I don't normally post these type of images, but since Culver City's most famous dive bar - The Cinema Bar seems to have upgraded their stage lighting to a single eight inch clamp light from Home Depot, clamped to a hanging monitor, it was more interesting than normal. Usually, you don't expect any light at all on the musicians so this was indeed a nice surprise. Rick is a long time fixture of the L.A. honkey tonk scene and if you want to hear a Telecaster played how it meant to be played, you need go no further. It was an our and a half lesson in how to play by a local master. And the bonus of having Robbie Fulks open for his buddy was a special treat. Never heard of him coming to L.A. before but he has apparently moved here.
Most of these just felt like they wanted to be black and white with a hint of sepia to them. I think the tonality lends itself to that for the most part. My goal, as always, is to try and capture the mood of the music so you can imagine how it might have sounded. Gonna get Rick in the studio coming up pretty soon. What a beautiful beat up old Tele he's playing.
Brought a 5Dmk4, a 35mm 1.4L II, a Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART and the Canon 85mm 1.4L IS with ISO's ranging from 1600 to 32000.
Peter, I enjoy your post and the B&W conversion of those great images is very appropriate and powerful. Why did you leave a single image in color? Just curious...
It is truly amazing what those clap lights from Home Depot can do :-)
But even more amazing what a trained eye can compose given what might seem like meager circumstances to the eye untrained. I really enjoy visual stories like this - especially when photographed this well! Thanks for posting this series!!
Of course I meant CLAMP light. One of the best lessons at Art Center College way back when were assignments that taught how to recognize existing light and use it to your advantage, as well as create it. So, yes, that is important. That bar is capital T tiny and it's always been problematic to shoot there but slightly less so now. That's also what makes it possible to get so close and intimate.
Also, sometimes, and definitely in this case, seeing what works well in this situation is going to influence how I light Rick when he comes to the studio. I sorta had it mapped out in my head but this is going to push me to put more emphasis on the hard lights in combination with soft boxes.
Gee is playing accordion in a Kate and Anna McCarrigle sisters tribute show next weekend, so maybe there'll be some more from there. Kate was married to Louden Wainwright - singer of Dead Skunk fame and played the preacher in 40 Y/O Virgin. Kate was Rufus Wainwright's mother. That show is happening smack in the middle of Winter NAMM, so it's supposedly the hot singer/songwriter show during that week here in L.A.
Not quite sure what you mean by that, but I'll take it. Always good to hear from you Chuck. More music tomorrow night, plus NAMM show is this week so lots of people in town who might not be here normally.
Thanks. I missed the show last night at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica where Rick played with Dave Alvin and his old pal Chris Gaffney's band, The Cold Hard Facts. I was at the Kate McGarrigle tribute where Gee was playing accordion in the house band. A very interesting gig with some great musicians and a bunch of great singers including Syd Straw, Mink Stole (from pretty much every John Waters film) and, of course, Kate's son Rufus Wainwright. Can't be in two places at once and I promised I'd schlep amps and accordions for her.
