Lilith 2010 Tour Photography
September 10, 2010 by David Bergman
Hello blog, it’s been a while.
I didn’t have much time to post this summer because I was on the road for six weeks as the official tour photographer for Lilith (see my first post here). After a 12-year absence, Sarah McLachlan brought the music festival back for a summer run.
(Nikon D3, 70-200, ISO 1250, 1/160, f/4)
Sarah was the headliner, but there were up to 10 other female performers at every show. They rotated throughout the tour with some playing only one night while others - like Sheryl Crow - stayed with us for five or six dates.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 2500, 1/1000, f/4)
I shot over 63,000 images at 23 concerts across the United States and Canada. One of the prettiest venues was The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 500, 1/250, f/4)
In addition to making photos all day, I had to find a way to deal with those digital files. Different pictures had to be sent to various places every day (wire service, tour management, in-house use, email to staff, etc) and each set of photos required a different output resolution and watermark.
Thankfully, I use Apple’s Aperture to edit and tone my photos. On tour, its ‘smart albums’ feature was a lifesaver.
I applied keywords to the images as I edited, and Aperture automatically sorted them into separate folders. Then all I had to do was export the contents of any particular folder using my output presets (with designated resolution and watermarks), and I was done.
I also used Photoshelter extensively to deliver images to management and make off-site backups of my best photos. I used Photoshelter’s Aperture plug-in and rarely had to leave the program.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from Lilith 2010.
Nancy Wilson of Heart can still rock out.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 2500, 1/400, f/4)
I photographed Jenni Rivera’s mariachi band as they prepared to take the stage.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 800, 1/250, f/4)
Mary J. Blige stole the show with her rendition of “Stairway to Heaven.”
(Nikon D3, 70-200, ISO 2500, 1/250, f/4)
I made a “Ray Charles” shot of Sarah’s music director Vince Jones.
(Nikon D3, 70-200, ISO 200, 1/800, f/4)
Sarah was a blast to work with and was pretty comfortable with me backstage.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 2500, 1/30, f/4)
Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson posed for me before taking the stage.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 1600, 1/30, f/4)
I had a blast doing this tour and made a lot of new friends. I shot the crew photo on the last day by putting my camera on a tripod and triggering it with a Pocket Wizard wireless transmitter.
(Nikon D3, 24-70, ISO 2000, 1/250, f/5.6)
Next summer’s Lilith is already in the works, and I hope to be back out on the road with Sarah again.
The gorge really is an amazingly beautiful venue. I don’t know how many times you have been there or if you have ever camped there but if you didn’t know the place already and just drove up to camp, you would never expect it to be as pretty as it is when you get to the concert area. The view that you have from anywhere on that grassy hill in front of the stage of the River is breathtaking. If only beers didn’t cost 12 bucks each it would be the greatest place on earth.
An epic and inspirational series of photos, incredible subject matter, composition and artistry. Sarah is a goddess