I got way behind on posting photos from shows that I’ve shot, and am still going through the few bands I was lucky enough to capture at FoCoMX 2023. I made sure to go check out TMule vs. Nic Clark at The OBC Wine Project. I discovered these two amazing musicians last year when the Clearview Library District in Windsor featured TMule’s “Tiny Mule” act, which caters to kids. I loved the energy so much that I was anxious to see the “grown-up” version and they did not disappoint!
This was also my first time at the OBC (Odell Brewing Company) Wine Project, which has a beautiful patio right next door to the Odell Brewery. If you’re out and about and see TMule, Nic Clark, or BOTH on a live music lineup, do yourself a favor and plan on seeing them!
I need to confess something. I really hadn’t used my DSLR since Christmas before taking these pictures. This has been in large part of being busy, but also in part that my iPhone has been pretty good lately capturing snapshots of my family, combined with the fact that many activities have been out in the winter weather and didn’t want to risk the elements damaging my equipment – not the best solution, I know. My band also spent most of the winter hunkered down and recording, not playing many shows and thus not many opportunities to shoot bands.
Undercover Bear asked us to play their CD release show in late March, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to play with the Whisk(e)y’s lighting. Undercover Bear did an awesome job in creating some really memorable moments in their shows, with their choice of instruments, solos, changing off singers and even a wardrobe/accessory change. They had a packed room and awesome crowd, which made for a fun shoot.
Last night I had the opportunity to photograph Qbala, one of Fort Collins’ best rappers, and someone I’ve known since middle school. On Thursday she played her “farewell” show, as she’s gearing up for a move to Portland. In my involvement in the Northern Colorado music scene, few people work as hard towards their craft as Qbala does. It was definitely an honor to shoot such a great show that was packed to the gills.
This was also my first time shooting at Hodi’s Half Note, where the lighting proved to be a challenge. I went home last night afraid that most of my shots didn’t turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised that I had an abundance to choose from. The other challenge with this show was navigating the packed audience. While I was able to move around quite a bit during the opening acts, I found myself firmly entrenched on the front of stage left. The left side of the stage enabled me to get close-up shots (as Qbala’s face wasn’t blocked by her mic) but prevented me from getting the full body shots due to all of the DJ equipment blocking my angle. Halfway through her set, I moved further back to get some crowd shots and finally managed to get to stage right. There I finally got my full-body perspective shots.
My only regret was not being able to capture close-up shots in the middle of the stage to capture some of the emotional interactions – but with as crowded as everything was, it just wasn’t an option. I’ve posted a few of my favorites below, but you can see the whole gallery on Flickr.
Congrats on an awesome show, Qbala! Wishing you all the best in your next adventure.
Catching up from a busy month, I had the privilege of photographing South To Cedars on the release of their new album: Sunny State at High Hops Brewery in Windsor. High Hops has an awesome winter stage in the back of the brewery, draped with lights and a really cool ambiance.
I ended up capturing one of my favorite concert images so far, trying to encapsulate the joy of performing music.
Congrats again to South To Cedars on an awesome album release!
Last night Amy and the Peace Pipes played at the Stuff A Truck benefit for Homeless Gear at Pateros Creek. We had the honor of sharing the stage with Aires Attic and South to Cedars. I managed to snap a few shots during South to Cedars set.
In all honestly, the lighting was pretty challenging. Pateros Creek has a great room, but the stage area shares about the same lighting as the rest of the room, with the exception of some flood lights that are covered by transparent colored film. Pateros also had the (very good) problem of being completely packed for the evening, which limited the angles that I was able to capture images. South to Cedars put on an amazing show and feature some awesome harmonies by all of their members (they don’t normally had a drummer, they had a guest sit in for the last few songs, so a lot of great singing moments. In addition, the fiddle was a lot of fun to capture. It’s not too often that you get to capture tight shots of musicians and their instruments.
As always, all of my band photos can be found on Flickr. I’d love to hear what you think!
