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Donna Regina @ Ucho, Gdynia – 6 X 2010
Very quiet and nice gig. Shot it with my D50 and 50 mm 1.8 (thanks to Paweł for borrowing it to me) – the D300 is coming back to me (hopefully) on Sunday night so next gigs will be shot on something more than ISO 800 ;)
Morcheeba @ Gdynia – 26 VI 2010
Yup, we have a new page so I thought a blast from the past would be a nice thing. Finally, I’ll have some motivation to change the blog posts as the main page is just a collage of the blog posts so I have to add new ones to change it :)) Some things are still to be done sor for a few weeks the BBP will be a big playground for Utek (the fabulous punk-rock loving, music discovering computer geek!:) and me.
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Off Festival 2010 @ Katowice – Day 3
Why start with the third day? Simply because it was the best in terms of everything: music, concerts, meetings, photos and other events. Great gigs by No Age or The Flaming Lips were a great closure to the best Polish festivals I’ve been so far this summer.
You can check how everything was last year here. Miss the old spot at Mysłowice because Off now seems like a smaller Open’er-kind-of-place. Not the small, venues-scattered-around town, fest anymore. Pitty, but it couldn’t be avoided…
And if you are interested in buying any of the photos for a publication, please contact us.
Heineken Open’er Festival 2010 @ Babie Doły, Gdynia – Day 2
Second part of Heineken Open’er pics. Loads of work ahead so I’m sorry for the delay.
Also:
- gallery from the first day can be found here.
- for bootlegs from the festival go here.
- for HD quality video recordings from the festival go here.
Heineken Open’er Festival 2010 @ Babie Doły, Gdynia – Day 1
As it was my 6th Heineken and the third one that I’ve had the photo pass with me and I was not obliged to upload the pics “on the spot”, I’ve decided to take some more photographs of what’s going around the fest. So here you go – gigs, people, my friends, people who work their asses off (actually when I’ve shot the backstage pics they had some time off so keep that in mind) during one of the biggest festivals in Poland . And this year I’ve used a slightly different method during the post-production so let me know if you like it. Any feedback appreciated!
As usuall, I forgot some things, did more of the Fender tent that I’ve supposed to (because it was just so awesome I couldn’t get out of there:), cried during the Pearl Jam gig (which was the second band I ever shot and the pics I did in Chorzów still scare me to this day so the Open’er gig was like a payback time) and forgot the Kids Zone. But hey – there’s lot’s of going on all around!
Days two, three and four will be put up in the next couple of days. Every entry will be around 100 pics so putting them all into one would make your browser go crazy.
Also:
- for bootlegs from the festival go here.
- for HD quality video recordings from the festival go here.
Polvo & Ed Wood @ Forty Kleparz, Kraków – 1 VI 2010
Almost no lights, thick layer of smoke in the whole club and the standard “please don’t use flash”. Pretty hard conditions which partly prevented me from capturing the “big ball of energy” that both Ed Wood and Polvo are. I think the bands applied the rule: the more volume we’ll have the less lights should be used. Yes, it has to be that.
Big thanks to Emi & Cyp from Front Row Heroes! These guys will rock your socks with the gigs they’re organising. Not only they are very nice people but a huge music and gig lovers that will talk with you about all the awesome things that they’ve listened to and seen live. They’ve been organizing gigs for a half a year now and I must say that they brought a lot of interesting stuff to Warsaw and Kraków. Sooo (a bit of marketing tone and text now) if you see something done by the Front Row Heroes, you can be sure it’s really good. (Ok, the commercial is over;).
Be sure to check The Ruby Suns and HEALTH they’ll be doing this year!
And if you are interested in buying any of the photos for a publication, please contact us.
The Ocean Collective @ Wiele Twarzy, Gdańsk – 23 V 2010
Great gig! Saw them for the third time and blew me away.
Totally different setting from the last two – small club scene with the vocalist and two guitarists playing and screaming among the crowd. Amazing experience! The light were better than usual, the merch quantity was poorer than the last time and the number of people was around 60-70 – lots of friends and people I know who made the show even more special. Very little…I hope more bands will play in this club – hardcore shows will be a blast here! Also shooting was pretty dangerous as the guys moved a lot running into the crowd and bumping into each other – but you’ve got the pics or you stand in the back and I don’t mind being hit by a running rocker, it’s also the part of the experience ;) I just hope I’ve managed to catch the concert’s atmosphere…
What lacked during this gig was a fisheye and a wide lens. I think the pics would be a lot more interesting then. Also I tested Women’s Digital Chestvest and I have to recommend it to anybody, who is shooting a lot. My back hurts a little less, and you can move a lot in this thing. I really, really regret not buying it two years ago – very stupid of me! The only two drawbacks are that some may find 4 bags a little less than thay want and for more things you have to buy a different bag. Because the Chestvest itself is pretty pricey (and the hight prices of photo equipment are one of the reasons I don’t think that giving away your pics for free is good – will your signature buy you all the stuff?) and a good bag will cost you some extra cash (a combo of a vest plus a bag from Naneu will be around 800 zł) the whole cost is pretty high. But remember about your back kids – it can be a pain!
If you want to buy the pics (yes buy, not borrow, steal or offer me a signature – those won’t pay my rent!) contact us at info@blackboxphoto.pl
2 Strange Days in Kraków
Sorry for such a big lack of updated. I’ve been on the road (Trójmiasto-Warsaw-Kraków) over and over again.
I think that everybody know what happened on the 10th of April. A few days after a decision was made to bury the president’s and the first lady’s bodies in Kraków. Many, many people came, most of them with cameras. Me also – something happened and I had the choice of looking at a blank screen for the whole day, or just do, what I haven’t done in a long time. Shoot some street (if you can call it that). No coffins, no officials, no crying, no other things that you can easily find on news pages.
The day before the ceremony Kraków was like a ghost-town: I’ve never seen anything like this in this city. Pretty strange.
You can see a lot of mistakes on these photos: sometimes there was too much sharpen used, sometimes the frames are really, really bad, and some things are not symmetrical or cut. I am aware of that but have not much to say apart from the fact that I like the photos from the day before the funeral more. If you can even say that you “like” something like photos from such an event.
The pics reminded me of how I love my Fisheye 2 lomo camera that was stolen from me two months ago. If I had a bag of money (and two piles hidden under my bed;) I’d just shoot, shoot, shoot film. With small-toy-thought-removing-frame-capturing cameras. And 2 years ago I laughed and said that “there’s no difference”. There is.
Rock Metal Fest @ Klub Studio, Kraków – 20 III 2010
Almost 10 concerts during almost 13 hours. A mix of old-school metal, trash, slugde – my ears (and eyes) were bleeding that night. But let’s face it – it is all great to photograph as those metal heads always move a lot, trash a lot and swing their giutars. Awesome for a photo shot!
Well, all I wanted to write about the gigs can be found on Muzyka.wp.pl so let’s go to the photos…
The pics were done for Wp.pl. Really, you’ve gotta love one-day festivals!
Brendan Perry @ Rotunda, Kraków – 1 IV 2010
I have never been a fan of Dead Can Dance or Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard during their solo careers. However seeing Lisa perform year and a half earlier and seeing Perry now, I can say one thing – I prefer Perry’s vision.
I won’t put down all the obvious things about him and a great band he had because it’s really pointless. A must see.
Great lights during the second song – wonderful example of how you can lit the scene well and make it atmospheric at the same time. Turning off the light doesn’t make any good – a skilled technician can!
Mount Eerie, Chain and the Gang, No Kids @ Alchemia, Kraków – 24 III 2010
I shot Mount Eerie 2 years ago in Gdańsk and it was one of the best gigs of 2008. Quiet and intimate. The one yesterday was totaly different. More sounds, more instruments and..more bands because Phil & Co. had 2 decent supports.
Total magic and a goog warm-up before the main fest. Can’t wait for Off Fest 2010!
Blindead, Tides From Nebula, Broken Betty, Psychollywood & Merkabah @ Ucho, Gdynia – 27 XII 2009
It was my 2nd Blindead gig and 4th or 5th from Tides From Nebula. Awesome and majestic as always. I really like the fact that Blindead becomes more of an audio-visual experience – the visualisations, the lights combined with music and vocals sound and look just amazing. Hope to see them more often!
Broken Betty and the two other bands gave very good performances. Merkabah‘s EP can be downloaded for free from last.fm. Nice piece of music but the guys have a long way to go.
The pics were done for Wp.pl
U.D.O. & Interitus @ Loch Ness, Kraków – 4 II 2009
I love hard rock gigs. Good lighting, great crowd and energetic performance. I’m not fan of such music but I love to photograph such gigs!
The pics were done for Wp.pl
Nitzer Ebb & Psyche @ Progresja, Warszawa – 12 II 2009
I really, really like Nitzer Ebb. I was very happy to see the guys play before Depeche Mode and the show made me even more eager to see their solo gig in one of the most interesting clubs in Warsaw - Progresja.
They were supported by Psyche, an electro synth pop band. For me, quite a different story from what the Ebbs are doing. Ebbs on the other hand gave great, energetic and aggressive performance. I was captivated through the whole show – EBM at it’s best!
On the other hand, the shooting was quite a surprise. I was told that they were the regular “3 songs, no flash” and the venue’s policy is that after the rule you can shoot from behind (nice overall of the stage and so on). So everything was meant to be perfect..not! After just two songs we were taken from the pit, and were told not to shoot outside it. The band’s manager kept his promise by spending the whole show scouting for photographers…and omitting all the people with point-and-shoot cameras. I mean, what’s the point?
And how can you not like such a beauty?
Also be sure to check Kuchomik’s site. Soon, he’ll have some nice pics of the band.
The pics were done for Wp.pl
Paradise Lost & Samael @ Klub Studio, Kraków – 2 XII 2009
Nope, we’re not dead. We’re just plain busy doing some commissions and preparing for some changes around here.
These are the pics from Samael / Paradise Lost gig in Kraków. Although Samael was the support, their gig was way better than Paradise Lost’s. Who would have thought…
The pics were done for Wp.pl .
Best gigs of 2009
In no particular order, what I saw, what brought my attention, what was fun to shoot and made me cry. What made me to buy the band’s CD or just Youtube their stuff for the whole day. What stuck to my skull and will be there even after this year’s concert season will finish…
…or in short: the best things I saw in 2009. Lot’s of text, links to photos so be prepared! However, if you’re looking for reviews filled with professional comments, enlisting the best chords the guitarist played that day, naming all the genres the band has stepped into during the certain gig – don’t waste your time. This list is just about the sole love for live music. And all the photos and feeling that come with it.
Diana Krall @ Sala Kongresowa, Warszawa – 6 XI 2009
Pretty tough gig to photograph. Not much really going on and the musicians were pretty static. Lights were also a challenge as Diana had a very bright light on her (and because she’s a blond it all mixed up into one-of-a-hell-burned-image) while the rest was lit by much more darker lights. And people are always asking me, why all my concerts are done on the “manual setting“. That why…
Despite that, I still think that Diana’s photo with her hair floating is a really good one. It’s not a typical concert photo, and is a little bit dreamy, but I like it. One of the very few things I shot this year, and still, after two months, I find it OK.
The photos are dedicated to my mates from the Photomafia who went to the gigs. Unfortunately, without their cameras…
Also, this one is dedicated to you all:
Enjoy the Christmas break, with your families, friends or just alone. I hope you’re all happy and are resting a bit before all the challenges in the 2010!
The pics were done for Wp.pl .
Monotonix @ Cogitatur, Katowice – 18 XII 2009
What you get when you cross 3 Israelites, a moustache and some heavy, Black Sabbath-inspired riffs? Nothing?
Fear not, because a combination of such exist under the name of Monotonix and is one of the most crazy concert teams I’ve ever seen! Having no idea what they were I was invited by Jarek Szubrycht to catch their gig at Off Festival this year. So me and my mates went and…wait, wait. Is the crowd caring the percussion and then the drummer? Why is the vocalist sticking the microphone up his ass? Why the band is inside the crowd? Why all the security guards have eyes as big as the 5 zł coins?
I was so happy to hear that the band is playing in Poland again. Unfortunately, I had some commitments in Trójmiasto and wasn’t able to attend the show, but Joanna Combik, armed with her 5D camera and her beloved fisheye lens managed not only to take some awesome shots of the band, but also bring a great souvenir from the gig – a bruise around her eye after a close encounter with the vocalist’s shoe! Talk about concert photography being all nice and sweet.
Short glimpse of what this madness is like:
Do I have to recommend it again?:)
Fucked Up @ Loch Ness, Kraków – 30 XI 2009
They simply destroy and are nothing that you’ve seen before. Total annihilation, destruction, crossing the boundaries and proving that a line, between the band and their crowd, should never, ever exist. And they put up a great show too! Love to watch the vids from their destruction of the MTV studios!
However, I expected a full-house and entered the venue with…15 people inside. Thought all the announced crowd from the forums will show after CF98 and The Black Tapes (who were supporting Fucked Up) but there were really few people for such a band. Fucked Up played at Off Festival in August and they put up such a schow, that almost all the people I talked too, put the Canadian team on their Top 5 list. Was is the price of the ticket (which, in my opinion, was decent), the time (Monday) or something else that was not right. I will never know…
Everyting Is Made In China & NeLL @ Pod Jaszczurami, Kraków – 6 XII 2009
Really, really dark stuff – the first band, Nell, had some decent lighting, and for Everything Is Made In China…let me say that there was a projector aimed at the drummer. Nothing more, nothing less. I thought that was the worst of what I’ve seen in December, but the gig I’ve shot the next day put the EIMIC guys to shame. High ISO, long times and were off – that’s how you should approach the Russian rockers!
Everything Is Made In China played a very good gig – not the usual post-rock(full of serious themes and so on) but a quite warm blend of rock and experimental noises with vocals. Highly recommended cure for all the serious-and-mogwai-to-be-post-rockers-and-guitar-bands.
The pics were done for Onet.pl. Also big thanks go out to Bartek Borowicz.
Gogol Bordello @ Rotunda, Kraków – 9 XII 2009
Just 2 hours before the gig I’ve got a phone call that I would be doing it (my friend who was assigned to do it had a serious problem that day). So there I was, me, my camera and my little photo ladder squashed in the photo pit. It was one of the most crowded, soundsystem(the barriers of the pit touched the speakers leaving us almost no place to walk..) packed pits I’ve ever been to. I had to leave my ladder in the pit’s entry and made some use of it later, while shooting the overall view from the crowd and later from Rotunda’s balcony.
We were really near the band so all the pics are shot using the 17-55 (the overalls from the balcony were shot with a 50 mm). Really, there was no need of putting a larger zoom. If only I could bring the ladder into the pit to gain me some extra centimetres…There are rumors that Gogols are coming back. Maybe then I can shot them from a “different point of view” but don’t want to worry about it now. Currently I’m flipping through some stuff from 09 and I’ll be putting some past gigs up here like Glasvegas, Fucked Up, Chris Botti, Samael, Diana Krall and more.
The pics were done for Onet.pl to illustrate Marcin Gnat‘s review of the gig. You can read it here.
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Basia Bulat @ Klub Forty, Kraków – 1 XII 2009
A new club, a new concert agency and a little bit different approach towards the photos – I think this could sum up the events of the previous night. A very good night with a wonderful performance by Basia Bulat, a Canadian singer of Polish origin.
Lots of singing, folk and smiling – that’s how you can describe the gig without going into long and boring details. Basia herself is a very charming girl with a beautiful voice – again a strong concert recommendation from me!
I didn’t have to rush while shooting so the photos are a mix of focusing on the overall, small details and a couple of similar shots of “what’s next” kind. I didn’t want to disturb the musicians and the people who came to see them so there was a lot of crawling involved. Hope you like them!
The Front Row Heroes folks (Emi and Cyp) are really nice people, who have their minds set on not-so-well-known-but-still-worth-listening-to music. Their aim is to bring interesting acts to Poland and Basia’s Kraków gig was their first “official” gig (they did Handsome Furs and Sunsed Robdown earlier this year). They have many plans for the following months (the closest one is Gaba Kulka with Robert Rasz again in Forty club) and be sure to follow their website, twitter and visit their gigs. Such ideas and plans have to be promoted.
The pics were done for the Front Row Heroes folks, but if you want to buy any of them for a publication just contact us.
L.U.C. @ Klub Studio, Kraków – 20 XI 2009
Joanna Combik‘s send me a couple of photos from L.U.C.‘s last visit to Kraków. I could write about how I like the pics, but you’re not eager to read it? Better take a look at the pics – they’re the real fun!
The photos were done for Onet.pl.