Thursday, April 24, 2008

Springsteen "Dancing in the Dark" 1984


My first post, my first blog. I worked days as a photojournalist in the 1970's and 1980's, while pursuing concert photography at night whenever and wherever I could get in to shoot. I changed to full time travel photography at the end of the 1980's and haven't shot concerts since. Recently I started scanning all my old boxed negatives that haven't see the light in years, some more than 30 years old. Labor of Love I tell you. Not all film was in good shape and I've learned a photoshop thing or two about film restoration. But some 2 years later, I find that I have a load of good stuff too. I started a website last month...artmeripol.com...to see if I can't sell some images. On my blog here, i hope to share memories or techniques for what I shot. 

First up is this image I've always loved of Bruce Springsteen. This was shot on the Born in the USA tour in 1974 in Memphis, Tennessee. If you've never shot a concert, you might not be aware of the restrictions placed on a shooter. First, most shows limit you to the first three songs, about 10 minutes usually. Also there is no flash. So you have to be ready for anything, shoot fast and work the stage light. This one, unmanipulated, captured the Boss without any background. The only light was the spot and the rest of the background had no light, leaving him 'floating' in the frame. I like to think it was during a performance of the song Dancing in the Dark.

I'm going to try to post a photo every week or two and give a little background in some way to each one.

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