Urban Marinade

After spending 10 days in Seattle over the holidays, we made a point to get back to DC for a proper New Years Eve celebration. An added treat was knowing No. 9 DJ in the world, Ferry Corsten, would be performing at Glow January 1st. An added bonus was knowing I’d photograph the show for Club Glow as well as catch up with old friends who were on tour with Ferry. It was about as perfect as the first day of the year should be.

What you see in this post are a few of my favorite shots from the night. The series of images has special meaning to me as it was the last set of photos shot with my old Nikon D80 camera. Look, I won’t lie and say I was attached to that old camera. It served me well for several years and helped me take a basic interest in taking pictures to a level even I thought would never be achieved - at least by me. The D80 gave me priceless photos of Armin van Buuren, Fedde Le Grand and Afrojack at Electric Zoo 2010. It worked just fine for an exclusive, in the booth series of shots at a Thievery Corporation show at 930 Club. And how could I complain after coming away with stunning printed images from Seattle, LA, Austin and here in DC. It was an average SLR that allowed for above-average quality shots. And it helped me grow as a photographer.

While posting these shots of Ferry Corsten, I couldn’t help but smile knowing there are people who spend thousands (maybe tens-of-thousands) of dollars on better gear with lesser results. As they say, it’s all about the eye. And with technology, it’s all about experimenting and finding what works. Shooting photos in a nightclub condition are probably some of the hardest out there. The light is never the same. The colors are always changing. Light temperatures can change as fast as a beat break. So everything you know about photography gets thrown out the door. If you’re trying to use a meter and do everything by the book…well, all I can say is, good luck.

Ok, there is a level of photography technique that goes into it. But so much of what I do is finding that sweet spot with the camera, lens and flash and just going with it. It’s fitting that I closed out the use of my D80 with this gallery. I’d say it’s one of my favorite ever done at FUR. Now I have a new Nikon D300s to play with. And my latest galleries are so much better. The color is rich. The camera performs insanely well at high ISO’s and the editing process takes half the time because the files are almost print worthy out of the camera. Who knows what 2011 will hold for my photography adventures, but this gallery and show by Ferry Corsten was the perfect way to kick it all off. The complete gallery can be seen here…