Momentum are a hot three piece of very talented musicians who play rocking covers that get the crowd partying.
They are seasoned highly skilled players, and they need to be for the material they cover with such ease.
They are a real musician’s band; and one that I intend to go see again.
A full Flickr Gallery of Photos can be viewed at this link:
Flickr Photo Gallery of Momentum at Beaches
Further information about Momentum can be found at their Facebook Page:
EQUIPMENT:
Sony Alpha A-77
Sony SAL35mm F1.8 (for non flash photos)
Tamron 17-50mm F2.8
Yongnuo Speedlight YN460-II
Adobe Photoshop CS5.5 (Quite a bit of photoshopping was done).
Band shots without Flash were shot using the 35mm F1.8 Sony Lens.
The 35mm on a cropped body like the A-77 is probably around 45 to 50mm effectively and is not really wide enough to fit a lot in.
It is really a Portrait lens, and in low light band conditions can go into this occasional focussing frenzy, which I have read about on forums. It is a great lens, but for low light band photography it does not work as well as using the Panasonic Lumix LX7 Compact camera. However it does give a few okay natural low light shots which can be put into an album.
Most of the band shots that were done with Flash were shot at ISO 800 with the flash set to 1/7 or 2/7 power. For these the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 lens was used, which for the $320 price is proving to be a real winner. Very happy with the wide angle and zoom capabilities, and I am also using it for all the “Party People” candids. It is my go to lens for doing pub gigs, and nice and light and easy to carry in a side pouch on my belt. I have also used it for some outdoor nature shots and it went well for this.
However, for low light band shots at larger venues and shows, the Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 is brilliant, and better clarity and crispness than the 17-50mm. So so it should be with its $1200 price tag, and the massive weight of glass inside the thing!
People pics were shot with the 17-50mm Tamron, mostly at ISO 1250 with the flash set to 1/7 power.
Overexposed pictures were adjusted in Photoshop with “Exposure” adjustment, and the Gamma Level pumped up to create great dramatic contrast, and make flashed up grey black colors revert back to deep rich black.
The Yongnuo Flash is proving to be a pain without being able to see any previews through the viewfinder, and was also unreliable and would not fire off every so often.
Still I am getting okay shots out using the Yongnuo, and for the $50 on ebay it cost me, it has paid for itself already; and will make a good spare to carry in the kit bag. Best of all I love the simplicty of it, just guesstimate the power level as between 1 and 3 and shoot!
The old switch off, switch on fixed the failing to fire problem, but by then the moment was gone. It also looked very unprofessional doing this during Party People shots 🙁
Definitely getting a Sony Flash as soon as possible!