Published blog for Harry Acosta, Columbus-based designer and photographer
Express Live
Columbus, OH
The things I go through to photograph a good performance! I had been waiting to photograph this band all day! And it was a long day! I left work a squeak early to get on the traffic-filled roads which still made me too late to capture one of the three opening bands.
Waterfront Park
Louisville, KY
Have you ever marveled at the improbable stacking of smooth and heavy rocks by an artist? It takes planning, balance, and an understanding of how to make them all fit together. It’s amazing to see everything come together in such harmony. That was Louisville, Kentucky’s Forecastle Festival this year.
I first met Joey and Tanner of To Kill a Monster heading back to our cars in the rain outside of Rock on the Range. They gave me their card and we made arrangements for me to photograph one of their performances.
The sun shined in full force as 17-ear-old Daya performed at the Rose Music Center at The Heights on Friday July 1st to a sold out crowd. She’s the voice behind the Chainsmokers current #1 Pop and EDM hit “Don’t Let Me Down”.
Their voices are strong and distinctive, working together like all the different scents of a Thanksgiving dinner. You may have your favorite, but together, you get something that is worth celebrating.
Part of what makes them such great performers is how genuine they are. They love the crowd, and are pleased to be out there working the fans. This is work for them, and it never seemed laborious.
There’s one thing I’ve learned from playing Rock Band—when you’ve hit every note and have done right by the audience, the crowd gets energized and sings along. Frank Turner didn’t miss a note. His fans took his request from his song Four Simple Words to heart and didn’t let him sing a single song alone at his Columbus, Ohio performance.
For a massive 3-day rock event of this size, there was a lot more going on than what you saw on those three stages.
When you see an artist perform live, they often throw in only one or two heartfelt tunes. They opt for the crowd-pleasers and more upbeat selections. Fortunately with Dawes, their music is all three.
You don’t have to believe in magic to appreciate Ellie’s 90 minute, 21-song performance, but everyone in attendance left a bigger fan than when they arrived. Which is saying a lot.
Bebe has been working on her vocals since she was 4 years old. She’s had success writing for Eminem (“Monster”), Gomez (“Like a Champion”), and recording with Cash Cash (“Take Me Home”) and David Guetta (“Yesterday” & “Hey Mama” also featuring Nicki Minaj). The success of those songs has lead to the start of her own solo career.
Ending the night with a cover song, especially one from the Beatles doesn’t sound like sound advice. When you bring the other performers from the evening on stage for With a Little Help from My Friends (and you kill it), it’s a perfect way to end a great night of solid performances.
Most of the time, if something rocks, it just rocks. There are different genres and flavours, and sounds (Try telling that to Gene Simons or Ice Cube). At Columbus’ A&R Bar, Slaves and Wolf Alice proved to be the perfect combination to cover all bases for all rockers.
You don't often see lights like this at a show of this size, but Dr Dog is not new to touring.
Photographing Angela Perley, Chris Connor, and Billy Zehnal 3 times in the last 2 years has created a sense of community and friendship with the artists and the fans. Before even arriving, Angela heard I was going to attend her show, and surprised me by added me to the guest list. The fans recognized me, and doled out the compliments.
On Monday morning, I found out about a show I wanted to photograph. I wasn't shooting for anybody, and it was in 2 days. The following email was sent:
I was invited to a special holiday CD release party for Angela Perley & the Howling' Moons on December 8th. I had to see Star Wars late the night before to make this happen. It was a good decision. The entire show was great.
Royal Blood was fantastic. It was a real challenge to get a good photo of the drummer who was wearing all black including a ball hat and gloves on a poorly lit stage, but other than that they were just perfect. A new first for me was that they came back after the encore, and AFTER the house lights had gone up. Sometimes there's more after the fat lady.
Royal Blood's Mike Kerr stepping on my face
Shot with Canon 30D
f/3.5 1/60 ISO 800
So much movement in the darkness
Shot with Canon 30D
f/3.5 1/40 ISO 800
Ever watch an incredibly fun and lively band only to discover they're local? The Worn Flints were a great surprise. It was just as surprising to find out that their front man Kenny Stiegele is a mild mannered dayjobber like myself.
Worn Flints July 25 at the Basement
Shot with Canon 30D
f/4.5 1/50 ISO 800
On all three nights of this festival, fireworks went off, right behind the main stage. The locals mentioned something about the Reds games going on in the stadium right outside the venue. No, I didn't get the shot. It was actually incredibly hard to do so from the pit. Instead, as so many people (Like Jack White) have suggested, I took put my camera down and enjoyed the moment. The event shouldn't be restrained to the tiny screen on your camera; rather it is the experience of being at the show of which we should take notice. It was fantastic. I was tired, hot, and wet from all the rain that had threatened to end the day early. I was not looking forward to the drive home so I could get back to my day job five hours later. Nice one, noob!
It was nice to take in those few moments that wouldn't be recreated at any of the other venues these artists would be performing later in the year. Almost as nice as it was to take refuge in the media trailer during the downpour on Sunday. It all reminded me why I love doing this so much. And that's what I'll be thinking about when I'm sitting with the grandchildren with no clue as to what they're saying. I'll reflect back on to these events in my youth, when I blew out my eardrums.
At first, the rain was welcome.
So many great photos of New Politics
Yup! Just like that ^^^^^^
Most photographers left the pit early during Haerts I don't know why. It was a good set..
It's the third day of the 2014 Nelsonville Music Festival. I'm shooting for Flush magazine out of the UK, and my battery is dying. Whoops, I forgot to pack a backup. I ask around the media tent if anyone has an extra battery, but my camera is neither a professional grade camera, nor was it manufactured in the last eight years—no luck. So in an attempt to save my battery for the main acts later that day, I resort to my iPhone 5s.
Welcome to the Neslonville Music Festival!
Shot with iPhone 5s
Great assortment of foods all weekend long
Shot with iPhone 5s
No BS Brass Band took the main stage midday Saturday.
Shot with iPhone 5s
I'm constantly amazed at how this camera performs. It is a stubborn 5-year-old. It's afraid of the dark, and needs a power nap every few hours. Given enough light, it can do great things though. Fellow photographer Meredith Underhill can attest to the grieve I took attempting to be creative, taking panos and selfies in the pit. After submitting my photos to Flush, it was a great surprise to see which photos made it to page one of Casey Bowers incredible writeup of the event. Way to go, little pano! I think I'll start using my phone more often … or actually get a professional grade SLR.
My favorite of the event!
Shot with Canon 30D
f /7.1 1/125 ISO = 400
