FLOGGING MOLLY photo: Lauren Ratkowski
The best way for some to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is by wearing green (to avoid getting pinched, of course) and to drink copious amounts of green beer. This year I went against the grain and shot Flogging Molly at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. After all, there is no better way for a music photographer to celebrate any holiday!
I had never shot at this venue, so I arrived a little early not sure what to expect. Being it was a Thursday night, not many attendees were present, which made parking and getting inside a piece of cake. I had 5 minutes until the first band, Hepcat, got on stage, so I went straight to the photo pit.
One other photographer was waiting, but I arrived just as security was telling him that our yellow wristbands didn’t grant us access to the pit. Great. As we waited, Hepcat made it through their entire first song. Double great. We were finally let in just as the second song began.
Irvine Meadows is outdoors, so when Hepcat was playing, I was able to use natural light. This is a luxury I often don’t get. And it was nearing sundown, which is one of the most perfect times to be shooting – everything has a great golden hue that just can’t be beat.
Next up was Gogol Bordello. I made the ultimate mistake of not checking them out before the show, but as soon as they stepped on stage, there was magic in the air. Each member of the band was theatrically dressed and their front man had that energy that is required to create the best live music shots. The sun had gone down by this point, but one thing I love about amphitheaters is that they ALWAYS have great stage lighting. Flowers were shot into the audience, two women in the band flipped around stage, that crazy front man bounced all around, and each of the seven members had the spotlight at some point during the performance. I left the photo pit still trying to process what just actually happened, but I was so in love with their performance, I was perfectly ok with my slightly confused state.
Flogging Molly entered the pub…errr, I mean, the stage they had decorated to look like a pub…to be greeted by screaming fans covered in green attire. With a Guinness in hand, front man Dave King welcomed everyone to the venue. Although not as energetic as Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly brought their own excitement to the stage. Their pub-like backdrop on stage gave my photos a different look, which I’m always searching for. Their lighting was spot on, which allowed me to stay within a small bracket of shutter speeds and focus on creating rather than worrying about constantly checking my settings.
Photographing a holiday show was something new for me, but it was a great experience!