Utilizing Extreme Rock Band Lighting to Capture the Moment!

Daniel Marino — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:31:57 +0000

If you have been following me the past few years, you would have noticed that I have taken a real interest in photographing live up and coming & well established bands; primarily based in New York City.

There is nothing more challenging and outright awesome than walking into dimly lit bars and venues than trying to capture key moments and the band’s personalities as they perform their tunes on stage. As a freelance photographer who shoots many different genres of photography, this is basically walking into an ultimate training ground to learn how to tackle light in any situation. Point blank – shooting bands trains my eye and technique in any photo shoot I do; whether it is a wedding, family party or corporate event with dark lighting, fast moving targets such as sports, children running in parks, etc, or even if I am shooting portraits, headshots, etc. with studio lights.

Every so often, I will get a venue such as the Gramercy Theatre or the Bowery Ballroom where the lighting systems are much much better. Pair that with a band who has their own feel brought into the presentation and it provides unique experiences to capture some wonderful and meaningful shots. I feel I accomplished just that when Star Killer, a local NYC band with a great following, took the stage at the Bowery Ballroom in June this year. Using extremely bright whites and amazing laser effects with blues, my challenge was actually adjusting the camera to handle the lighting instead of usually preparing to get shots where there wasn’t enough.

Take a look at 2 images that resulted from this performance. I took advantage of the band stepping into the light to capture a blend that produced emotional imagery.

I just entered these images in PDN’s Ultimate Music Moment Contest. Please help me become the People’s Champ by clicking on each image and submitting your vote! Also send me a note and let me know what you think of these shots!

Here are the direct links as well:

Entry #1 – http://www.ultimatemusicmoment.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2002702306

Entry # 2 – http://www.ultimatemusicmoment.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2002702305

Client Spotlight | A Family Plot Live! View my images inside!

Daniel Marino — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:26:37 +0000

Written by Michael MacIvor & Daniel J. Marino
Edited by Jennifer Marino Walters
Photography by Daniel J. Marino

I recently had the amazing opportunity to shoot a live set for an old friend and career rock n’ roller, Michael MacIvor, and his new band, A Family Plot.

MacIvor, formerly of the band Candiria, has stepped up from behind the bass guitar and become lead vocalist. As you will read below, A Family Plot is a different flavor than his past. These guys rock and I can’t help but pick out influences such as Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and the Police; three of my personal favorites.

Enjoy the story and corresponding images! As always, we appreciate all of your comments. Look out for our overall special projects on music, stage, and clubs – think disco balls, microphones, bar tops, and a whole lotta music!

You can view the entire gallery by clicking here. Enjoy the photos!

A Family Plot Live – Thursday, October 22 in Brooklyn and Dan will be shooting it again. Click here – You are cordially invited to attend! We hope to see you there!

ABOUT THE SHOOT: The venue was a New York City spot named Ace of Clubs. We were dealing with an extremely dark room with some white flood lights accompanied by blue- and red-colored fill lights throughout the performance. Given the layout and the lack of usable shooting space, this quickly became a challenging assignment.

The keys here were creativity and drama. One of my main goals was to present and communicate the feeling of movement throughout the riffs, strums, rolls, and beats. Each band member came ready to play with tremendous inspirational chords and key strokes, firing off pure energy.

In order to create the desired effects, decisions were quickly made to shut down the flash, aggressively increase the ISO, and slow down the shutter. To me, this shoot wasn’t really about sharp, crisp environmental portraiture. It was more about motion blurring; intense, dark lighting and shadowing; deliberate grain; wide-angle, full-blown views; close-up instrumental detail; and well-documented rock n’ roll, baby!

I really wanted myself and my viewing audience to get to know the band members: their energy, passion, desire, and ability to deliver their style of musical perfection. I’d say, mission accomplished! These guys had the place going strong, and by the second song, there were moments when my camera trigger was firing in perfect harmony to the beat!

Come out to Matchless in Brooklyn on Thursday night, October 22, 2009, to hear A Family Plot and see Marino Photography in action – click here for the event details – you are invited! The band will be singing songs from its just-released EP, now available for purchase on iTunes. I will once again be behind the camera and shedding my viewpoint on the band and their fanfare.

You can view the entire gallery by clicking here- Enjoy the photos!

ABOUT A FAMILY PLOT:
After spending nearly 10 years as the bassist for critically-acclaimed jazz/metal fusion band Candiria, Michael MacIvor decided to take the risk of his professional life. “I wanted to do something that nobody would see coming at all. I got myself a guitar and started writing songs and singing,” he says. “What came out couldn’t be any further from what Candiria was.”

In the fall of 2008, MacIvor planted the seeds that would rapidly sprout and become A Family Plot . His intention was to get back to the roots of where he started. Drawing from all of the members’ formative influences, the band would touch upon the classic sounds of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, but also mix in influences such as the Police, Nirvana, and Jane’s Addiction.

“I could have hired any number of well-known musicians for this project, but it was important for me to assemble a band of people I knew well and considered family,” says MacIvor. “The music was so close to me and so personal, I felt I could only really share the experience with people I truly cared about.”

Enter MacIvor’s former Candiria bandmate and long-time songwriting partner John LaMacchia. LaMacchia had been working on super-group Spylacopa and his own record label, Rising Pulse, for some time. But eager to make music with MacIvor again, LaMacchia joined the fold when called upon. Longtime friends Wayne Schneiderman and Joseph Milazzo of art-rock group Black Pig would round out the rhythm section.

A Family Plot has set out with one goal in mind: to make music that is important again. Each member has stated that growing up, the most important thing to them was music. Their mission is to make music that will move people; that is as important to others as the music they listened to was to them.

“Today it seems that a lot of music is just a sidebar to the fashion or the style of the scene, and it’s sad,” MacIvor says. “By no means are we saying that you can’t be into fashion. You can! Just don’t make it more important than the songs.”

A Family Plot released its self-titled independent EP in early October 2009. In the short time since the EP’s release, it’s been getting great feedback. The disc is currently available through Rising Pulse Records and the band’s official website, www.afamilyplot.net. It will also be available worldwide through iTunes by the end of October.

You can view the entire gallery by clicking here – Enjoy the photos!

To learn more about A Family Plot, check out these links:

MAIN WEBSITE | www.afamilyplot.net

BUY OUR TRACKS | http://bit.ly/1yVLTh (Direct iTunes store link)

MYSPACE | www.myspace.com/afamilyplot

FACEBOOK | http://tinyurl.com/yjqnb9v

TWITTER | www.twitter.com/familyplot

YOU TUBE | www.youtube.com/afamilyplot

RISING PULSE | www.risingpulse.com

Upcoming Shows

October 22, 2009
Bar Matchless
557 Manhattan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 383-5333

Also playing: X-Tina and Beatbox Guitar