2012 is almost over, but I’m pretty much done show wise for the year; That is unless I happen to catch something in San Francisco at the very end. But for the time being, enjoy my favorite 12 of 2012 and the reasons why I love these shots.
In no particular order:
Pulp performing at Radio City Music Hall in April. Jarvis was drenched in that wretched blood red spotlight. I decided I wanted to just make him stand out, so I turned him into a black and white and it made the image way more interesting. Plus, it never hurts that Jarvis is such a wonderful performer.
Brothers Jim and William Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain having a little conversation at Irving Plaza, NYC. There was a moment just before this shot was taken where they just chuckled over something. I just love capturing private moments of conversation.
Another moment of conversation. Oh how I wish I had super human hearing. What was Bobby Womack telling Damon Albarn of Blur at this Apple Store instore performance?
John Maus performing at the RiverRocks free concerts at Pier 84 in New York City. This image summed up his performance-intense and tortured.
Diamond Rings performing at Bowery Ballroom. I love pensive images and the lighting really enhanced the image. After in a rut of shooting bands that just stood there and did nothing in dark light, this show reminded me of why I loved shooting concerts-the lighting, the hand gestures, the performance. And for once, I’m all for costume changes.
Australian Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders performing during the Aussie BBQ at CMJ. The lighting was really dark, and I just didn’t want to use my flash. I did notice that the one light they had made for an interesting effect. I used it and to create highlights to contour his face, and his poses really added to the image.
Gold Fields performing at the Bowery Ballroom, just before Diamond Rings (above). Strobe lighting isn’t always easy to work with so experimentation is always fun. I just like the way singer Mark Fuller’s silhouette repeats.
One of the things I love doing, is finding an underexposed image and working with it to make something interesting. If I see an image can be salvaged, I’ll keep it and re-work the image. I like to call it painting with light…or writing ;-). This Deadbeat Darling shot was really dark. I wanted to work on the highlights to make him shiny, looking almost like a statue. I tried to keep it dark, and only highlight the true light areas.
Here’s Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes looking dramatic. I love the way the light hits her eyes as well as the shadow hitting her other eye. The expression in her right eye looks frightening.
This is a shot of the crowd during openers The Psychic Paramount as they took to the stage with their 10 minute per song jam session complete with excessive fog. The two people in the audience sum up the whole experience. Although after 20 minutes, I was actually starting to enjoy it. Or maybe delirium hit.
The crowd at Dan Deacon’s RiverRocks performance points to the sky. I wonder what else Deacon could make the audience do.
Oh yes, he could also part the audience, like the Red Sea. I love this shot at Pier 84, especially with the flag in the background. After the part, the crowd went crazy, running around in circles.
*****
So there you have my 12 favorite music images of 2012. Coming up, my 12 favorite fashion images of 2012.
The TEAR-N TAN Files 