Nick Carter: Tale From The Photo Pit (Flashback 2016)

NICK CARTER

NICK CARTER at HOB/Anaheim photo: Lauren Ratkowski

Flashback: NICK CARTER 2016 concert coverage,,,

What do you do when your editor asks if you can shoot a member of Backstreet Boys, aka Nick Carter, at one of your favorite venues? You agree and grab your camera of course!

It was a typical Friday night in Downtown Disney when I arrived – crowded and buzzing with people. I was expecting to catch the end of the first act when I arrived at House of Blues, but instead I got held up at the box office. There was a tiny bump in communication and I was left without a photo pass. But it wasn’t anything a quick call to the on-site tour manager couldn’t fix.

By the time I got inside, the venue was packed. I went straight into the photo pit as there was no one on stage. I thought I had managed to arrive before anyone played, as there were no other photographers in sight. But I was wrong. The crew was setting up for Nick Carter!

It was twenty minutes before set time, so I made sure my camera was ready while I waited. I expected other photographers to show, but as it got closer to set time, it seemed as if I would have the entire photo pit to myself.

Nick Carter greeted fans with a familiar sound when he hit the stage – the unmistakable beat of Backstreet Boys’ hit “Larger Than Life”. Fans greeted him in return with singing and screaming. There was a ton of energy in the room, so I knew it was going to be a good shoot.

With the photo pit to myself, I had a ton of freedom. All I needed was some great lighting and a lively performance and I was set for a good shoot – and that’s exactly what I got! I was able to shoot at wide angles without worrying about having ends of other photographer’s lenses in my frame, which is a luxury! The lighting was constant, yet not overpowering. This allowed me to follow Nick Carter as he moved to and from his mic stand. It also let me zoom in and get some great on-stage portraits.
After my three songs were up, I headed up stairs to shoot some group shots from above the main room. Getting an overhead view of a show isn’t something I get too often, so I took the opportunity.

Carter and his band sounded great and it was nice to see such a dedicated fan base turn out in support of his solo career. Photographing this show was surprisingly simple, but I’ll be sure not to take those shows for granted as I head into shooting in 2016!

A Tale From The Photo Pit: One Love Reggae Cali Fest 2020

ONE DROP; photo Andy Ortega

ONE DROP; photo Andy Ortega

This year’s One Love Reggae Cali Fest once again, did not disappoint. The annual three-day reggae music concert festival at the Queen Mary Park from Feb 7-9 in Long Beach is SoCal’s most popular show for the world’s top reggae artists including Pepper, Dirty Heads, Matisyahu, Iration, Katchafire and more.

BLACK UHURU; photo Andy Ortega

BLACK UHURU; photo Andy Ortega

Arriving at one of the festival’s designated parking lots was easy with clear signs pointing the way as you head towards the Long Beach Convention Center. It’s possible to walk from the parking areas, over the bridge and to the Queen Mary Park but the event offers a shuttle service to and from locations that will pick people up every few minutes.

SOJA; photo Andy Ortega

SOJA; photo Andy Ortega

There are three stages and you’ll see signs throughout the festival with the concert lineup to show you where you can find the artist you’d like to experience. Besides music, there are lots of food trucks and several areas for alcohol. You’ll even find some shopping with merchandise tents, hemp-related clothing, CBD creams and products, etc.

J BOOG; photo Andy Ortega

J BOOG; photo Andy Ortega

Friday’s lineup included Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, Collie Budz, Pepper, Matisyahu, Sublime with Rome, Dirty Heads and newcomer, 4th and Orange. On Saturday, I was able to cover One Drop, Half Pint, Alborosie, Fortunate Youth, and Wailing Souls, among others.

With my coveted photo pit pass in hand, I was lucky enough to enjoy these bands from the edge of the stage so I could get a few shots of each artist. Maneuvering through the photo pit can be tricky but this year there were significantly less photographers covering the show.

COMMON KINGS; photo Andy Ortega

COMMON KINGS; photo Andy Ortega

This made getting in and out of the photo pit area much easier and I could do my job with less stress or worry. When the rain started coming down, as it does every year during the One Love Festival, I pulled out my raincoat and kept working away. Be sure to dress warm and expect rain!

Then on Sunday, I caught performances from The Green, Mike Love, Common Kings and J Boog. One of the things I love about festivals is that you’ll probably get exposed to new music or even a new genre.

THE GREEN; photo Andy Ortega

THE GREEN; photo Andy Ortega

This time around, I became obsessed with The Green after their talented performance. The Green’s music is a blend of modern reggae, with a Hawaiian vibe. Their songs include lyrics about love, the islands, and religion.

During Common Kings’ set, I made a self-discovery. I can take pics while dancing in the rain. Common Kings put on a wonderful show that had the Sunday afternoon crowd moving to their music, rain and all!

Weapons Of Anew: A Tale From The Photo Pit

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

As the elevator door to the top floor of the Anaheim Gardenwalk opened, the older, bearded man next to me with a black jean jacket with patches says, “Looks like the rest of us are here for the show!” A few of my elevator-mates were still wearing their NAMM badge. The North American Association of Music Merchants was in its first night of their convention at the Anaheim Convention Center just across the street and from the looks of it, it was just ending for the night and many were coming here for the Metal Allegiance show at the Anaheim House of Blues.

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

My mission tonight was to cover rock band, Weapons Of Anew, who was playing after Trauma and before Exmortus, while the Metal Allegiance superband would be the final set. Weapons of Anew released their single “Killshot” in 2016 when Freddy Ordine, former guitarist for Axiom and HavocHate got together with vocalist, Ray West, formerly of Spread Eagle and formed their new band.

Weapons Of Anew describes themselves as a band that is “not afraid to sonically paint outside the lines and refuse to be ‘boxed in’ or categorized. Their brash, bold sound is colorful, layered and textured; a testament to each member’s vast musical background while maintaining a strong nod to the new.”

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

As they started playing, I made my way to the photo pit in front of the stage, and for a second they had to continue fumbling with their audio settings with the sound engineers since you couldn’t really hear the vocalist, Ray West. But once things actually started to sound like there was a band playing, Weapons of Anew brought their energy and really started to give life to the audience – and the photo pit. About a dozen photographers wiggled and squeezed their way around each other, trying to get that viral money shot that brings in the “likes”. There are some bands or artists that know how and where to position themselves for photographers while performing. They will even look right at you sometimes right before they kneel in front of you at the moment they unleash their solo and the audience goes nuts. Meanwhile, you’re snapping photos and delighting in how the stars have aligned for you and how the metal gods are smiling upon you at this moment.

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

WEAPONS OF ANEW; photo Andy Ortega

The House of Blues in Anaheim is on the smaller, intimate end for music venues with capacity for up to 2,200 people in the music hall. VIP ticket holders can sit upstairs and if you have a general audience ticket, you’ll have plenty of standing/moshing room in front of the stage. There are multiple areas to get a drink, so you won’t need to go far or wait long if you get thirsty. Security at the entrance included a bag search, metal detectors and pat-downs. Parking sucks at this shopping center. It gets full often and it’s paid parking only. You can bring your parking ticket to have it validated and there’s screens while waiting at the entrance that will let you do it.

Cold War Kids: A Tale From The Photo Pit

Cold War Kids; photo Lauren Ratkowski

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

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!

Shinedown: A Tale From The Photo Pit

Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch; photo Reuben Martinez

Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch; photo Reuben Martinez

Shinedown, finishing up the last leg to their Attention Attention album tour, played Irvine’s FivePoint Amphitheater. They brought along the bands Broken Hands, Dinosaur Pile Up and Badfkower for support.

Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers; photo Reuben Martinez

Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers; photo Reuben Martinez

When Shinedown’s curtain came up to prep for the band to come on the theme to “Indiana Jones” played. As the curtain came down there were multiple stage explosions then the band opened with the song “Devil”. On the third song, and one thing I appreciate by this band, is singer Brent Smith goes one by one and shakes the photographer’s hands saying thank you for what we do.

Shinedown singer Brent Smith; photo Reuben Martinez

Shinedown singer Brent Smith; photo Reuben Martinez

While watching the remainder of the show, the band took a break and headed to the back of the stage to play a few songs to the back seats of the venue. Most bands play one or two songs but the guys in Shinedown played four, up close to the fans in the back.

As the band headed back to the main stage the screen showed a picture of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park who died last year to suicide. The song “Numb” played with just a piano and Chester singing as different images were displayed. Singer Brent and guitarist Zach Myers walked on stage after playing “Black Hole Sun” paying tribute to Chris Cornell from Soundgarden/Audioslave who also took his life. An awesome tribute to both artists who left us too soon.

Shinedown bassist Eric Bass; photo Reuben Martinez

Shinedown bassist Eric Bass; photo Reuben Martinez

After the band went through hit by hit, they played the last single off Attention Attention called “Get Up” A song written for bass player Eric Bass who has battled with depression and the things he has overcome. Eric also recently came back to Shinedown’s tour after an injury to his back while on the road, but he still gave 110% to his performance.

This was another great show from this band who I’ve seen multiple times, and it was a great way to start the Summer.

Band:
Brent Smith – Vocals
Zach Myers – Guitar
Barry Kerch – Drums
Eric Bass – Bass, keyboards.

Set List:
Devil
Diamond Eyes
Enemies
Monsters
Black Soul
I’ll Follow You
Unity
45
Bully
Amaryllis
How Did You Love
Through the Ghost
Second Chance
Black Hole Sun
Simple Man
Cut the Cord
Get Up
Sound of Madness
Brilliant

Taking Back Sunday: A Tale From The Photo Pit

TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Camera charged. Lens cleaned. Press confirmation ready. All I needed to do was hop in the car and make the 2-hour drive to San Diego from Orange County. Now, I don’t make these drives for just any band. Taking Back Sunday has served as a pillar in my love for rock music as long as I can remember. Tonight’s show was extra special. Their current touring cycle is in honor of their 20-year anniversary – something not many bands get to celebrate.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Last time I shot Taking Back Sunday, I was covering their show at The Observatory in Santa Ana, The Observatory North Park’s sister venue. That show had also sold out. I remember how crazy packed it was inside the venue – we photographers barely had any room to get out of the pit once our 3 songs were up. Needless to say, I was expecting the same for tonight!

I arrived early to make sure I got inside to catch the openers on this tour- Frank Iero and the Future Violents. Without getting too far into my music listening history, I’m sure we all know Iero was the guitarist in My Chemical Romance. Eleven-year-old me wouldn’t believe that we would get to see AND photograph his new band in addition to Taking Back Sunday!

TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Only two photographers were in the pit alongside me for the first act. I was surprised by this, as well as by the sheer size of the pit at North Park. I usually compare the photo pit to a trench, but this pit was at least 7 feet wide! More room is always a plus as it gives more space to shoot from different angles and catch more action both on and off the stage. I used this basically empty pit to shoot from both close up and far away. A lot of red tone lighting gave a challenge, but that just meant I had to speed up the shutter and kick up the ISO a bit to be sure that the photos would capture sharp movement. Correcting red lighting was going to be for editing in post- something I’m more than accustomed to now!

Adam Lazzara-TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Adam Lazzara-TAKING BACK SUNDAY; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Once it was time for Taking Back Sunday to hit the stage, the venue was packed! More photographers had shown up now. This made me ultra-grateful for the larger photo pit. With a pristine multicolored neon of the band’s logo behind them, the performance was bathed in a blend of red, blue, purple, and yellow light. The first few shots I took had me concerned – there was a lot of back lighting action going on. However, I knew this would just take patience. I had to wait for the right moments to snap. I raised my ISO until I found where I needed to be, as well as continued to change shutter speeds with the different lighting schemes of each song. In addition to the band, I always try to keep an eye on what’s going on behind me – what are the fans doing?

Audience at Adam Lazzara-TAKING BACK SUNDAY-Observatory North Park; photo Lauren Ratkowski

Audience at Adam Lazzara-TAKING BACK SUNDAY-Observatory North Park; photo Lauren Ratkowski

If you couldn’t feel the energy in the room when TBS launched into “Cute Without The E”, I would think you were broken. The crowd immediately SCREAMED along (myself included!). I turned my back to the stage for a moment, knowing there were some great photos to be made of the audience. Once our three songs were up, I spent some time getting some more broad shots of the scene from the back of the venue. It felt amazing to see such a blend of fans, many of which had been there for all 20 years of the band’s history, still supporting and participating in the TBS community. Is there a better way for a band to celebrate?

Immortal Guardian: A Tale From The Photo Pit

Immortal Guardian; photo Reuben Martinez

Immortal Guardian; photo Reuben Martinez

Having never been to The Parish Room at House of Blues Anaheim or having never seen Immortal Guardian before, I did my research on the band and was very curious on how they would sound live.

This band from Texas made headways with their music exposure on ESPN’s X Games and performing at NAMM Jam in the past which brought them to open for major name bands in the business.

While NAMM 2019 was in full bloom in Anaheim, Immortal Guardian opened for guitar God Marty Friedman. Trying to get in, there was a huge line at the box office to get my credentials, since Metal Allegiance was playing next door. Finally walking into this small venue, it was hard to get up front to take photos since the place was packed.

Immortal Guardian; photo Reuben Martinez

Immortal Guardian; photo Reuben Martinez

When Immortal Guardian came on, they blew me away! Guitarist Gabriel Guardian, playing both guitar and keyboards simultaneously, played a short instrumental before singer Carlos Zema came on. As a powerhouse on vocals, he kept impressing me. Everyone in this band brings pure talent to the table, Thad Stevens on bass and Cody Gilliland on drums. You could hear in the reaction of the crowd after each song that the applause kept growing louder and louder. Immortal Guardian sounds like a six piece instead of a four piece. As a guitarist, my eye was drawn to Gabriel soloing on two instruments.

With a couple of albums under their belt the latest came out late 2018. But nothing compares to seeing Immortal Guardian live. Even after the show the band hung around the merchandise booth, shaking hands and signing autographs. As I was saying before, it was so hard to get up front to take photos with a full crowd, but I was thankful for a good zoom lens. Often as a photographer I run across a band that I’m covering and get totally impressed. Immortal Guardian is one band that made me a fan. Be on the lookout for this band to make more waves.

Music Tastes Good: A Tale From The Photo Pit

SANTIGOLD; photo Andy Ortega

SANTIGOLD; photo Andy Ortega

It’s about time someone finally brings the greatest things in life together in one place and with this being the 3rd Music Tastes Good Festival, it was done perfectly! This 2-day festival on September 29th and 30th allowed me to stuff my face with delicious food on the way to get photo coverage of the next artist, burn off some calories while dancing and doing photographer jiu-jitsu in the photo pit, then repeat, over and over again! It was glorious!

The event was held in the downtown Long Beach Marina Green area with familiar landmarks in the background such as the Long Beach Convention Center, Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific and the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

SHAME; photo Andy Ortega

SHAME; photo Andy Ortega

The first artist I covered was Shame, a UK-based rock band. It was a great way to start my day off right since they brought an amazing energy that kept the audience on their feet, while keeping the photographers in the photo pit on our toes as well. Shame is the type of band that moves all over the place on the stage (well, except for the drummer and keys obviously). It makes it easy to get a “money shot” where the singer’s hair is caught swinging mid-air, or the guitarist is captured leaping off a speaker. This was mid-afternoon in the outdoors on a sunny California day, which means I could get sharp, action pics with my shutter speed as high as 1/500 or 1/1000!

OLIVER TREE; photo Andy Ortega

OLIVER TREE; photo Andy Ortega

The next artist I was covering, Oliver Tree, was performing at the other stage called the Gold Stage. It was at the opposite end of the festival, which meant I would need to traverse through the smoke of food trucks and the central Taste Tent where many people were being trapped with the luring scents coming from within. It took all of my willpower, but I just couldn’t resist.

CHERRY GLAZERR; photo Andy Ortega

CHERRY GLAZERR; photo Andy Ortega

In the Taste Tent, you could get a $5 voucher to try a dish from many of the chefs in attendance. One of the chefs, Nancy Leon of Tijuana, Mexico, was serving Seaweed Baja taco that consisted of snow crab, mackerel w/ avocado, Meyer lemon, crispy panko, and shiso micro greens served with wasabi dressing.

LIZZO; photo Andy Ortega

LIZZO; photo Andy Ortega

Another chef, Sincere Justice of Oakland, California was serving his “BO KHO TACO” with Vietnamese styled braised brisket (bo kho), roasted garlic lebne, lemongrass morita salsa, herbs, and cucumber. Sounds tasty, eh?

As I stumbled out of the Taste Tent, belly full and a slightly uncomfortable grin on my face, I made my way to the Gold Stage just in time for Oliver Tree.

JANELLE MONAE; photo Andy Ortega

JANELLE MONAE; photo Andy Ortega

I covered a few other artists including Cherry Glazerr, Blake Mills and Lizzo. Next up was Santigold! But there was a problem. By this time, the attendance at the festival had swelled. It seemed like everyone that was going to arrive this day had just entered – including a swarm of photographers that had lined up along the side of the stage to get access to Santigold’s performance. The energy for concert goers was at its peak, but for us concert photographers, it was at the point where I was a bit worried. Would the photo pit delve into a barbaric, rude, mosh pit of starving artists competing for the best spot???

BLAKE MILLS; photo Andy Ortega

BLAKE MILLS; photo Andy Ortega

As the music started, the security guard began letting us in. He counted each person and as I approached, I heard him say “… 19, 20, Stop right here, Sir”. Yup, I was number 21 and immediately a shiver ran down my spine. I stuttered, nervous and a little upset, and asked him, “When do the rest of us get in?”. “Two songs, then your group gets to go in for two songs”. I was so relieved! While the photo pit was still quite crowded, I was pleased to see that we were able to squeeze through and get the shots that we were happy with.

NEW ORDER; photo Andy Ortega

NEW ORDER; photo Andy Ortega

Later that night, I enjoyed covering New Order as they played their hit from 1983 “Blue Monday”. Ah good times!

On day 2 of the Music Tastes Good Festival, I covered Sun Kil Moon, Lizzo and Janelle Monae. Ate more food and checked out the shops and art that was displayed throughout. All in all, the Music Tastes Good Festival was a great experience for the foodie, the hard-core festival goer or the music-obsessed family to enjoy a wonderful time.

Curtis Harding: A Tale From The Photo Pit

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

I love the El Rey Theater and taking pics of Curtis Harding’s show there made my day epic. If you’ve never been to the El Rey, it’s on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, around the corner from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art a.k.a. LACMA. Getting there is fairly easy. There’s paid parking in the surrounding areas but the El Rey offers valet parking for only $10. There was no line when I arrived at the entrance, so I went straight up to the window and presented my credentials in exchange for the coveted photo pass. Security checked me and my bag thoroughly and then I was in.

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

I made my way into the venue and Algiers was just getting started as the opening band. The El Rey has an open floor for general admission and there’s also a balcony. One of the ushers there told me that VIP ticket holders can get access to the balcony, but they usually come right back down because it gets warm up there.

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

There is no photo pit, which means that photographers don’t have a special spot in front of the stage. Instead, you just need to be in the front early or work your way in. Since the El Rey has the best staff members, one of the usher/security personnel turned on his flashlight and created a path for me to get in front of the stage. Thanks bro!

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

CURTIS HARDING; photo Andy Ortega

Curtis Harding’s set immediately had fans dancing and moving. As I started to frame my first shot, I was happy to see that the lighting was nice and bright. This gave me the ability to turn up my shutter speed, so I can get clean, sharp pictures. When I wanted to get a different point of view, I gently squeezed my way to the other side of the stage. Once I had enough close-up shots, I moved back and took a few pictures for a wider view so that I could get the whole band. Then I put the lens cap back on my 50-200mm Nikon lens, took off my earplugs and enjoyed the rest of the show.

Japandroids: A Tale From The Photo Pit

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

Japandroids at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on May 30th was off the hook!

Normally when I do a “Tale from the Photo Pit” article, I’ll share my experience of a show as a photographer. But boy do I need to back up a bit and address the elephant in the room. I’ll just come out and say it – this concert was at a cemetery. That’s right. Now that you know, you won’t be as dumbfounded as I was when I arrived.

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

The guard at the entrance chuckled as I said, “I must be really lost. I’m supposed to be looking for a concert venue”.

Then he let me know that Hollywood Forever is the right place, you can park anywhere (and it’s free parking), and points to the venue entrance. “That’s where you want to go”.

I grab my camera bag and head over while wondering what was in store for me. Would there be some goth girl taking tickets and giving out media passes, or would it be a guy in a suit whispering like they do at funerals?

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

Well, the inside of the Masonic Lodge was a bit spooky but other than that, no ghouls, no Twilight-looking hipsters, no girls wearing all black. Oh wait, I lied. The opening band was just getting started and they actually did fit right in with the venue and vibe. The women of L.A. Witch did a great job to get the good times started.

During the break, a security guard tells me that someone complained about how loud the sound was. This is the second time I reach complete utter confusion today.

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

JAPANDROIDS; photo Andy Ortega

The time arrives for Japandroids to begin their set. There’s no designated photo pit area at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever so I make my way as close to the stage as possible. Brian King and David Prowse, the two members of Japandroids step onto the stage and the crowd erupts in cheers and applause. The music of Japandroids attracted a full house and lots of energetic fans.

Not all venues have good lighting, but the Masonic Lodge did not disappoint. I was able to get some great pictures with clear detail.