Intersecting Passions: Photographing In Flames at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

There is one hobby that occupies more of my time than photography: music. Specifically heavy metal, and all the subgenres under that umbrella. Beyond just creating and managing a seemingly unending playlist of new and old music for myself, the years immediately after college saw the creation of Nine Circles, a music blog built and run by a group of friends across the country. A decade in, this project has taken significant hours out of my life, every single day, but it has also provided countless opportunities to cover and feature some incredible artists and bands, and it has been my gateway to a seemingly infinite supply of amazing music I probably never would have stumbled upon otherwise. Press announcements, album reviews, interviews, and my personal favorite, tour coverage, are all part of our content rotation. For instance, I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph and write about one of my favorite bands, In Flames, who I’ve been following for multiple decades now, numerous times. They returned to the United States for a headlining run in early May, and you bet I was there with my camera in hand. As such, I think it’s finally time to talk a little more about my love for concert photography.

Before I get into some of the technical stuff, I just want to share a little bit of background because I feel like my pursuit of concert photography highlights the opportunities and rewards that can result from patience, diligence, and consistency. Nine Circles wasn’t born one day, with press passes falling from the sky the next. It took a few years of producing content from our own research and opinions first. The inbox was quiet and there were no promotional materials in those early days. Over time, announcements started trickling through to us. And then promotional material. And as we leveraged those resources for our writing, we landed on more distribution lists. The momentum continued, and Nine Circles grew. In tangent, my interest in photography was also growing. Sure, I only had my D3100 and 18-55 kit lens, but it was only a matter of time before I was interested in photographing more than landscapes. Fine. But how do you photograph heavy metal? I couldn’t imagine a subject that was more opposite what I had been focusing on. So I asked some friends, and found a way to work a 50mm f/1.8 into the budget.

When I eventually took the leap and requested (and received) a chance to shoot a show, the flood gates opened. I couldn’t tell you how many concerts I shot with that exact camera and lens set up. I look back at those years now and laugh (and cringe). It started with dingey DIY shows in small rooms as a VERY nervous photographer afraid to get within 50 feet of the stage. But I shot every show I could, and that practice paid off. I became more confident, less obnoxious, my product improved, and eventually those basement shows turned into small venues, and then slightly bigger venues with photo pits. As time went by, my gear improved as well, going to the D750 and 24-70mm f/2.8 next. And now, a decade on… a decade of consistent learning and growing in music coverage as well as in photography, and those opportunities to document shows now include my favorite bands performing in large arenas. It’s been a ride. But I appreciate it looking back because of how much of a process it has been and how much learning and evolving it required. And that’s not to say I’m at any kind of finish line. Such a thing doesn’t exist. Instead, I say that more to emphasize how it all represents a departure from the world of instant gratification we’re often stuck in. But hey, if you know me, you know that’s also why I choose to run marathons. The further away the successes feel, the more they are celebrated once they are reached.

So that’s a little bit of context, but let’s bring it back to this most recent show. Because with all of that said, while In Flames is one of my favorite bands, this was most certainly not an arena show. Still, it’s hard to deny the butterflies in your stomach when you submit a formal request to photograph one of your favorite bands, and the subsequent excitement that spills over when you see that approval email come through. And the venue has nothing to do with it. The only thing the venue impacts is what lenses get used the most. I mean, I still always pack everything, which at the time meant… my Z6 II, 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8, 50 f/1.8, and my 14-30 f/4 for some reason. First off, why the Z6 II and not the Z7 II? File size, and I find it’s low light performance a little better. But mostly file size. When you need to keep up with what’s happening on stage, and you need to document as much as you can in a few short minutes, the last thing you need is a card filling up on you. So that’s the reason for the camera choice. Now, lenses. The Casino Ballroom is a modestly sized venue, and the stage and photo pit match it. With tight quarters, I quite literally only used the 24-70 while I was in the pit. I know I’ve said it’s my bread and butter lens. That’s still true. I did break out the 70-200 for some shots from the back of the crowd, which I’m glad I did. But everything else pretty much stayed in the bag. Oh! I also brought a tunnel vision filter just for fun.

So that was the gear, but how did the shooting process go? Honestly, pretty good! For those that haven’t shot high action, low light situations before, it can be a little tricky. My general rule is to just keep the lens wide open, use spot-metering, and bounce the shutter speed and ISO as needed. I try to keep the ISO under 1600, but I’ve found with IBIS and lens VR I can get down to a shutter speed of 1/60 second and still get tack sharp profiles in these situations, so that leaves some room for adjustments. And there was quite a bit of adjusting this night. For instance, Gatecreeper used super dim lighting and put a fog machine to hard work, whereas In Flames definitely brightened things up at various points. It’s part of the deal. I’ve also found it’s better to underexpose with a slightly faster shutter speed or lower ISO, and bring things up in post, than to obsess over the histogram and have to fight blur or noise later because you pushed things a little too far. As always, there is no “set it and forget it”, but as long as you know your camera well enough, generally know where your settings need to be going into it, and have a decent post-production process, it’ll work out. And yeah, to circle back, it was the 24-70 that served as the workhorse. The stage was small enough that 70 got me plenty close for some tight profile shots, while 24 was more than wide enough to capture full musicians, or multiple musicians. From a lens standpoint, I think the only thing I would have done differently is put a super wide to use… but I didn’t scoop up my 14-24 f/2.8 for another few weeks. Needless to say, I am excited to use that at shows going forward.

And there you have it. A little background on my interest in concert photography, and a little bit of my process from a recent show. I do look at the genres of photography I focus on as a pretty heavy contrast, but at the same time it does make sense when I think about balance as a creator. Capturing these mountains, lakes, and rivers is all about slowing down. Taking a breath. Finding comfort in a wild place and showing patience for the sake of capturing it’s true essence. Each press of the shutter carefully planned out. Concerts, however, are the complete opposite. Nonstop action in trying to find the exact perfect spot in the photo pit at the exact right time. All while frantically managing settings, gear, and the presence of other photographers within but a few feet of you. Oh, and only having three songs from each set to work with, and somehow ending up with 1000 images from each of them to review later. But it’s that difference that I love so much about each of them. They require completely different processes, and they challenge me as a photographer in completely different ways. They bring balance to how I use my cameras, and what I capture. But most importantly, they merge two lifelong passions.