let it flow

I approached the lead singer of a band called 13 Stories at the Atlantis Music Festival on Friday and asked her if I could take her picture. She obliged and I asked if we could move into the hallway so I could get some light. It was very dark and I was shooting without flash, so definitely needed more light. In this condition I could only get to about 1/20th of a second for my shutter speed. I told her a bit about the light and shooting without flash. She said that "you need a pose and I can pose". I took a few shots of her in her pose and got a decently clear shot but the last shot was the one I liked best. She dropped the pose and laughed at something while starting to walk away. It was much more interesting to me.

I thought this shot expressed her personality much better. I watched the band's 20 minute set and was amazed by the boundless energy she shared with the crowd. She was never standing still so a perfectly blurry shot is the way it should be. She was a great entertainer and I was glad to get this portrait before I even heard them play.

I also met several photographers over the last few days. I saw someone who had taken a fantastic shot of a guitar player jumping off of an amp. She said she did not like the shot because it was blurry. I pressed her about this but I am not sure whether she agreed with me. A photograph has the ability to show an instant stopped in eternity but it also has the ability to show movement, life and energy. Both are great so we should enjoy everything a photograph can give us.

Check out 13 Stories. I downloaded their latest cd from ITunes. If you can see them live, then all the better.