Photo Bakery
portraits and commercial photographer

How A Stage Dive Convinced Me To Carry 2 Camera Bodies

I was shooting Lollapalooza 2010 with 1 camera body and 2 lenses, switching between them all weekend.  Green Day was one of the headliners that year.  At one point during the first 3 songs of their set, an audience member was invited to the stage by lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong, to join him in singing. The audience member had a flag with him (unclear why). He was peeled out of the front row of the crowd and brought on stage.

After singing for a bit, Billie Joe announced this fan was going to do a stage dive. The stage backdrop had a video of flames shooting up, the guy was going to fly off the stage holding his flag. This was going to be epic! Billie Joe was encouraging us to put down our cameras to catch him, but the potential collision of diver with photographers + gear didn’t sound good for anyone. Instead, security and others in the pit gathered quickly to catch the diver while photographers quickly moved away from the catching zone.

This setup all happened fast enough that I didn’t have time to switch the longer lens (70-200) I had on my only camera body to a wider one (24-70); I just wanted to get out of the way before he dove and make room for those who would catch him.  If I had time, I also hoped to get a shot of the jump. The pit at this stage had a long open area going from the stage back to the soundboard; I ran as far back up this open stretch as I could in the couple seconds I had, then turned around to try to get a shot off.

I was able to get 2 decent closely-cropped portrait-orientation frames off of the jump but missed the wide shot with a much better context to set the scene. The diver was caught safely and the show raged on. You can see the end of this play out in this YouTube clip.

My takeaway, immediately, was that I needed to start carrying 2 camera bodies to be prepared for moments when I don’t have time to switch lenses. When I got home from Chicago, I got a second matching camera body and have carried 2 bodies at the same time ever since. And, I’ve always carried both with a BlackRapid double strap (as you can see in my portrait below).

I have spent a year of my life outside of the US

Born in Detroit, live in Seattle.  I’ve shot for Getty Images since 2016 and for KEXP radio in Seattle since 2007. I occasionally contribute to Rolling Stone and Premier Guitar, shot for Corbis for years before Getty. I have contributed to Spin, Billboard, Kerrang!, MOJO and many others. Run house photo crews for Capitol Hill Block Party and Thing! in the Pacific Northwest. Work with Pearl Jam, Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, various commercial clients.

I hold patents in several countries for software designs from a prior life

And I am a certified ski instructor in the US. I have spent a year of my life outside of the US (UK, Europe, Iceland, and Asia) and another year sleeping outdoors in the US (split between trip leading and personal adventures).

Some of my favorite shots have a clear narrative

A moment at a live show when the artist has a visible intention, response, or interaction…a portrait that shows the subject(s) personality coming through…an image that really highlights what the subject is about. For these images, I think listening to/watching what’s going on is as essential as your physical position, camera settings, lens choice, etc. All of these elements are important, but when you snap and what you snap can make the difference between a nicely framed, well lit clear image and a story.

My suggestion is to form an opinion about the key dynamic in the room, or a great personality trait of your subject, or a detail of an object or situation, and strive to showcase that with your composition.

What’s in your bag?

• Two Nikon D850 bodies w/ supplemental grip/battery
• BlackRapid Double Breathe strap
• Nikon f/2.8 24-70.
• Nikon f/2.8 70-200
• Nikon f/4 300
• Godox V1-N flash
• Lens cloth, ThinkTank SD card wallet w/ lots of 128gb hi-speed cards
• Custom earplugs, Sunscreen, Business cards & stickers
• Extra flash battery and charger
• Surface Book 2 laptop & External Solid State hard drive
• Remote triggers
• A very small tripod
• Advil, Snacks, Water bottle

To follow Jim Bennett

website | Instagram  | Facebook

The post BLACKRAPID SPOTLIGHT: Jim Bennett appeared first on BLACKRAPID.

The word serendipity isn’t used enough and today I hope this favorite word of mine brings you a little happiness as you begin your work week.

A FEW DAYS AGO,

we were taking a ferry ride from Bainbridge Island to downtown Seattle. The sun was shining, the water calm, and all passengers on board were giddy excitement as the beautiful Emerald City came into view. From the bow’s upper deck, we had a perfect view of Puget Sound as well as the car deck below, an ideal spot for any people watcher. Of course, I couldn’t help but notice all the smartphones and cameras capturing happy moments and took stock of all the different camera straps people were using (I was personally using the WandeR Bundle Smartphone Safety Tether System on my iPhone X).

WHILE SOAKING IN ALL THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND SCENT OF THE SEA,

I glanced down to the car deck below and noticed something happening: a beautiful couple stood at the bow of the boat while two photographers captured their embrace with the city skyline in the background. It was a perfect engagement session underway! Now, I spent the first 16 of my 20 years in photography shooting weddings and to this day, nothing makes me happier than to see love being captured and couldn’t help but smile with genuine joy watching this beautiful moment and photoshoot unfold. It was exquisite! Then I noticed something: one of the photographers was wearing a BLACKRAPID camera strap! With an ah-ha moment and my BLACKRAPID business card in hand, I ran down the steps to the photo session, introduced myself to the photographers, and asked if I could photograph them photographing the couple. They said yes! and we all quickly got to work.

PRO TIP:

No matter your experience level, photographing BTS images of seasoned photographers is always rewarding. You get to see the angles they see, listen to their etiquette in directing people, and learn to anticipate their moves during the shoot to capture the best angle that represents their story. It’s like learning to dance with a new partner and I highly recommend every photographer take on a couple BTS sessions a year just to stay fresh in style and practiced in experience.

MOVING AROUND CARS AND WASHINGTON STATE FERRY WORKERS,

the lovely photographer gracefully maneuvered her way around all obstacles with elegance. She was so kind and gentle in directing her couple, and I knew she was capturing something truly unique while also creating a special moment for them. I felt honored to be allowed to not only witness this beautiful session, but to also capture a few images for BLACKRAPID.

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WERE NONE OTHER THAN

the highly esteemed Alante Photography team, Kimberly Person and Loren Callahan, winners of Seattle Bride Magazine’s Best Photographers of 2018 and I know it was true serendipity that our paths crossed at this moment, on this ferry, on this sunny summer day.

Thanks you guys, for allowing me to #LiveTheMoment with you!

To learn more about Kimberly and Loren, visit their website Alante Photography at www.alantephotography.com and be sure to follow them on Instagram @alantephotography www.instagram.com/alantephotography.

The post BLACKRAPID Guest Post by LaRae Lobdell | Photographing Photographers on a Ferry, Seattle WA appeared first on BLACKRAPID.

“Youth in Focus is an afterschool program that uses intensive photography training as a tool to help disadvantaged teens develop personal voice, positive identity, social skills and artistic skills. We offer free, multi-level classes for teens ages 13-19 in both film and digital photography, and advanced students participate in our job skills project shooting assignments for hire. Classes are taught by professional teaching artists and supported by volunteer adult mentors. In this way we create a community of support around our students that both encourages and challenges them on their journey to a positive adulthood.” – (From youthinfocus.org)

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The post BLACKRAPID Features: A Rick Sammon Photowalk appeared first on BLACKRAPID.