One of the benefits of working at a college or university is that there's always something going on. I rarely shoot events as I tend to be a "stuff 'n things" kinda guy. When I heard about this recital, I volunteered to shoot it for the experience. I've never shot in a concert environment before so this was all new to me. The recital took place in a very quiet (and beautiful) chapel. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I did my best to capture these two very talented musicians.

Luckily, I was able to get there a little early to catch them warming up. I was able to do a quick check of the lighting and snap a few pics of them before it started. Most of these were shot with the FA50 and Sigma 17-70. And, of course I just had to find a way to sneak the DA10-17 FE in there too...

[Nels]

very nice to see you capture this moment. I have been a band parent for many years and have experienced first hand the amount of work these musicians put forth to obtain this level. Looks to me that the lighting was great and I like the composure of all of the shots. Thanks for posting.

[maxwell1295]

Thanks. Yes, the lighting was pretty good.....it was pretty bright outside and some partially dimmed interior lights were on. After shooting this, I can definitely see the need for a fast 85mm lens. The 70 of the Sigma was okay, but it's F4.5 at that point. The FA50/1.4 is plenty fast but doesn't have much reach. All of these pics were cropped pretty good before resizing. Luckily the noise wasn't too bad before PP, so I was able to clean them up pretty well.

[Heinrich Lohmann]

Very nice series indeed, looks like you had soft natural light to work with. Thanks for posting it.

[Ole]

I like the close ups! And the angle of the last photo makes it very special!

[codiac2600]

Wonderful shots and I totally love the down the aisle shot. Are you an aspirig wedding photographer or a veterened wedding photographer?

[maxwell1295]

Wonderful shots and I totally love the down the aisle shot. Are you an aspirig wedding photographer or a veterened wedding photographer?

Neither one, Chris.....but it (weddings) is something I've been considering. Seeing the results you've gotten to this point with your model shoots has been an inspiration. Right now I'm pretty much a jack of all trades and master of....well, none!

I like the close ups! And the angle of the last photo makes it very special!

Thanks. I just had to find a way to use that fisheye! It'll definitely come in handy for similar shots of larger groups.

Very nice series indeed, looks like you had soft natural light to work with. Thanks for posting it.

Thanks, Heinrich.....the Chapel has very big windows and there was plenty of sun outside. Not having to use flash was a big plus.

To give you an idea of what I was working with in terms of lighting, here's a photo I took earlier in the week where you can see how big those windows are.

[cardinal43]

Interesting how the stripes on the young man's shirt becomes checkered in some pictures. Although it might have been checkered and then became striped. Posting for the web does strange things sometimes. But, I think you did a nice job.

[vievetrick]

great work !!!

[maxwell1295]

Interesting how the stripes on the young man's shirt becomes checkered in some pictures. Although it might have been checkered and then became striped. Posting for the web does strange things sometimes. But, I think you did a nice job.

I didn't notice that. I guess it depended on the angle you were viewing from and how the light hit the shirt. Almost an optical illusion...

[Sailor]

Wonderful shots and I totally love the down the aisle shot.

I totally agree I - also I'm taken with eighth image, for some reason. The pause in the action and the slight smile of satisfaction are very pleasing.

Jer