Pale Waves: A Tale From The Photo Pit

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

If you’ve never been to The Constellation Room inside the Observatory, let me set the scene. It’s a small room off to the side of the main entrance, just before you reach the main venue space. This small room is reminiscent of the legendary venue Chain Reaction just a few cities north in Anaheim. Friendly to local acts and smaller touring bands, this room holds a max of just 300 people. Yes, bands do sell this little room out, but usually not until the night of. Pale Waves, a young band from Manchester, England had their show sold out days, maybe even weeks in advance.

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

There is no photo pit in this space, just a stage and the fans. Knowing this, I arrived an hour and half early to get my credentials and to be sure I had a good place to work from. Sold out meant it was going to get packed quick, leaving little room for moving around. I ended up at the corner of the stage with a clear view. This was going to have to do. The rest of the room was already a sea of heads.

Shooting from the crowd is always a challenge. Angles and space are limited. Being conscious of others is always a must. And stage lighting in smaller venues is an expected hurdle. Despite those small things, it was refreshing to be shooting outside of the photo pit. It brought back memories of my humble beginnings as a young photographer- sneaking my camera into local venues (including the Observatory) and shooting up at the acts I admired.

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Once Pale Waves hit the stage, everyone came alive. Hands in the air, lyrics sang back to goth angel lead singer Heather Barron-Gracie, and small pockets of dancing. Not to sound jaded, but it has been a minute since I’ve seen a young band produce such a passionate following. It speaks volumes to see sold out small venues packed with kids who know every word. Beyond that, that type of energy always bleeds into the photos!

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

The lighting has improved since I last shot in The Constellation Room, much to my relief. Mixed red and blue lights created an interesting appeal, while white light evenly mixed in to allow the capture of skin tones without washing out. Score! My outpost at the corner of the stage worked out well. I was able to capture some of my favorite shots of the night, especially during the more somber songs of the set when there was some artist-to-fan interaction.

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

PALE WAVES; photo Lauren Ratkowski

As the set started to come to a close, I started eyeballing places to move to. I scooted across two rows to an empty space just big enough for me to squeeze in. I was now almost dead center, which allowed me to leverage the flying hands in the air as framing devices. I know young photographers who sometimes hate capturing that extra hand/limb/head in the frame, but when you can’t avoid it, you have to use it to your advantage! That move paid off. I ended up with some really strong images from this view point.

Personally, I’m going to bet that we will be seeing Pale Waves in bigger venue spaces before we know it. Between their infectious sound, passionate fans, and confident image, there is no room for failure. Suppose that is my photo lesson of this round- never stop paying attention to the up—and-comers!