Flesheaters + Mudhoney @ Nuemos on Jan. 13, 2015

Jan 20

This one was a doozy.

Sometimes we have great days, you know the feeling, we're just on. We go out into that mean, dark, world, and we persevere. We do a good job, we feel good when the job is done, we're killin' it. This night, this shoot, was not one of those times.

I must say that shooting at Nuemos is always a difficult time but always pushes me to shoot differently, which I can only appreciate. While the sound quality, and the lighting is on point for a concert attendee, as a photographer the light is this brutal fluorescent blue-pink mixture, and it changes after every song, in other words a photographers nightmare. The crowd, when big, is staunch and stoic and are there see a show, and not be pushed around by some punk photographer. Also, there is no photo passes or stage access, rarely necessary, but always appreciated.

Now, admittedly, yes, I made some mistakes. I showed up to the venue a few minutes late and realized pretty quickly I had underestimated the size of the crowd. More crowd obviously provides its own challenges, but more than anything it makes getting close hard, and as a photographer close is where I want to be, especially at a rock show. I decided I was going to need a beer if I was going to hop in the middle of an aging punk rock crowd, so I purchased the biggest, most cost-effective beverage I could, and made my way a few rows of bodies back from the stage. I shot around for a few minutes and made some lighting adjustments before the show started and realized I was nowhere I wanted to be. Too many people around me, not close enough, dirty backgrounds, and I couldn't even hold my beer and shoot with one hand at the same time! Oh the humanity! I figured I would try and moved around to the side of the stage where I might have a better shot at getting a nice crowd/band scene, however, as soon as I ceded my spot I was quickly jettisoned out the flowing river of people, and found myself empty beer in hand near the back of the venue feeling deflated, and not wanting to push in front of any more mid-40s couples having good times. In retrospect, this turned out to not be such a bad thing seeing as I had to take a wicked pee by this point and I needed to rest my poor, blown-out eardrums, because someone also forgot to pack a pair of ear plugs.

Needless to say, I worked this show hard. I took my pee, stuffed some paper towels in my ears and got back in there, making the best pictures I could. Sometimes that's all it takes; getting back in there, when you're feeling put-out or tired or like you're just not at your best. These images are the result of that night. I tried some different things, partially because I wanted to, and partially because I didn't think I shot any real winners. Cheers to learning experiences and growth!

Hope you enjoy,

David