Some photographs from a Black Metal show in LA on Saturday. Black Metal is a very extreme form of heavy metal and has a very raw, grainy aesthetic - both visual and aural.

All photographs below were shot handheld with SR in very low light at ISO 1600. Lenses used were the 35/2, 50/1.4 and 77/1.8.

I. Gauntlet



II. Nos Vrolok



III. Nos Vrolok - 2



IV. 'Curse' (the drummer of the band, Vatican)



V. The guitarist of Vatican



VI. Alvin, the guitarist of Bestial Incarnation



VII. Those of the Unlight

In this grainy photograph of silhouettes I tried to capture the spiritual essence of a Black Metal performance. The presence of the thrashing vocalist and individuals merging into one frenzied mob.



More photographs at: Zenfolio | Nikhil Sarma | Noctilucent

Comments appreciated!

Nikhil

[vievetrick]

Very dark and you can feel the mood. I like the drummer shot the best. Thanks for shareing them with us.

[Matthew Roberts]

Nice B/W abstract.

[Nixarma]

Vievetrick: I am glad that the mood of the place was somewhat conveyed through these photographs. The drummer in photo IV is a very interesting subject... a very 'cold' yet intense person. I have a few more photographs of him that I will post to my site when I'm done post-processing them.

Matthew: There was almost NO light on stage when I shot that photograph. The only 'available light' was some stray and dim ambient lighting near the exits.

[Photochop]

#4 is great, I like the mood it evokes and the lighting. Did you enjoy the show?

[Nixarma]

Thanks, Photochop. Yes, I did enjoy the show. Very much. It's been over a year since we had a true Black Metal show in the LA area and I was thirsting to hear those sounds live.

I've been going to shows for many years now but this was the first one that I photographed. I wish that I had started dabbling in photography earlier but.. oh well

[Heinrich Lohmann]

Very good mood photos, i like the first three the best.

Heinrich

[Photodan]

Being an old (I mean old) drummer I liked that shot far and away the best. Like the high-contrast b&w.

[Nixarma]

Heinrich and Dan: Thanks for the comments!

I appreciate everybody's responses. I was unsure as to how these would be received as neither the music nor the imagery (and hence the photographs) are mainstream.

[Marc Langille]

Sounds like your concerns are a thing of the past...

Well done Nikhil, that's tough lighting, no question. Dark and moody, without the sound... perhaps that's why it appeals to such a broad audience here...

Cheers,
Marc