Hey! So, I had a pretty awesome day! The family and I went out to Medora, ND. To those that haven't been there, get there! It is gorgeous. I can hear all of you that HAVE been there, saying well..DUH! I know, I know! Check it off the list!
Why was I there? Well, I had the chance to shoot Kat Perkins! You may have seen her on The Voice. I have to admit, that I didn't have the chance to see her there, but after seeing her today I can see why she made it as far as she did!
Kat Perkins Audition: "Gold Dust Woman" - NBC
The show was actually scheduled for a couple weeks back, but ended up getting rained out. I was pretty bummed, but then found out that I would be able to get access for the rescheduled show.
Once I got to the amphitheater, I was completely blown away by the view. I had seen pictures of the amphitheater but never realized how crazy steep the pit is! (My legs are STILL burning!) They do have an escalator built in, to help people down and then back up...but when I needed to leave, it wasn't available!
So, I go and find myself a spot out of the way and then soon realized that this shoot was going to be a bit of a challenge! The stage is primarily used for a yearly musical of the history of Medora, ND. Anyone that has ever been to the northern 1/3 of the country, probably knows that during the summer it stays light out MUCH later. Between the sun's light pouring into the amphitheater and the stage backdrops that are built in...left me with areas that were SUPER bright, and others that were completely shadowed! I feel like I pulled through and got some great shots!
Sisters - Kendra and Krista rocked the stage. Come to find out after getting home, that they are 18/16 years old?! What do you feed these kids in ND!? Wo. Very good! I am sure they had a blast and it was good to see people doing what they love!
After 5-6 songs, Tigirlily headed off stage and the crews started the swap for Kat Perkins and her band to make their way out. Normally, I am like most of you and want the roadies and crew to swap as fast as possible and get the night going, but this time...I was hoping they would take as long as possible and help me out with the lighting! We got a fair mix. They were fairly quick, and the light was fair by the time that Kat hit the stage.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the best of vantage points. I would have loved to have been more to the center, but I didn't want to get in the way of any of the 3000+ fans that made it out for the show. As I mentioned, this amphitheater wasn't constructed with photographers in mind!
It was an awesome day and great learning experience for me. I really enjoy shooting concerts and being able to capture all of the energy and passion that these artists have. I look forward to the other shows that I will be shooting in the future!
If you want to see more of the day, make sure to check out the concerts gallery! Congrats to both Tigirlily and Kat Perkins! You all did wonderful and made my weekend wonderful! Thanks again!