Spontaneous Point-and-Shoot
Joshua Bassett, singing with hand of heart
The Golden Years Tour: Oakland, CA on August 30, 2024
Learning a new camera on the fly
I’m lucky enough to have a few mentors in photography who have been kind enough to offer some pointers on photography 101. As I was chatting with one this week, I mentioned I had a concert coming up, but the venue didn’t allow professional cameras (the kind with a detachable lens), which is what I use for my concert photography to get crisp images even from a far distance. My mentor advised me to bring a point-and-shot camera because those are often allowed at any venue. I found one with a high capacity for zoom and snagged it the day of my show. I had some other point-and-shoot cameras recommended to me, but they were all pushing $1k and we’re not on that kind of budget over here!
I charged the camera before I left to 2/3 full, since I had to leave soon after securing the new camera. I glanced through the instruction manual to get an overview of the major components and headed to the concert!
When I got the new camera, it was bigger and bulkier than I expected. I was afraid I’d be refused entry when security checked my bag. However, they didn’t seem to mind at all. At this venue, there was standing-only room on the floor and seats in the balcony. However, the floor had three levels and the closest to the stage was pretty packed by the time I arrived. I went to the side of the stage to secure my spot about 45 minutes before the opener went on. I ended up in the second row of the second floor level. I was a bit raised up from the section closest to the stage and I had a pretty sweet view for the show since most people flocked to be at center stage.
During the opener, I tried out a few different settings and found most of my pictures were out of focus and/or the coloring was all wrong. I spent some time between the performers to Google shutter speed adjustments on the new camera. This helped because I was able to take pictures after that which were more clear/less blurred.
I tried to vary the settings I used and take as many pictures as I could in the hopes that one might turn out okay in the end. I was happily surprised with some of the shots I got!
Joshua Bassett, singing into microphone while looking up
The Golden Years Tour: Oakland, CA on August 30, 2024
Inevitably, the new camera shut down at one point because it was out of battery. I’m kind of grateful for that in a way because I was able to spend the remainder of the show more ~ present ~ and take everything in.
Photography Learnings
With the new camera, I learned about the difference between RAW and JPG files. Here’s my oversimplification: RAW images are easier to edit after the fact and JPG files can have minor changes after they’re taken, but not as much as RAW ones.
Nikon takes RAW files with a .NEF and Limux uses .RW2. Both are forms of RAW images
Digital vs Optical zoom:
Digital - zooming in and compromising the image quality. For example, imagine you take a group photo on your phone, upload it to Facebook and then zoom in on one person in the photo. They’ll likely be a little blurry / pixelated
Optical - “true” zooming in without compromising the image quality. For example, with a camera, you can often take an image of an item close up and zoom in to another item far away without the one further away being blurry
Joshua Bassett, looking into camera while singing and playing guitar
The Golden Years Tour: Oakland, CA on August 30, 2024
Show Recap
I had seen some videos online before the show, so I knew to expect a few things. However, there were MANY highlights. Being a fan of lists, I’ll share some of my show highlights with you:
The artist skipped back and forth across stage almost the entire time. How can you do that while singing??
Audience members were invited on stage to teach a new dance to the artist and crowd. Then, they performed during a song, while the artist danced along—what a fast learner!
The artist went into the audience to high-five and shake as many hands as possible. He even came to my section (second from the front on the floor)
During one song, the artist said, “I’ll be right back” then skipped off stage and returned with a sick keytar. I have a special place in my heart for these keyboard/guitar combos because they’re used almost exclusively at live events to give the musician more mobility while playing a mini piano. It always adds to the experience because it allows the musician the freedom to engage more with the audience while playing!
Joshua Bassett, playing keytar and smiling
The Golden Years Tour: Oakland, CA on August 30, 2024
Overall, I was reminded of why I’m doing this. I always feel a sense of community and belonging when I’m experiencing live music with others. Somehow music is a universal language that can connect us all, even when words can’t. I left the show hopeful for a better future and I’m grateful to everyone who helped me feel safe and in a greater community.
