Saturday, January 11, 2014

Tyler Sweitzer / Robert Brown Band / The Steepwater Band

Micah Hattaway from the Robert Brown Band invited me to come down to Bloomington to photograph the band. I had been wanting to catch up with Micah for some time, to photograph him, because he is an excellent subject for a photographer. I first met Micah and the Robert Brown Band at Farmfest 450. Which ironically, I went because I wanted to photograph The Steepwater Band, who headlined tonight again with the Robert Brown Band at Six Strings in Bloomington, IL.

I am finding it more and more interesting to go to places I have not been to, because of photography. This has thrown me out of the house, into society, so that I can feel I am contributing. Meeting various people, places, artists, has made these past two years a constant uphill ride. The most enjoyable seems to be the musicians and bands that I meet, listen to, and photograph. In the past I found myself not shooting photographs because of the musical enjoyment that I cannot pass up. As I continue this journey, I am finding it easier to photograph and enjoy at the same time. However, I still want to pause once and a while to just take it in. The experience is what it is all about. The photos just help me relive it. I hope my photos help tell the story of my journey, and that you can enjoy them too, whether you were there with me or not.

Back to the Robert Brown Band which was my focus. They blew me away. I liked them at Farmfest 450, however, this time and place suited for what they wanted to do. I really enjoyed their set, and their new songs blew me away. I really want to keep an eye on these guys.

As I mentioned above, I can get caught up in the moment and forget to take photographs. I did that a lot when the Robert Brown Band was playing. So you may see a disproportion of photographs between them and The Steepwater Band who I have been following for about 18 months now. I cannot forget Tyler Sweitzer's solo act. He was enjoyable. The stage lighting for him was not conducive for a lot of good photographs, and how many photos can you take of one person. Not to take away at all from Tyler. He was great. He had a strong presence, mixed it up with some original and cover music, a strong voice, and a strong set.

Here was the lineup starting with the headliner:


The Steepwater Band

Robert Brown Band

Tyler Sweitzer of The Unemployed Architects


I will start you off in the reverse order with the photographs, as the night played out . . .










Tyler Sweitzer














Robert Brown Band














































I generally like to photograph bands without flash. It seems to give me more depth in the photograph. I do use flash once and a while, as in the next couple photos. When set right, flash can also give you some good separation, and correctly give you the color. However, I also like how the colors go wild when not using a flash.



























The Steepwater Band






























































It becomes tiring fighting red lights. Red lights and photography do not mix well. So, I switched the camera to sepia tone to finish the set.








I thoroughly enjoyed this evening. All 3 acts were great. The Steepwater Band feel like brothers to me now, like The Robots who I follow. Yes, we do not know each other that well, me and Steepwater, however, these guys are so true to themselves that you want them in your family. So maybe I have adopted them more than they have me. The Robert Brown Band seems to be heading the same way, becoming family.

I hope you enjoyed the photo shoot. I chose not to edit them, keeping them raw like the music this night. I may go back and look at this set again, and do some editing. Only because it would only improve your experience.

Check out these bands . . .

The Steepwater Band

Robert Brown Band



Tyler Sweitzer of The Unemployed Architects



Bloomington, IL


You can also checkout StreetPhoto.ME for a catalog of my blogs to find more information on The Steepwater Band.  And, you can check out my Farmfest450 Day 1 and Day 2 blog for the fun with The Steepwater Band and the Robert Brown Band.

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