Digital Photography Backstage Concert Portrait - Shinedown

Back in 2004 I set up to go photograph a lesser known band by the name of SHINEDONW in Philadelphia, PA. I brought my studio lights with me just in case I could set up a full band shot when I arrived at the venue. Turns out they were ok with giving me a few minutes to capture a band photo as well as some portraits of the lead singer Brent Smith.

At the time my digital SLR was a Nikon D2H which was a 4.1 megapixel camera that shot 8 frames a second but lacked at higher ISO’s. There has always been this notion that 4.1 megapixels was not enough for getting great images. Sure the sensor was not the best in low light but the quality of the build and the quality of the file that came from the camera were plenty good in its day. I am still able to make huge 30×45 if not larger prints from this very file in the post.

I spent roughly 5 minutes with Brent giving some direction as we tried to find that shot we were looking for. Now that is not a lot of time but once you capture that one shot you know will be a keeper it is alright to move on. The shot that is below has turned out to be one of my favorite portraits of a rock start that I have taken over the years. It captures a great artist in a moment where everything just seems to work out perfectly.

Take a look at the video below to see the edits and hear more about the image.