Late Night Macro
Originally uploaded by Chad VanPelt
Just up too late playing with my macro lens and an orange that should have been thrown out already.
This past weekend was a big show at The Dawning. Bella Morte headlined with The Dark Clan and xUBERx opening. It was a great night with a solid lineup. Both The Dark Clan and xUBERx were making their first Charlottesville appearances and will both, hopefully, be back in the future. I got to take my new 100mm 2.8 for it’s first live concert spin and I gotta say I couldn’t be happier. It really gets in close and gives the feeling of being right there, I’m looking forward to shooting many more shows with it. So without further ado (gallery link after the photo):
I had the pleasure of seeing Iris & Seabound live at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington DC on March 13th. Both bands put on great shows. It was great to see Ned (of Stromkern) as a special guest with Iris on this tour, he always adds so much energy to everything he’s involved in. Shooting at this venue was, as I expected, a little awkward at first since I had never been there and didn’t know what to expect in terms of lighting but I quickly got my bearings and figured out the most efficient way to shoot this show. Once I got the hang of the lighting I was pleased to notice that I didn’t have to crank my ISO all the time for this setup and I could comfortably use my 17-40 f/4 lens without worrying about missing too many shots due to lighting. This was also the first show that I’ve really done much white balance tweaking in post and it made quite the difference. Shooting in RAW is wonderful. Now that you’ve read this far, you can go enjoy the rest of the photos from the show in the [gallery].
Photo ops seem to be happening at work lately. I was sitting at my desk and I noticed something suddenly move on the floor. To be more exact, it hopped. I thought at first it was a cricket, or maybe a spider so I gave it more than just a glance. Well.. that looks like a little frog, I thought. So I quickly got something to carry it with and went over and scooped it up. Now, most people would think “I’ve gotta take this outside”. While that was part of my thought process, what preceded it was “I need to take this back into the studio and take pictures of it!” So I did. It was a frog so of course it hopped around when it wasn’t contained. Since I was the only one minding the store I thought it wise to not spend 15 minutes crawling around chasing this frog taking pictures of it (though in retrospect that would have been really funny, and not to mention fun). So after little froggie got it’s attention time I scooped it up and took it outback into the more outdoorsy type outside with trees and bugs and things.
So as I was carrying the roses from the last post out to the garbage I looked at them and thought “Wow, these still look beautiful even though they’re dead. I could get some great shots of them before I throw them out.” So I set them up in the studio and 35 minutes later I was finished shooting. This is one of the photos I liked the best.
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Originally uploaded by Chad VanPelt
Charlottesville Ladies Arm Wrestling, or CLAW, held their first match at the Blue Moon Diner in Charlottesville, VA. Eight contenders got a grip and pounded fists through seven bouts. It was a blast to experience and photograph. All the festivities this month were to raise money and awareness for the Voice Project. You can read more about CLAW and what they’re all about supporting by visiting their website: [Clawville.org]
You can view my set of photos from the event [here]
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Originally uploaded by Chad VanPelt
This past Saturday I was visiting my girlfriend and we got to attend Dances of Vice Festival in NYC. It was held at a venue called Element which was pretty swank. It was a great event with lost of fabulous attendees sporting marvelous outfits. One of my favorites was the steampunk style wings that actually unfolded. I didn’t go around taking photos of people in their outfits mainly because it felt very cramped and tight trying to move around, trying to negotiate a camera and get sufficient photos of outfits wasn’t something I felt up to.. especially since I was from way out of town. What I felt more than comfortable doing was photographing the live performances. I didn’t shoot the first performance which was cello accompaniment to the movie Inferno, we had just arrived and were still exploring the space.
Desert Sin was the first performance I photographed and was pretty difficult to shoot given that the available light for it was basically dancefloor lighting, regardless I’m happy with the 4 shots I picked out. Desert Sin is an alternative bellydance troupe based on the west coast.
Up next was Nicki Jaine performing with the musical saw. I always enjoy her music, this was my first time seeing her play the saw and it was fantastic. Nicki Jaine is a singer/songwriter with a beautifully amazing voice, you should definitely check her out if you’re unfamiliar.
The Deadfly Ensemble played next and I had never heard their music before, I quite enjoyed it. Their set was dedicated to Nessie and all the mystery and excitement that surrounds Loch Ness. The Deadfly Ensemble was founded by Cinema Strange member Lucas Lanthier.
Finally came Rasputina. This was my first Rasputina show and it was quite amazing. My love for their music definitely grew during the course of the performance. The final song of the set before the encore was Barracuda. Lemme tell you, 4 distorted cellos playing Barracuda is one of the most rockin’ versions of that song I’ve ever heard, hands down. If you’re not familiar with Rasputina I suggest you remedy that quickly, cello is good for the soul.
If you want to view the collection of photos sets from the even you can do so [here]
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Originally uploaded by Chad VanPelt
So, I’ve been keeping busy. The photo above is of Crunch Pod recording artist Cervello Elettronico who I saw on Friday night (01/25) in DC. If you like good layered electronic music with a side of noise then definitely check this guy out.
I’ve posted several sets up on Flickr including photos from the Strangeland Records Goth Industrial Armageddon and the recent Unit F show here in Charlottesville.