Club Meeting, 'Shooting Gigs' with Paul Dunn - Tuesday 15th October 2024.
An enforced change to the published programme saw Morpeth Camera Club welcome guest speaker Paul Dunn
on Tuesday 15th October, with his presentation entitled ‘Shooting Gigs’.
At the beginning of the evening, Paul, a member of Cramlington Camera Club, mentioned that he is an amateur
photographer. He explained that, unlike professional photographers with special access and accreditation, he has
to stand behind the barriers with the audience. This presents several challenges, such as determining the best
vantage point. Paul typically arrives early to an event to observe the layout of instruments and microphones,
allowing him to carefully choose where to position himself for the best shots.
He attends small venues such as pubs and working men's clubs and occasionally outdoor festivals and went on
to explain what cameras he uses, and generously shared tips and settings which can vary enormously due to
varying light sources. There are challenges associated with photographing in low and variable light together
with moving subjects so over time he has learned to anticipate what is going to happen.
One expects the subject to be animated and show emotion, and together with the changes in light levels and
colours, these all add to the dynamism of the event. The genre of music plays a part in his decision-making;
blues singers are not so animated and sing with eyes closed so these shots can be relatively easy whereas
heavy rock musicians are moving about the stage and require faster shutter speeds to capture movement.
During a concert there is usually a section where each musician is introduced and plays solo, this is when Paul
has a better chance of isolating each member of the band to get a better shot. This applies particularly to the
drummer who is normally in the background. With colourful pulsating lights, Paul grabs the opportunity to time
the colour change cycle and chooses which colour he wants in the picture. This is especially useful when the
musicians’ outfits can be enhanced with the addition of a complimentary coloured light source. He often takes
advantage of smoke machines which create silhouettes or form a rim light around the subject.
Occasionally he uses a long lens to get up close which results in dramatic, characterful portraits full of emotion
with a light in the eye and backlit hair. We enjoyed seeing band members in outlandish costumes; including the
Joker, black painted masks, leopard skin-clad, Goth and Viking inspired themes and the ubiquitous tattoos and
black leather. We also enjoyed alternative candid shots of band members between songs in a more relaxed mode.
In post-processing Paul sometimes introduces motion and radial blur, adds grain effects and uses filters which
can transform an ordinary image into something more dynamic.
A section of his presentation was entitled ‘Old Stars’ and we were treated to images of retired players and singers
of famous bands who now and again make guest appearances at gigs to the delight of the audiences. Paul then
concluded with stadium shots taken with his mobile phone of distant wide shots which nevertheless successfully
captured the vibrant atmosphere of an arena concert.
With a seamless commentary, Paul showed an array of exciting, colourful images together with tips of how to take
photographs in a difficult environment.
Steph.
on Tuesday 15th October, with his presentation entitled ‘Shooting Gigs’.
At the beginning of the evening, Paul, a member of Cramlington Camera Club, mentioned that he is an amateur
photographer. He explained that, unlike professional photographers with special access and accreditation, he has
to stand behind the barriers with the audience. This presents several challenges, such as determining the best
vantage point. Paul typically arrives early to an event to observe the layout of instruments and microphones,
allowing him to carefully choose where to position himself for the best shots.
He attends small venues such as pubs and working men's clubs and occasionally outdoor festivals and went on
to explain what cameras he uses, and generously shared tips and settings which can vary enormously due to
varying light sources. There are challenges associated with photographing in low and variable light together
with moving subjects so over time he has learned to anticipate what is going to happen.
One expects the subject to be animated and show emotion, and together with the changes in light levels and
colours, these all add to the dynamism of the event. The genre of music plays a part in his decision-making;
blues singers are not so animated and sing with eyes closed so these shots can be relatively easy whereas
heavy rock musicians are moving about the stage and require faster shutter speeds to capture movement.
During a concert there is usually a section where each musician is introduced and plays solo, this is when Paul
has a better chance of isolating each member of the band to get a better shot. This applies particularly to the
drummer who is normally in the background. With colourful pulsating lights, Paul grabs the opportunity to time
the colour change cycle and chooses which colour he wants in the picture. This is especially useful when the
musicians’ outfits can be enhanced with the addition of a complimentary coloured light source. He often takes
advantage of smoke machines which create silhouettes or form a rim light around the subject.
Occasionally he uses a long lens to get up close which results in dramatic, characterful portraits full of emotion
with a light in the eye and backlit hair. We enjoyed seeing band members in outlandish costumes; including the
Joker, black painted masks, leopard skin-clad, Goth and Viking inspired themes and the ubiquitous tattoos and
black leather. We also enjoyed alternative candid shots of band members between songs in a more relaxed mode.
In post-processing Paul sometimes introduces motion and radial blur, adds grain effects and uses filters which
can transform an ordinary image into something more dynamic.
A section of his presentation was entitled ‘Old Stars’ and we were treated to images of retired players and singers
of famous bands who now and again make guest appearances at gigs to the delight of the audiences. Paul then
concluded with stadium shots taken with his mobile phone of distant wide shots which nevertheless successfully
captured the vibrant atmosphere of an arena concert.
With a seamless commentary, Paul showed an array of exciting, colourful images together with tips of how to take
photographs in a difficult environment.
Steph.