Neil Young

December 15, 2008 – It’s a tall claim that an artist who has been touring for 45 years is at his performing best in 2009 but that’s exactly what fans were saying after Neil Young’s rock’n'roll throwdown at Madison Square Garden. Young delighted veteran fans and first timers at the first of two sold-out NYC shows.

Photographer’s Notes

Shooting a living legend like Neil Young was a wonderful way to close the 2008 concert season.

I had heard from other photographers that credentials for this tour were tight. The rumors were true. With a full video crew and swarm of photographers that ranged from local dailies and magazines to the Associated Press, the pit was packed.

Shooting was restricted to the first three songs from one of two sides of the stage. Knowing that Neil and his band would be closer to house left, I planned according.

Neil was lit by warm reds that transitioned into blue during the allotted shooting time.

Exposure

Exposure fell in the range of 1/320 at f/3.2 and ISO3200 for most of the set. Both my shutter speed and aperture settings loosened when Neil turned to his back to jam with the band.

Gear

I shot this set almost entirely with the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 on the D3. Both tools performed flawlessly.

Related posts:

1. Neil Young: One from the Show
2. Behind the Scenes: Neil Davis Promo Shoot
3. DeVotchKa @ Terminal 5 – 20.05.2008
4. The Magic @ Webster Hall 24.05.2008
5. Basia Bulat @ Terminal 5 – 20.05.2008

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 9:15 pm and is filed under Music Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.