After a couple months hiatus I’m finally back on the working train and keeping busy again. No complaints here!

My latest work: (Concert) Rise Against / Billy Talent / Rancid

I heard Rise Against was coming to my town which is one of my favorite rock bands. Living up to my prior screen name (Rockfreak300) I couldn’t help but get involved and get my hands dirty. How often does your favorite band come to play in your backyard? Rarely.

Off to work I went getting my hands on media credentials and getting credentials is what I did!

I arrived at the venue 3 hours early only to be greeted by a well formed line already waiting for the doors to open at 6:30 and I thought I was a serious fan. The kicker was I couldn’t get into the venue until I had my press pass in hand which wasn’t dropped off until 6:45. Needless to say, I was spazzing out considering the doors were already open but once the credential had arrived I was immediately allowed by security to cut the 2,100+ fans in line and headed straight to the front of the stage – SWEET!

Normal media restrictions applied: I was only allowed to photograph the first 2-3 songs of each band depending on how gracious they felt. To say you have to be good at working quick and on your toes is a MASSIVE understatement. I firmly believe if you can shoot concerts, you can photograph damn near anything. If you’ve ever done anything wedding related, you can immediately relate. You have one chance to get it right, don’t mess it up.

If you use flash, you’ll be immediately kicked out. You know you’re in for a good time when you can’t use flash in a very dark venue and the only light you get is from the various multi-colored strobes flashing sporadically. I actually prefer using the natural lighting at concerts, as difficult and inconsistent as it is. In my opinion, it fits the vibe of the concert and puts you into the true mood and emotions of the show that flash would normally eliminate.

In the end, I still love it though. Plus, photo credentials are the best seats in the house! I was leaning on the stage to take these photos, how much better than that does it get?

Onto the photos:

The full gallery of images from the concert can be located here:

Chris Grosser Photography

 

There are another 20+ pictures on my website. Definitely check them out! It’s always appreciated.

Thanks for viewing, enjoy!

- Chris

 

GREAT WORK!!! My Favorite Bands!! Rise Against, is def. in my top 5 (their older stuff at least) Must've been an awesome show!!

 

It was MADNESS. Rise Against was ridiculousssss. I've really liked them for a few years now.

They put on a wild show and played for 1 1/2 hours! I was stoked, they played songs from all of their albums - old school and new. Even a couple acoustic songs which was awesome.

 

Your description reminds me EXACTLY of what it is to shoot pro MMA! You got the best seats in the house, but damn is it hard work!

You pulled it off very well ... some great shots in there for sure! The first one has to be my favourite ... I love the counterlight effects.

What's the credentialing like for concerts?

 

Very cool, Chris! I'm a big Rise Against fan as well so these pics are just that much better! You did an amazing job, and after shooting a few weddings (no concerts though), I can definitely relate to how hard it is.

Were you working for any media outlet in particular or are you just baller enough to get credentials as a freelancer?

 

Can't say I've ever done MMA but I can only imagine the difficulty of it. I couldn't imagine photographing through a cage / ring. That would be a MESS trying to get a shallow enough DOF to bypass the cage or ring in the photos.

I appreciate the comment though from a fellow photographer!

Do you have a site? Definitely shoot me a PM, I'd love to check it out buddy!

 

I appreciate it bud.

Ironically enough, I've done exactly the opposite of you. I've never photographed a wedding and don't really ever intend to. I've heard enough horror stories.

I was shooting strictly freelance. It's a bit rough to get credentials just to get credentials. (Like I did) Unless, of course, you're with an affiliated source which I'm not. lol

Sometimes you'll catch a break and if you have a valid argument and enough of a portfolio to get you by they weigh their options and get you in.

I'm very diligently working like a madman to get a job with a designated global press outlet (Getty, US Press etc.) since I already cover such a variety of events between racing, concerts, and collegiate athletics. I'd love to make it into a career. Thankfully, this is where all of my past history and events that I've covered should come in handy for my portfolio.

If you ever have any photo / media credential questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

 

Thanks for the response Chris. I'll definitely take you up on that if I need some help in the future. I'll be finding out tomorrow if I'll be shooting my first published photos/article for the weekend when I'm out in Monterey.

 

Awesome stuff, congrats!

Is it for a magazine or online website? You definitely have to keep me updated!