Month: August 2006

I really like this shot. The performer is Mat Devine of Kill Hannah, taken this month in Chicago at Lollapalooza… The shot, though, is almost timeless; an archetype, a visual parable It could be any charismatic channeler anywhere, anytime. It just happens to be Now.

One of the ways you can discern the effectiveness of a wide shot is by whether you feel you know what’s happening out of frame. Can you feel the vast throbbing throng to the left? Can you see the line of stunning architecture surrounding the venue? Can you hear the music? Can you feel the excitement? Only pieces of those elements are illustrated, but we bring our imagination to supply the whole…or we don’t. I can only show you a slice, and an instant. It was a great show in a great venue, Grant Park.

Watching Tweedy play in front of his city and, literally, his family, was wonderful to witness. I’ve never seen him so animated. In this shot he’s stepping out of the darkness to shine his music back on Chicago.

I’m in the middle of a final edit of Wilco, and I want to share…I’ll post several shots; I have a lot to say about these guys… One of my favorite photographic tenets is the concept that “there’s a new truth every moment”. You’ve got to be highly attuned to changing circumstance and serendipity, searching for the pivot point. In this case, the setting sun momentarily shined between two skyscrapers with a seemingly directed and focused beam of light, perfectly backlighting Jeff Tweedy…. Here, he looks like he’s on fire, which, in a sense, he is.

I really love shooting Festivals because I’m exposed to acts I’d never see or hear otherwise. This Chicago band, playing in the punkish rock genre, (I hate to catagorize music too much), really has the Muse flowing through them…..which to my way of hearing things is what it’s all about.

I just returned from shooting the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. I’m part of a team of four photographers (and many editors and runners and assistants) who shoot and edit in real time, posting shots immediately. ( We also shoot the ACL Fest in Austin for CSE/CAP, the producers of both events..) A quick compilation of our work on this year’s show can be seen at Lollapalooza.com Chicago is a wonderful setting for an incredible Festival Here, once again, is Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips, displaying some of many props used in the visual extravaganza they incorporate into their show. Even without a description, this shot conveys some of the mystery, madness, and fun that underlies a Flaming Lips performance….