End of the Examiner.com

For the past 7 years, I contributed to the Examiner.com as their concert photographer. It was a fun gig, but it was heavily flawed. It's obvious that these flaws got the best of them, forcing them to shut down operations after nearly 8 years. I wanted to continue my photography and informational writing, so it was natural for me to move over to my already-existing blog. It is possible that I have over 206,000 hits? Looks like it. I am revisiting my photo work, and I was really happy with my photos of Wilco when they played at the Riviera in Chicago in December of 2011. It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years.



Even harder to believe is that I shot U2 nearly 7 years ago. I loved shooting U2 because Bono was a ham for the cameras and the crowd. He was really working it, and the crowd loved it. It also helped the photographers get their shots, which is more than I can say for a lot of other "diva" music acts that make it nearly impossible to get their shots.

 

All of these above photos have been taken with a Canon 5D body and my trusty 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. This combination is extremely reliable in getting me clear, crisp, and colorful shots with excellent depth of field that need no or minimal retouching in post-processing. I use the same or similar set-up when taking portraits as well. Comparing to photos I take with a 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.2, the 70-200mm is a power-house that rivals the 50 and 85mm lenses. I can keep my strobes close to the subject if shooting in studio or in a controlled environment. Out in the field, I may have to have my assistant use a reflector to bounce natural light. But often, the photos turn out amazing without external lighting or reflectors.

Stay tuned for continued discussion on photography, products that help with my photography, and events, concerts, news-worthy stories. I will continue to contribute to my big-name publications, but I enjoy this medium's flexibility. Comments?