Day 9 - An Acoustic Evening with Joe Bonamassa

Got to see Joe Bonamassa in concert for the 6th time tonight at the Sandler Theater for the Preforming Arts in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The all acoustic evening includd an eclectic group of professional musicians, including Tina Guo, Chinese cellist and erhu player whose repertoire stretches from classical to heavy metal; and Hossam Ramzy, Egyptian percussionist and composer who played with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant on their No Quarter: Unledded tour.

Healthy Vision - Day 121 #CY365 @ThisIsRobThomas

May's #CY365 theme is about vision. While today's cameras are quite remarkable at capturing what we see, their "vision" is not at all equal to our own eyes. Our eyes eye can actually perceive a greater dynamic range than is ordinarily possible with a camera. If we were to consider situations where our pupil opens and closes for varying light, our eyes can see over a range of nearly 24 f-stops while 8-12 f-stops is generally all one can expect from a digital camera. This is most evident in low light photography especially when bright highlights are present, such as a stage performance.

Tonight Cindy and I went to see Rob Thomas at the Durham Performing Arts Center. It was an intimate performance with just two musicians joining Rob Thomas on stage. The overall lighting was low but there was always a spotlight on the star. Even with spot metering enabled, my camera struggled to get the low light background exposed, resulting in an sharply overexposed star. Manual exposure or severe exposure composition is the only way to capture the scene and avoid blown-out highlights. Since the camera can only capture a limited dynamic range, much of the scene is underexposed. So every picture is a trade off, while our eyes make the adjustments consistently and our brains composite the image so we see much more. And yes, the show was amazing. Canon G15, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600.

More MB20

More from last night's Matchbox Twenty concert at Richmond's Landmark Theater. From right to left - Paul Doucette on rhythm guitar, Stacy Jones on drums, Rob Thomas vocals, and Kyle Cook on lead guitar. Canon G1X, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 3200.

Concert photography can be difficult with bright fast moving subjects and rapidly changing intense lighting. We were setting about 9 rows back and no cameras with removable lenses were allowed. So I took the Canon G1X point and shoot mainly because of it's large sensor with good high ISO low noise performance. The camera struggled all night with auto focusing. I shot almost all of the photos with at least -2 stops of exposure compensation to get the band members properly exposed against the dark background. Even with spot metering enabled the camera tries to balance all of the blackness and without exposure compensation the people would be overexposed. I should have taken taken the Canon G15 because it's lens is a stop faster and its auto focus performs better even though it gives up a little in high ISO noise performance. I shot 200 pictures, 55 were totally unusable, blurred, over exposed or out of focus. Another 100 or so are OK but just not good photos. So I ended up with about 40 decent pictures and a half a dozen good ones.

MB20 @ Landmark

Kyle Cook and Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty preforming at Richmond Virginia's Landmark Theater as part of the 2013 Winter North Tour. Canon G1X, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 3200, focal length 117mm (35mm equivalent).

Zildjian

- Drummer Sandy Gennaro of the Pat Travers Band and his Zildjian cymbals. The first Zildjian cymbals were created in 1623 by Avedis Zildjian, an alchemist who was looking for a way to turn base metal into gold; he created an alloy combining tin, copper, and silver into a sheet of metal that could make musical sounds without shattering. Still manufactured by the Avedis Zildjian Company for nearly 400 years, Zildjian is one of the oldest companies in the world. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 70-200 f/2.8 IS II zoom at 200mm focal length.

Pool Deck

- Whiskey Myers rocking the pool deck stage on the Liberty of the Seas. iPhone 4, 1/1667 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 80, using the fisheye lens from the Olloclip 3-in-1 lens.

Hammerheads

- The loyal fans of rock guitarist Pat Travers, "Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)", refer to themselves as "Hammerheads." Here Pat and his band rock the Liberty of the Seas as part of the 2011 Rock Legends Cruise. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, zoom at 70mm focal length.

Frankenstein

Edgar Winter is amazing!!! He invented the keyboard body strap early in his career, an innovation that allows him the freedom to move around on stage during his multi-instrument high-energy performances. He was also the first artist to feature a synthesizer as the main instrument in a song. "Frankenstein" revolutionized rock and roll and opened up a whole new world of possibilities with experimentation and sound - from Wikipedia. Canon 7D, 1/800 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Sharp Dressed Men

- ZZ Top was the headliner band for the Rock Legends Cruise. They not only dressed for success but rocked the ship big time for three straight nights. Also got to meet FM99's Rock Girl Lindsey who won a trip on the legends cruise. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone

- George Thorogood and the Destroyers rocking "Bad to the Bone" on the Rock n Roll Legends cruise. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Gibson "Bona-Bird"

- Another photo and another guitar from Joe Bonamassa's concert in Richmond Virginia. Commissioned by Joe this unusual guitar combines a reverse Firebird neck with a Les Paul body and a single humbucker. Here Joe's shredding on "Slow Train." Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 85mm lens.

Double Neck

- Joe Bonamassa playing the white Gibson Don Felder EDS-1275 #075 Double-Neck during "Young Man Blues" at Richmond Virginia's Landmark Theater last night. You can see Joe's Marshall stack complete with Bonamassa bobble heads just to the right. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 400, 85mm lens.

Mountain Time

- Blues guitarist extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa plays "Mountain Time" at the Landmark Theater in Richmond Virginia. Tonight was the sixth time we've seen Joe play live. He never ceases to amaze and delight and tonight was no exception. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 400, 85mm prime lens.

Train

- Went to see Train in concert tonight at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. They are one of Cindy's favorite bands. It was a great show and they really rocked the house. As a bonus we got to see Gavin Degraw and Maroon 5. All in all, great music and performances by everyone. Canon G11, 1/60 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800.

Paddle Faster!

- Paddle Faster! I hear banjo music. Jackass Flats at the Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Canon g11, 1/60 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, camera flash at -2 stops.

More Bonamassa

- Another photo from Joe Bonamassa's show at the Sandler Center for the Preforming Arts last night in Virginia Beach, VA. Check out my web album of photo's from the show here. Canon Revel T2i, 1/250 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 800, 85mm prime lens.

Sandler Blues

- Joe Bonamassa brought his rock-in blues to a sold crowd at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach tonight. At exactly 8:00 p.m. Joe came out playing and didn't stop until two hours later. The band took a break, but Joe never does. It was an awesome show and even though it is the fifth time I've seen him play live, I always leave amazed. Here's Joe with the rhythm section, Bogie Bowles on drums and Carmine Rojas on bass. Can't wait to share some more photos from the show. Canon Rebel T2i, 1/200 sec @ f/2.5, ISO 800, 85mm prime lens.

Town Hall

The historic Town Hall Theater on West 43rd Street in New York City was a great venue for Joe Bonamassa's Black Rock Tour last April. I can't wait to see Joe play his blues again at the Sandler Theater in Virginia Beach on November 19th. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400.

Piano Man

- Neil Giraldo on the piano at the American Music Festival in Virginia Beach last Sunday. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/200 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 800, 85mm focal length.

Heartbreaker

Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar rock out on "Heartbreaker" during the encore of their show in Virginia Beach this past Sunday night. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 85mm lens.