Please visit www.livestagephotography.com for all recent live music covered by Mike Kandel. Although Michaelslens.com serves as a vat for all Michael’s work, Live Stage offers exclusively live music/concert/festival content. Live Music Photography is Michael’s foremost passion.
Lightning is one of the hardest natural events to capture. It comes out of nowhere, and only for a second. If you aren’t set up, ready to go, finger on the trigger, or have your shutter open, you’ll miss it. The beautiful thing about it, is it never looks the same twice. It is chaotic by nature and helps to make a picture as unique as possible. The shot above was taken on the evening of May 18, 2011 as storms passed over Northwest D.C. I had set up my gear on the roof of my building just as this strike occurred, it was the first shot I took, and the best of the night.
This past February, I entered a photograph in the February, Washingtonian Photo Contest, and it won. The photograph was taken at Virgin Mobile Free Fest in September. The topic of the contest was “caught in the moment”. Free Fest is a free day long festival held at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. Attending this years show were artists such as Ludacris, LCD Soundsystem, Wolfgang Gartner, Sleigh Bells and more. The photograph that took the contest was a shot of Alexis Krauss, Sleigh Bells lead singer, diving off of the stage into the arms of awaiting fans towards the end of her set.
A short interview was published along with the photo in this (March) months issue of the Washingtonian.
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On a rainy day in early January, my father and I attended a Redskins V. Giants game at Fedex Field in Landover, Maryland. Although the ‘skins were unsuccessful in protecting their house, falling to the Giants by a score of 17 to 14; I was more interested in documenting the game from our seats just behind an end zone.
The rain fell steadily in the early minutes of the game but as time passed, it slowly dried up and all that was left was the cold mid-winter air. It didn’t stop me or my itchy trigger finger, as I managed to snap off a couple thousand shots; the following few included:
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I am privileged enough to have acquired a fairly extensive collection of photography equipment over the years. As this collection grows, my opinion remains constant that the most critical asset in any photographer’s collection is not a lens, or a body, or a filter, or a flash, but a dog.
I know it may seem that I am slightly obsessed with my pup and it’s probably because I am. He’s fantastic. Sure he eats up my socks and occasionally uses furniture as a toilet but all of the good that he is far outweighs the bad. On top of it all, he is always there to do something funny, or cute, or ridiculous, all well deserving of being documented.
A true photographer is someone who cannot think of anything else in the world that makes him happier than snapping that perfect shot, and even more so, the journey they take in order to achieve that goal. If you don’t love what you do, then it is completely not worth doing. A photographers motivation is a roller coaster though and its one that has as many downs as it does ups.
I used to be able to take my gear for a walk and shoot just about everything but after five years in D.C. and tens of thousands of photographs later, I have become slightly jaded from shooting this city. That is not to say that there aren’t times of the year in D.C. that I yearn for such as when the cherry blossoms bloom or when winter dumps a fresh blanket of snow on the town, but how many times can one take a picture of the Lincoln Memorial?
The fact that shooting D.C. has become fairly repetitive is frustrating and it is detrimental to conjuring fresh inspiration. Thankfully, I have Ryley. Even though I snap shots of the same dog over and over again, every picture is different, and there are always surprises to be captured whenever he’s awake. When there is no contract to be had, no senator’s speech to document, no rock stars’ show to shoot, there’s always the dog and he gets me through the lulls. Without him, I don’t know what would.
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I have long believed that music has a place in every facet of life. It is capable of comforting you during a day of pain and able to energize you during an evening of jubilee. It is used to relax and it is used to incite insanity. Every emotion can be personified through song virtuously making it possible for everyone on earth to sync every footstep they take through life to rhythm, melody, bass, and treble.
When I was a kid, I played my share of instruments beginning with the trumpet in elementary school. It turned out that this interest was more of a good reason to skip class than a way to nurture some innate talent deep within. Needless to say, the trumpet didn’t last but it wouldn’t be the end of my musical endeavors. During junior high school I picked up the drums and played for a couple of years. I didn’t become a superstar of any sorts, but I wasn’t too bad either. Regardless of ability, it didn’t last. I had too many other things going on to apply myself appropriately. My musical ambition culminated in my attempt at acoustic guitar. This turned out to be a misstep in my search for hobbies as it lasted for only a brief time, the instrument ended up being donated to my brother as a conversation piece.
It was when I became a full-fledged photographer that I realized my place in the music world. It wasn’t making harmonious melodies or head bobbing beats but capturing the art as it came together through a lens, behind a Nikon.
By far, my favorite thing to shoot is live music. When verbally explained, the experience is not given the justice it deserves. There is nothing like finding yourself in between thousands of screaming fans and the artist or artists they all came to see. I prefer to shoot more lively shows such as rock, rap, and house music. The artists become super animated as they grow to be ultra-involved in their music while their fans let loose a fury of excitement.
My first major live show shoot was a Rock the Vote concert in Rockville, Maryland. The acts included Pat McGee Band, Tyga and Gata, and Travis McCoy accompanied by The Gym Class Heroes. It was an experience that not only introduced me to shooting live music, but also convinced me that concert photography was the most fun type of photography there is.
It wasn’t until this past September that I had an opportunity to shoot major recording artists again. In between I had photographed small time bands and singers but there is nothing like the big time. I freelanced for Virgin Mobile as an exclusive stage photographer for FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland and spent all day and night on stage with artists like Wolfgang Gartner, Modeselektor, Sleigh Bells, Chromeo, and others.
There is nothing like shooting live music and spending the day on stage photographing these kinds of people while thousands of fans lose their voice and sweat their brains out from their uncontrollable need to dance, it was simply incredible. I can’t wait for the next one.
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<I wrote this piece on September 10, 2010 just before the primaries that led to Vincent Gray’s Mayoral victory.>
Election day is just around the corner and it seems that Vincent Gray has recruited even more support throughout the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. than the polls suggest. According to recent polls conducted by Clarus Research Group, Vincent Gray still leads current Mayor Adrian Fenty by seven points in the race for Democratic mayoral candidate in Washington, D.C.
This mathematical research was dually supported by live action this evening in Ward 1, Adams Morgan. Community volunteers of “Vincent Gray for Mayor” from precinct 25 gathered on street corners throughout a culturally diverse Adams Morgan to enthusiastically wave lawn signs at those driving by and hand out stickers to pedestrians during rush hour and beyond.
Hector Rodriguez, a long time supporter of the Democratic Party and life-long resident of Washington, D.C. lead the team of living signage. Rodriguez urged that Vincent Gray is the “Abe Lincoln of D.C.”, that he upholds “strong principles and real values” as he approaches office as a candidate pledging the education of D.C.’s youth and jobs for DC’s unemployed.
“He has an interest in youth and cares about people,” Rodriguez said after having stood on the corner of Columbia Road and 18th Street for almost 6 hours. “This is a way of being directly involved.”
Rodriguez plans to continue doing his part on primary day (September 14) by helping to run the Precinct 25 voting station at Goodwill Baptist Church located at 1862 Kalorama Road in Adams Morgan.
The battle between Fenty and Gray continuing to be fought on the streets of D.C. will come to its culmination on September 14 when only one will emerge victorious as the Democratic candidate for mayor. Speculation still surrounds the possibility that Fenty will jump parties and run on the Republican ticket, as there is currently no Republican candidate for mayor. Should this happen, there will be a Fenty vs. Gray rerun in November, but only time will tell.
From the looks of Adams Morgan this evening, as supporters covered street corners and drove through the streets with signs taped to their car windows, it appears that Gray is more colorful than ever.
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Ryley is my Puggle. I adopted him towards the end of last May from a family who took questionable care of him. To say he was timid his first few weeks with me is an understatement. Fearing loud noises, aggressive approaches, and large groups of people, he was a dog who carried the baggage of a rough puppy-hood. A year later, he is a completely different character. Close friends and family have seen him progress and will agree that this Puggle has pulled a complete one-hundred and eighty degree turn around, completely coming into his own.
This past weekend he had the opportunity to visit his “grandparents” and “uncle” (my parents and brother), both of which he has had the opportunity to spend extended periods of time with in the past while I was out of town. He and they both had a blast, and just like any grandson/nephew, was spoiled by his relatives.
Our Black Friday was a tad bit out of the ordinary as the only items purchased were from Pet Smart for him as opposed to clothes or electronics for us. Amongst the food and toys came a three foot long “Bully Stick”, a leg tendon of a cow that he has become somewhat addicted to. He drags this thing everywhere he goes and even into bed, chewing it morning, noon, and night. Although it leaves a light trail of shavings and saliva everywhere its dragged, I just can’t find it in me to get mad due to the fact that watching him attack it is just plain adorable.
See for yourself:
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Earlier this year I traveled to New York City to document a fundraiser for Democratic candidate for Senate, Alexi Giannoulias. Giannoulias, who was running for a seat once held by President Barack Obama, was joined by Vice President of the United States Joe Biden for a short speaking engagement with a number of influential Democratic supporters with hopes of raising money and garnering support.
My responsibilities included portrait shots of a handful of VIP’s and the Vice President followed by a photo spray of the reception afterwards.
I patiently waited for the Vice President to arrive for over two hours, a result of late departure from an event in Miami, Florida just hours before. I spent the time pacing across a small ballroom that had been swept, cleared, and finally guarded by a number of uniformed and plain clothed Secret Service Agents. Although I felt quite quarantined while inside, I came to two realizations that kept me there. The first was that I couldn’t think of the next time I would be so protected and the second was that it was much easier to endure the loneliness than have to go through the process of full body frisking, dog sniffing, and equipment inspection that came with getting into the room in the first place.
Finally, the VEEP arrived and shooting commenced, I didn’t have time to be star-struck. Nestled between the Vice Presidents Press Secretary and a plain clothed Secret Service Agent, I took twenty-eight pictures, two more than the White House had informed me I was permitted. I later found that this number was based on the available amount of time, not a security measure that I had previously thought.
Following our private photo-op, the VEEP and candidate Giannoulias made their way into the larger ballroom where both spoke on behalf of the candidate and the direction of the party and politics. Those in attendance listened excitedly as there was only about a hundred there, a considerably intimate event with men of this stature. Needless to say, my Nikon’s and I went wild, firing off shot after shot only ceasing when the VEEP had exited the room for his limo parked downstairs.
It was an exciting event for a photographer, my first with the Office of the Vice President and hopefully one of many to come.
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