Mace Maclean

Support grassroots music

31/12/2015

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I had such a blast taking photos at gigs this year. The final count comes in at around 160 distinct acts, mostly in small music venues here in Nottingham. A huge shout out to those venues, especially The Doghouse, The Running Horse, The Maze, and The Lofthouse, all run by fantastic people.

There is so much talent out there worth going to see - bands not only playing great music, but also putting on a great show. Please support these venues and up-and-coming acts by going to some of their gigs in 2016!

Here are some links to a couple of Facebook albums with some of the bands and solo acts that I particularly enjoyed photographing: Part 1 and Part 2.

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Empire 35 Call It A Day

20/9/2015

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Sad news last week, with alt-rockers Empire 35 calling it a day.  But, with Jeff going travelling in Malaysia, and James planning to move to Japan(!), I guess it seemed like a natural break point.

My (brief) involvement with them was one of life's nice little coincidences.  Earlier in the year, I wanted to do some photography at The Doghouse in Nottingham.  On clicking through the event pages, I happened across this lot.  Some cracking tracks on SoundCloud made it a very easy decision to go and see them, and they didn't disappoint.

Shooting at that gig also introduced me to Ed Medhurst, and The Invaders.  Daryl of The Invaders subsequently invited me to the Wadstock 2-ish event in August, where all three of these acts were also playing, along with a whole host of others.  And, keeping track of Ed's gigs resulted in me shooting at the Acoustic Gathering at The Maze in September.
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Empire 35 @ Wadstock 2-ish
Finally, inquiring about shooting Empire 35 at Macmillan Fest got me a press pass to that event, and my first chance to shoot in Rescue Rooms and Rock City Basement.

So, a brace of great gigs this summer, meeting some fantastic people, and the opportunity to get some shots that I'm really proud of can all be traced back to that rather sparsely attended gig back in June!

My best wishes to James, Jeff, Rich, and Sean in whatever they're off to do next.  One thing I won't miss for the time being though - waiting for the rare moments when Sean's hair isn't in front of his face so that the camera's auto-focus stands any chance of locking on to him! :P
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Leave The Flash At Home...

12/9/2015

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Over the last couple of weekends, I was fortunate enough to shoot loads of acts, firstly at the Nottingham Acoustic Gathering at The Maze, and then at Macmillan Fest, held in and around Rescue Rooms in Nottingham.

Whilst I've worked alongside other photographers on a gig before, these were the first occasions when I've had reason to be critical of any of them.  Being inexperienced myself, and (still) making loads of mistakes, I'm somewhat reluctant to criticise other photographers.  And, I appreciate that different photographers have different styles, and everyone is trying to get decent shots, but...
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  • If you are shooting with a lens so wide that you need to be standing right in front of the singer (i.e. inches away from their face!), you might want to reconsider your choice of lens.  Even if your style requires a 24mm lens, and even if you've cleared it with the artist, you're coming between them and the audience.  For me, as both a music fan, and a performer that shouldn't be happening.
  • Flash photography at gigs is fucking irritating and distracting, whether it's from an iPhone or from a huge 600EX speedlite on top of a DSLR camera.  Again, if it is absolutely necessary (e.g. for a crowd shot) keep it to a minimum (as most did).  I saw several photographers at Macmillan Fest shooting continuously with flash through performances, justifying it because they didn't didn't have fast enough lenses.  If you don't have the right kit for the job, don't turn up, it's that simple.  There's no real excuse when both the Canon 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8 lenses cost less than £250...
  • If you're doing both of the above, you're probably really annoying absolutely everyone in the venue.  Stop, now.
  • Finally, be selective in what you shoot, and what you publish.  Not 2,000-odd badly composed shots, taken indiscriminately on the off-chance that there might be one or two okay in-focus ones in there.
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Just for balance, here's a link to 
Carrie-Ann Pollard's coverage of Macmillan Fest for Already Heard (here).  She got great, consistent shots across all the stages, without flash, and without getting in anyone's way, least of all mine ;)
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The Hivemind, The Maze
85mm f1.8 @ ISO4000, f2.2, 1/200s
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Taken By The Tide, Rescue Rooms
85mm f1.8 @ ISO3200, f2.2, 1/200s
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As December Falls, Rock City Basement
50mm f1.4 @ ISO3200, f2.2, 1/200s
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Wadstock 2ish

25/8/2015

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'Wadstock 2ish' was a private party/music festival organised by Daryl of The Invaders.  I had no real idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the venue, just outside a Nottinghamshire village.  In addition to a decent sized camping area, there was a compact stage, sound desk, and hay bales for seating (not that I got to sit down much) - a real festival atmosphere on an intimate scale.

Although it had rained on Friday night, when a couple of bands played to an audience sheltering under a tarpaulin, the weather for Saturday and Sunday was great.  In fact, it was too good at times.  Clear skies and the low sun later on in the afternoon made shooting a couple of the bands quite tricky.

As it got dark on Saturday evening, a red spotlight on stage-right caused a few problems.  Apart from the usual red light issues (hence some black and white images), it was too close to the guitarists.  Light reflecting off shiny guitars caused some over-exposed images.

Story of the weekend came from Empire 35.  Their transport had broken down, so they came on the train from Derby.  Then, although they had a tent, someone had forgotten the tent poles.  Cue a creative use of a cymbal stand and a horse jump.  And, they didn't have enough sleeping bags...

I hadn't originally expected to hang around too long on Sunday, but I'm glad Daryl talking me into staying.  There was some great acoustic entertainment and a chilled-out atmosphere.  And, it finished off with Daryl swapping his bass to play some blues guitar.
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Thea Brooks
135mm f/2 @ ISO 200, f2.0, 1/1250s
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Empire 35
135mm f/2 @ ISO3200, f2.0, 400s
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Blue Murder
135mm f/2 @ ISO640, f4.5, 320s
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Krav Maga Summer Camp 2015

11/8/2015

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An ongoing hamstring injury meant that I couldn't participate in this Summer's Krav Maga weekender, hosted by Krav Maga Nottingham.  So, the next best thing was to take the camera along and shoot some photos!  Whilst I had shot a training session back in May (blog post here), most of that had been outdoors rather than inside, so this was a bit different.

The venue has florescent strip lighting, skylights and a loading bay door (it's an adapted industrial unit) that was sometimes open, sometimes closed.  Combined with patchy cloud conditions outside, this meant that the light changed a lot.  And, some of the walls have murals on them, whilst one side is painted bright white.  Needless to say, the shots against the murals came out miles better.

The weekend consisted of a series of sessions, covering subjects such as multiple attackers, gun threats, and surviving active shooter scenarios.  It finished with a mock hostage survival exercise on Sunday evening, putting into practice the subjects covered over the weekend - a bit of stress to finish the weekend.

So, lots of opportunities for interesting photos, albeit in a fairly challenging environment.  Apart from the usual issues around balancing ISO, aperture and shutter speeds in low light conditions, the action was fairly chaotic with participants training in pairs or larger groups.  If nothing else, I had to make sure I kept aware enough of what was going on around me, so that no-one clattered into me (that was as close as I got to practising my Krav Maga skills...).
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135mm f2.0 @ ISO3200, f2.8, 1/400s 
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135mm f2.0 @ ISO200, f4.0, 1/800s
Apart from the weight, I think that the Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 lens would have been ideal for this shoot, but, hey, I haven't yet found the funds to buy one of those...  However, the longest lens that I do own (a Canon 135mm f2.0) was the ideal prime lens to use given the size of the venue.  It meant that I could shoot people from far enough away to not be too intrusive, but still get tight enough shots.

And that's really important to me.  I have been to a few seminars where a photographer has been in the way and causing a distraction, sometimes even getting in between the participants and the instructor (that really annoys me!).  I inevitably lost some shots by not being more bullish, but I'm comfortable with that.  People attend these events to learn something and have fun.  Having some decent photos as a record of the day is nice, but it's not the reason for being there.

Overall, I think it was a success.  I got some decent shots, I learnt more about shooting action in (changing) low light conditions, and people seem happy with the results. 
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Dovedale

20/7/2015

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Thorpe Cloud, 50mm f1.4 @ ISO200, f18, 1/80s
I had originally intended to go walking in the Peak District on Wednesday last week, but it was postponed due to aggravating a hamstring injury at Krav Maga training on Tuesday...  However, I decided to risk it on Friday, with it being the last weekday of my vacation.

It wasn't the best day to be out with the camera at Dovedale (overcast and drizzly to start with), and I should have got there earlier, with sunrise at about 5am at this time of year.  That said, the car park at the Thorpe end of Dovedale doesn't open until 9am in the morning anyway.  According to the parking attendant, it is not open earlier due to 'trouble makers'...  Still, at 9am, I pretty much had the place to myself, although, as expected, it filled up later...
I prefer shooting people and bands rather than landscapes and nature.  But I do like being out in the countryside, and having the camera with me certainly made me look around more than I might have done.  The 50mm f1.4 prime lens worked well for shots along the path, although, of course, it's not really wide enough for landscapes.  Ultimately, I found it a little frustrating trying to find 'interesting' shots in probably one of the most visited areas of the Peak District, particularly once it started to fill up.
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50mm f1.4 @ISO200, f1.4, 1/500s
But, a brief conversation put things into perspective.  I spoke to a lady in Milldale who said that it was the first time in two years that she'd done this walk, as her dog had become too elderly to manage it.  The dog had died on Wednesday, so this was her way of remembering better times - I really hope that it brought back some great memories for her.
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Driving Through (Part 2)

5/7/2015

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With all the photography, the music has been a little neglected lately.  So, here's a new tune at last.  It follows on from a track I posted about a year ago (Driving Through), hence the 'Part 2' title.  The intention is to also produce a 'Part 3', weaving together ideas from both the previous parts, hopefully sooner than in a year's time!

It has got (even?) more of a film score feel than some of my tracks, as opposed to a stand-alone piece.  That was just the way it turned out rather than a conscious decision.  Due to the extended period over which it was written, it grew somewhat 'organically'.

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Building Empires In The Doghouse

15/6/2015

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I spoke to The Doghouse a few weeks back, but Saturday was the first opportunity I'd found to get to a gig there.  This was another new venue for me, even though it's only five minutes drive away.  This was a free gig with three very different acts, and, along with the audience, gave this the feel of a group of friends getting together to play and listen to some music.

The lighting rig consists of the LED spotlights that I'm coming to expect at these small venues.  Used intelligently, they can work reasonably well from a photography point of view, and that was the case here.

After my previous experiences in low-light auto-focus hell, I'm now shooting with a Canon EOS 5D MkIII.  It's a significant step up cost-wise from the EOS 70D, but worth it for the improvement in image quality at higher ISO settings, and an auto-focus that operates in lower light conditions.
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Sean, Empire 35
85mm f/1.8 @ ISO 6400, f1.8, 1/160s
It meant that I could push the ISO higher (at 6400), and use a slightly faster shutter speed, freezing the action just that little bit more.  The auto-focus still couldn't cope when the lights went into flash mode though...

After a slight delay whilst a few audience stragglers were rounded up, Ed Medhurst took to the stage, playing bluesy slide guitar on a 12-string.  I had the 50mm lens on the camera, but swiftly abandoned that for the 85mm lens once I realised that everyone was going to remain sat down.  On one hand, it meant that I could shoot from different distances more easily than with people pressed up close to the stage.  On the other hand, of course, I had to make sure I wasn't getting in the way too much...

Next up were Empire 35, playing their brand of alt-rock/grunge.  Loads of energy, and plenty to keep me interested behind the lens.  The biggest challenge was to get the auto-focus to lock onto Sean, on guitar/vocals - it didn't like it when his hair was over his face (which was most of the gig!).

Finally, we had The Invaders, playing 70s-influenced rock (for example, Led Zeppelin).  A different style of music, and a different kind of energy.  Daryl, the bass player, in particular seemed to be enjoying himself.  A great night of varied music, and I look forward to getting up there again soon - results here.
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Frenzy vs Jacko

26/5/2015

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On Sunday, I was in Northampton for the Bank Holiday 'Frenzy vs Jacko' all-dayer at the King Billy pub (all the acts had to do a Michael Jackson cover).  I used to be a regular in this pub, but this was the first time I'd been back since moving away over 10 years ago.  It hasn't changed at all - same décor, same furniture and fittings, just a new sign above the entrance.  And..., the same music - Mötley Crüe playing as I walked in took me back a few years.

The 'stage' is a corner of the pub, lit by spotlights from several angles .  They were throwing really harsh coloured light into proceedings, so black and white was the only option for most of the images.  The shooting angles were limited as well, due to having an uncovered window to one side of the stage area (it was daytime), and a mirror.  So, about 'normal' for a pub gig then.

The first band I shot were The Exit Palace, an alternative rock band from Corby.  I checked with the guitarist beforehand that they were okay with me taking photos, and practically got my hand bitten off.  No issues there then.  Their only request was that I got some shots of the drummer, as it was his first gig with the band.

The Bophins were their usual energetic selves.  Tim O'Neill, the guitarist, went for his customary wander around the bar area.  Tim Walden, the bass player, proved to be a bit difficult to shoot thanks to the window and a speaker stack, and Silvie on drums was a bit too far away for the 50mm lens.  I also tried standing on a chair at the side of the stage to get some different angles, but wasn't particularly happy with the results.
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50mm f/1.4 @ ISO 1600, f2.0, 1/160s
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50mm f/1.4 @ ISO 3200, f/1.4, 1/125s
Next up was an unnamed band (apparently now named 'The Band With No Name'), made up of members of other acts on the bill, playing rockabilly.  After reviewing some of the shots of the Bophins, I switched to the 85mm lens to get some tighter shots.  However, with movement restricted by the audience, and a double bass taking centre stage, I probably would have been better off sticking with the 50mm.  That said, the 50mm lens wouldn't have got me the shot of the drummer that I like...

The original plan had been to stay a bit later and shoot more of the bands.  But, with friends having to leave earlier than expected, and things running well behind schedule, I decided to call it a day.  Overall, I'm reasonably happy with the results, but plenty more practice is still needed.
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On-Camera Flash

19/5/2015

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At the weekend, I was at the gorgeous Clumber Park, north of Nottingham, for a Going Digital course on Flash Portrait Photography.  It was run by Louise Mills, and there was also a (very patient) non-professional model - I have no idea how she managed to keep smiling all day.

The main focus was on-camera (hot-shoe) flash, both indoors and outside, although Louise did cover some basic studio set-ups using off-camera speedlights later on.
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85mm f/1.8 @ ISO 100, f/5.0, 1/250s
It was a bright day, although not as sunny as for the portraits course at Sudbury Hall a couple of weeks ago - good conditions for practising using fill flash.  Outside exercises included shooting the model in a car.  Inside, we took shots of people against windows, and a white studio backdrop.  As well as using diffusers, we also bounced flash off reflectors.

I didn't get many shots that I was really happy with, but the day was more about trying out different things, and building familiarity with the techniques.  The session was really well run by Louise - both friendly and informative.
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