"Cynicor" <cyni...@sp.eake.a.sy.net> wrote in message

> From time to time I post concert photos up here, and people tell me they
> suck, or that they like them, or whatever. Mostly that they had too many
> distracting shadows.

> A couple of things. I have been following this band (British Sea Power)
> for several years now. It's only in the past year that I've really worked
> up my nerve to a) bring cameras to gigs, b) work my way up close and do
> photos, and c) actually present them to the band.

> I went to two shows of theirs this week. At the first one, their roadie
> recognized me from a previous gig I'd shot in Seattle. I took some more
> photos, and asked if he could get them to sign some for me. Absolutely. I
> posted a link to the photos on their fan chat board, and went back to
> their next show on Tuesday armed with two copies of several photos.

> The roadie said hi to me again, and waved to me from the stage. This time,
> someone from the venue told me I couldn't use flash, so I cranked the D300
> up to ISO 1600 and 3200 for the set.
> (http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/4935991_paFwX)

> It was a typically great show. At the end of the show, I stuck around
> while everyone was clearing out. One of the band members I'd spoken to
> before wandered out from backstage, and I brought the pictures over. I
> asked if he could get everyone to sign one copy (in one folder) and they
> could keep all the other copies (in the second folder) if they wanted.

> Their horn/keyboard player came out and asked if I was the guy who had
> taken the photos. He had seen them on the fan site (he goes up there and
> looks!) and thought they were great. We go to talking for a few minutes.
> Then their viola player comes out, and she's walking across the stage with
> copies of the photos I'd taken! SHE started talking to me about the
> photos, about her impressions of America, etc.

> The lead of the opening band (The Rosebuds) came by. It turns out we have
> friends in common. I'd taken a bunch of photos of them and gave him my
> card - right up on stage - after their set two days previously. He turned
> to another band member and said "Hey, this is the guy who did those photos
> I sent you!"

> They've got one more show in the area before returning home after months
> in the States. I'm going to do up some more prints from the ISO 3200 show
> and bring them over to them before the concert.

> So the lesson here is that you can actually use photography to meet
> semi-famous people you want to meet. It just takes a bit of nerve to get
> started. Now I'm recognized on sight by a band that's just had a Top Ten
> album in the UK.

> Even though I didn't use a D3 or a 100mm f/2.