Bonnaroo 2010 wrap-up

Wow. Bonnaroo was HOT this year. So hot that it was impossible to sleep. Nevertheless I managed to shoot 30+ bands in the space of 4 days all on about 7 hours of sleep.

Concert photography can be pretty difficult sometimes, but I have to say Bonnaroo 2010 was an epic adventure. Here's a slideshow of some of the highlights of the festival.

Enjoy!

The Flaming Lips @ Bonnaroo

Holy crap. Yesterday was brutal. After getting next to no sleep I had to run around in the brutal heat all day. It's so hot here it makes Austin City Limits feel like an Eskimo Pie.

I shot a bunch of different bands of all types and genres; She & Him, Tenacious D, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Ranchers, but the topper was The Flaming Lips. True to form these guys put on a great show full of props and audience participation.

They started the set with a few of their well known staples and continued on with a full set of their best songs. This is when the real shit went down. Wayne Coyne and company performed the entire Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon album. All I can say was that it spectacular. With a little help from Beth Ditto from The Gossip, the Flaming Lips laid this record down like it was their own.

Fear and Loathing on the Bonnaroo trail - Day Two - Practicing good photo etiquette.

Well, I got a couple of hours of sleep and a hot shower this morning and I'm back at it. Sleep is next to impossible when you have the endless thump, thump, thumping of the bass. I swear people were still at it at 6am.

No rest for this weary soul however. Today's schedule is a full one.

This may be a good time to bring up a subject that know one seems to want to learn these days. Good Photo Etiquette. Yes, we are all here to get the good shots, but people seem to forget, YOU are NOT the only one in the photo pit. A little common courtesy goes a long way. Here's a few tips to help keep everyone in the pits happy.

1. Don't be a LIFTER. Yeah, we all know this guy or girl. Let's try the "hail Mary" approach and try to get a "new and unique" angle on the situation. The lifter sticks his hand WAY up above his head and tries for the high angle. Guess what? More often than not the lifter puts his camera right in front of another person's lens. This causes problems. I've seen more fights start over this lame technique than any other issue. DON'T BE THAT GUY. Lifter's shots usually suck anyway. You can't focus or compose when you're not looking.
2. Don't camp out. Try to get some different angles. Yes, you just happened to get the best angle in the photo pit. Take your shots and move. Share the wealth. Nobody likes a camper. 
3. Be courteous. A little tap on the shoulder when you're sliding behind someone is a big help. You don't need to go barreling through like a bull in a china shop.
4. 3 songs and out! Sometimes the pit is full and another set of photographers need to come in to get there shots. Don't be a pit hog. Shoot your 3 and let the other photographers get their shots too.
5. Lose the accessories. That flash that you can't use anyway? Yep, just like the lifter that flash is right it front of the person behind you's lens. That huge backpack? It takes up the space of two people and makes it impossible to move around you. Do you really need every piece of equipment you ever bought right there with you in the photo pit? NO! Bring what you need leabe the rest behind.

I'm gonna end this here, because it's starting to sound like a rant.

One last thing, if you have THREE people all screaming at you at once. It's probably because you're acting like an asshole. Yeah, you know who you are pathetic ponytail dude. And NOBODY gives is shit about your blog.

Fear and Loathing on the Bonnaroo trail - Day One

I have been awake for 42 hours. I was just involved in the most hilarious argument ever. I am completely and utterly fried. I need painkillers and sleep.

Here's some pictures.

Gearing up for Bonnaroo!

Bonnaroo is a 4-day music and arts festival held every year in Manchester TN which is just outside of Nashville. This festival is one of the coolest because it's super laid-back and feels more like a party than any other festival I've ever been to.

So I'll be heading up to Bonnaroo again this year to take place in the madness. In the meantime here's some of my favorite shots from Bonnaroo 2009!

Merle Haggard


Todd Snider


Phish


Al Green


Elvis Costello


Yeah Yeah Yeah's