This weekend was the fifth Madhatters concert I’ve shot. While working with them and shooting their concerts are certainly things I look forward to, I’m always wracking my brain to come with different angles, different locations, different…everything. Considering the concert has been at the Orpheum the last 4 times, this isn’t always easy.
One of the first things I learned when I worked at The Badger Herald was to try to make the mundane look interesting. Ninety-five percent of the time I probably failed at it, but it still taught me to always try to be creative even when I’m shooting the same (or similar) things over and over again (I’m looking at you ASM photos).
At the Madhatters concert this time around I caught a few breaks. First of all, Drew, the manager of the group, hooked me up with a platform that let me stand level with the stage. For anyone that’s been to the Orpheum or photographed there, you can probably sympathize with me for how ridiculously tall the stage is, and how difficult it is to shoot over. Even though I became the most distracting element of the show standing on a tall platform at the foot of the stage, I got much better angles.
The second break was a little more my doing — when the group warmed up in the theater behind the main stage, the lighting was awful, and, since I’m an idiot and forgot my flash at home, I McGuyvered a spotlight to put light directly on them. Boom. Lighting problem solved.
Even though the concert is a blast to shoot (sometimes I wish I could just sit back and listen), my favorite moments are when the group is getting ready. Not only are the guys themselves, but I also get to be in a more relaxed environment where I can play with certain angles and take more time to set up shots and composition. I think these two pictures I got right before the show are my favorite from the whole day, mainly because they are very telling of the emotions the guys feel before going onstage.
Lukas Keapproth 