Just a quick update

In the coming months the blog will become more active as things have finally started to settle into a solid cycle of work and ideas.

There will be a couple features on some interesting subjects as well as talk about a few ideas.  Along the way www.adamforslund.com will be getting a whole new look and www.twitter.com/adamforslund will be a launch point for what is going on the ground of actual shoots from large films to small venues.

Stay tuned as things are changing...

Adam

Thoughts on Color as related to B&W

I've been thinking a lot about color and its perception. Not so much the true science behind it but rather the way each person sees it.

Newton said "Indeed rays, properly expressed, are not coloured."

If we all see color slightly differently then what is the best way to get people to see the color I want?? If I show you a firetruck that was shot in B&W you will see red paint on it. Not literally but mentally you know that it is red. Same goes for a can of Coke.

What about an object that we aren't familiar with?? How does the concept of color get transfered from one person to another??

Language.

That said one needs to think about their images in new ways. Will a person in the UK see the firetruck as the same red as an American??

With these ideas in mind it will be interesting to see how one can effect perceptions using B&W film and a greyscale.  Since it seems that at our core we seem to recognize a color when there is none.  We see Dorothy's dress as being blue before she steps in to Oz.  We know it is before seeing the color scenes or the entire movie for that fact.

People tend to talk about color in photography as a matter of monitors/color space/bits.  What they don't tend to talk about is the minds behind the eyeballs doing the viewing.

Newton was right...

There is no color until we assign one to an object.

Film, Digital and Time

I have been doing more shooting with digital both in motion picture and still work.

The standard gripes about digital ring true for me and those are issues I just accept.

However, the one thing that I keep coming back to is the fact that no one is talking about long term storage and long term viability of the files. Labs talk about 100 and 200 year inks but this is all based on speculation not real world experience. Will these prints actually be around for 5 generations to look at?? Perhaps. I have more faith in the prints than I do in the files.

The digi-camp talk a lot about backing up your data. Yes. You must make back ups of your photos and video. In 3/5/10 years you will need to move that data to whatever the current storage form is.

This is the tedium that we all sign up for in order to get a product that is immediate.

The bigger question is assuming that we all do what we are supposed to and make our back ups and move the files with time who is to say that these files will be of any use in 10 years and more??

Will JPEG, TIFF, DNG or better yet any of the specific camera RAW formats be viable in time??

Will MOV , WMV, H264 be viable in time??

We can look at images shot on the battlefield from 1863/1916/1943 because of their inherent physicality. We can watch a president or leader because of the physicality of motion picture film. In 150 years will these files turn into physical objects or will they simply be an arcane form of 0's and 1's that add up to nothing??

Lately I have been shooting bands for promotion and Seattle Sound Magazine this has me thinking about the bands and posterity. Will these digital images be relevant if this band makes it big?? Will I be able to call these images historic?? Will these images be around as Charles Peterson's and Jim Marshall's are?? Standing as a testament to a band's arc through stardom.

I have my doubts.

Todays file formats will be tomorrows IBM punch cards. Useless code on stacks of CDs/DVDs/Blu-Rays and lifeless hard drives.

Yet digital imaging isn't going away. Nor should it. Digital imaging just needs to be put into perspective against time.

A lot of questions get raised with no clear answers. It is best to look at each image as a valuable asset to be saved and used in the future.

Shooting Bands

Shooting bands live is always a challenge.   Being between the stage and the crowd is a hard line for photographers to follow.  In the crowd you are faced with blocking issues and being on stage is a distraction.  It is my goal to be both a fly on the wall and an active participant.  Using distance to capture the overall feel and sense of place.  Then getting in as close as I can to illustrate the raw performance in a way that highlights the small details of each performer.  From facial expressions to sweat on a singer’s brow. It is all needed to add depth to an image.

Another challenge when shooting concerts is light.  Some venues mix light with what seems to be no consideration for the people on stage.  An example would be using deep colored gels that work against the skin tones of the performers.  Heavy use of red seems to be one that appears often.  Others will flood the stage in an almost even light never isolating the band from the rest of the stage.

One way to over come this for me is the use of B&W.  By shooting outside of color the light becomes simply a matter of the grey scale.  Leaving the distraction of color behind to illustrate the performers best.  B&W also brings out some of the more subtle aspects of light that may be lost due to color filters and effects.  A light on the back of a singer’s head may not be flattering when it is a heavy blue.  However, when color isn’t part of the photo it becomes a great separation between the performer and the black background.

On a personal level higher contrast images tend to draw my eye in.  Things get lost in the middle grey areas.  By pushing things to black or white allows me to grab a performer and place them in space where by they stand out against the background.  What smaller details get lost in the shadows only enhance the larger ones that are standing in the spotlight.

A good example of what I am talking about are the shots I took of  "The National" when they came to Seattle Washington on their tour for the album "Boxer".  They are based in Brooklyn New York City and have a sound that is melodic yet raw.  Frontman Matt Berninger uses pointed lyrics with his deep bullfrog voice to push stories into your mind. 

These photos were taken at The Showbox Theatre a venue that is perfect for an indie rock band.  It has a wonderful sound and an amazing chandelier.  The crowd turned out and were treated to a great show.

If you have any questions about the images let me know.

Photos From The Show

The National Homepage

Update: Darren Hanlon

I met Darren the night of the 11th. He is a quiet and humble guy. We chatted a bit and then he took the stage for his outstanding show in Seattle Washington USA.

The Sunset Tavern is a small venue filled with a warm red aura and the traces of the Chinese restaurant that it was in days gone by. Complete with lacquer paintings and lanterns. It is a place where one is sitting with the performer rather than distanced by a high stage or stackes of speakers. Perfect for a singer songwriter like Darren.

The performance was top notch.

I met up with Darren the next day to take some pictures of him at a local pinball hall. I was surprised to find out that Darren is really an amazing pinball player too!!

If you ever have the chance see him it is well worthwhile.

Images from the show

Darren Hanlon's Site

Up coming shoot: Darren Hanlon

Darren Hanlon will be singing at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle on September 11 2007. He is a great singer/songwriter from Australia. His lyrics wind and weave through some great stories--All set to great tunes.

It will be an opportunity to get some shots.

Stay tuned for the images.

Darren Hanlon's Site

New Band Photos

I just updated my Band photography. All of my work is film based using B/W to capture the full emotion of the performers as well as the subtlety of the lighting.

Adam Forslund Photogarphy
Concert Photography


The bands that made these images possible are:

La Cha Cha

The Blakes

The Lonely H

Stay tuned to read about more projects and ideas in the near future. The last month as been busy and some good posts are being written.

Talk with you soon. Enjoy what is left of the Summer.