a photographer, American Aquarium were the first local band I counted as friends, and not just musicians whose band I loved. I taught myself a hell of a lot about shooting American Aquarium last year with Boomer, my film SLR, and I’ve shot other bands more than I’ve shot AA since that first show at the 506 in December ’07, and shot other bands in far more intense and intimate settings than I’ve ever shot AA, but that band, those boys, they mean a hell of a lot to me, personally and professionally both, and they always will.
Also on the bill were Holy Ghost Tent Revival, who I’ve spent a bunch of time with in the studio this year, and Red Collar, whose bassist was the subject of the best photo I took in 2008. The Pour House can have pretty hit or miss lighting, but they were filming the show and there were big white lights shining down on stage from the second floor; I tossed the 50mm on f2.8, 1/30, and just shot. One of the bonuses to shooting a bill full of bands I know incredibly well — and who are comfortable with me and my camera — at a venue I’ve had as much failure in as I’ve had success is that the familiarity let me push myself. Get some interesting angles. Hang out behind Holy Ghost’s bass player, climb up on monitors off-stage, perch behind American Aquarium’s organ player for different views. I see the same bands over and over again, because I love their music, but I don’t want to take the same photos over and over again.
I walked out of the show feeling like I had pretty much killed it, which was exactly the ego boost I needed last week.
I still can’t get over the fact that BJ recorded the whore song, though, and gave it a respectable title and put it on an album.
brand new kind of photography 