Cold War Kids; photo Lauren Ratkowski
It had been awhile since I had been in the pit. I was excited that I was heading to House of Blues to shoot SoCal based Cold War Kids. They had been on my radar for a long time. I mean, I grew up listening to KROQ and like many, the first song of theirs I heard was “Hang Me Up To Dry.” Their sound always struck me as different. Something needed in this age of rock-and-roll.
After getting my pass and ticket for the night, I headed straight for the pit. I longed to be back in my home. Only two other photographers joined me to capture the night’s opener, Samia. High energy music was met with an active stage performance. These are all things I love from a band, and even better when it’s how I get to start my night. Through the lens I could tell that lighting was even, a perfect mix of reds and blues. I was happy that this meant I could really focus on the flipping, feet in the air, and kneeling being served to me from Samia herself.
Cold War Kids; photo Lauren Ratkowski
Only two bands were on the bill, meaning Cold War Kids were next. The crowd was anxious for them to hit the sage. More photographers had come to photograph the headliner, so I chose to start my shooting at the furthest end of the pit and make my way back. I know when the pit is full, it’s best to try not to get stuck in the same spot. Variety in shots is just as important as lighting.
Cold War Kids started off with much darker lighting overall, which meant I was going to have to think of ways to add some visual effects to the photos. The best way to do this is to use silhouettes to my advantage. The lighting featured many brighter, color spotlights. With little fill light, the photos were going to be dramatic. But I was ready for the challenge! I was selective with the moments I caught, trying to wait to make it count. This led me to one of my favorite shots of the entire set.
I got stuck in one part of the pit, toward the middle. I was waiting, watching. Next thing I know I had bassist Matt Maust right over my head. I took a slight step backward, focused, and fired. I ended up with a pretty nice series of shots with him almost leaning into my lens. Some say photography has to be calculated, but I often find it mostly luck. At least in music photography it is!