At the Elbo Room

Donoma on stage at the Elbo Room. Click for the full set.

Took a road trip from K-Town to the depths of Chicago last night. Our goal? to hit a little bar on Lincoln Avenue called The Elbo Room. Why? To see one of our fave local bands, Donoma.

Donoma is a one of our fave bands over at Salon Uptown and at Drink and Draw. When we're having a show and they're free the gang is always happy to come over and donate their time to our patrons, doing a set or two to the delight of all the art goers.

Donoma on stage at the Elbo Room. Click for the full set.

Donoma was signed last night (4-27-10) to play The Elbo Room. They played a quick one hour set, along with three other bands hired to do the same. They played from 10-11. A few of us from Kenosha made the trek up to check them out.

You know, ya got ta represent K-Town.

Denyal on stage at the Elbo Room. Click for the full set.

While my passenger and I did not stay to see the final band, we did get a chance to see the last half hour of the second set, done by an Indiana Metal band called Denyal.

Kyle - another Wisconsinite - and I were talking after their set. "You know," said my Jam-Band fanatical friend, "I don't normally like Metal, but I would see these guys again."

Denyal on stage at the Elbo Room. Click for the full set.

My thoughts exactly, Kyle. My thoughts exactly.

Madison, Wisconsin Tax Day Tea Party

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With April 15th - Tax Day - hitting America right in the chops, Tax Day Tea Parties were planned for across the nation.

This Tea Party, held on the Capital grounds in Wisconsin's capital was probably very similar to one held in your own, or a nearby, town. 

I'm no news writer and am only arguably a news or event photographer. So I won't chance a story here. Frankly, I was there to get images to add in the incredible number either at or headed towards NowPublic. 

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However, I would like to attest to a couple of facts noticed while there - 

• Speakers claimed there were between 10,000 and 12,000 people in attendance. While I cannot speak for the numbers the capital grounds were packed thick with people through the center and off to both sides. 
• Everyone was incredibly polite, which is noteworthy because at many events this size such is not the case 
• Everyone was incredibly neat. The grounds were virtually litter free when everyone left
• Everyone was white. Well, not everyone. One speaker was a black minister. For the record, one of the protesters may have been either Indian or Pakistani.
• There were approximately 30 counter protesters (my estimate). They were all white.
• This protest was covered by several main stream media outlets. Certain organizers noted that in their speeches.
• Finally, as expected by some pundits, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson made public his intention NOT to run against liberal Senator Russ Feingold.

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Hell's Belles- an evening with the Chicago Roller Derby...

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As regards the event - 

Roller derby was a phenomena of my youth. It occupied a space in my childhood bounded by Bob Luce, Dick the Bruiser, Andre the Giant and a gaggle of old school wrestlers on one side and a sand lot game of slow pitch on the other. Roller derby, featuring the likes of the L.A. T-Birds and little Ralphie Valdez (the living legend Ralphie Valdez, I'll have you know) occupied a special place in my 10-year-old Sunday afternoons.

That in mind, I was thrilled to receive an invite from a FaceBook friend to watch her roller derby team - Chicago's own Hell's Belles - in action at the UIC Pavillion. 

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In brief, it was a really fun evening. The match was actually a double header - The Fury vs the Manic Attackers in the first match and the Bells vs the Double Crossers in the second. If you're interested in reading up more on the matches (or just want to learn more about Windy City Rollers' derby action in Chicago) you can read up by clicking right here.  

All I can say - non photographically - of the evening is that I plan to attend another of their matches and recommend you do too. My only warning is that if you intend to go, smuggle in some snacks or food. Unless you enjoy buying a $1.29 bag of Cracker Jacks for $4. But hey, it's your call.

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Some words about photo conditions

 If you shot this event and shot successfully, then I'd like to know how you got it done. No really... I would appreciate any hints you can give on how to make the shots work under roller derby conditions. 

This was my first time trying to catch such an event. I noticed from the pictures on the derby's web page - http://www.windycityrollers.com/ - that graininess seems to be inherent to shooting derby pics. I can accept shooting at 1600 (the fastest my current camera can shoot). In fact I love it. However, from their pics I also see that they likely shoot with a faster telephoto lens than I have access to. My best is a 28-250/4.0-6.3 Tamron lens.

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Frankly, if I sweated cash instead of salt water, I'd hit the elliptical and in an hour or so have enough cash to buy this lens -----> Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

This one would be acceptable, though not ideal -----> Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras The upside here is that I'd only have to spend thirty minutes on the elliptical. 

I think with either of these lenses I could gain another 1/100 of a second and thereby get shots like you see on the  Rollers' home page. No motion blurring like in so many of my shots.

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Three last thoughts -
1) if you have a chance to shoot this event DO NOT use the al servo auto focus function. I did this on the first 3/4's of my set. The action moves too fast and too unevenly for that function to be effective. Your reward for trusting al servo will be blur and nothing but.

2) I am going to try and get the Bell's to give me a floor pass so I can try another lens, a prime lens, to get better focus and exposure. Of course they will be given use of any good shots. But they also need to know that if I am not sure if this other lens will work. This will be another experiment - either we soar together or we flop together. 

3) and last... If you are a wealthy patron of crazed photographers please feel free to buy me either of the above lenses. But please know I would really appreciate the first lens, the 2.8. Not to be ungrateful, but it's my delusion, so I want to make sure it is th right one. 

Photographing a hafla...

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is a lot different than photographing an actual belly dance show. And in with "different" I have to include chancier.

No, it's not more chancy because haflas (Arabic word for informal parties) are not as practiced as shows.
It's because in a show you know where the performer will be playing to - out front to the several hundred people who paid to come see them. The dancers will be facing one way, and that makes it comparably easy for shutterbugs to stake out their places and be ready for the shots.

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This is not so at a hafla. Or at least any of the dozen or so haflas I have been to.

My brief experience is that there is no "front" for the performers to face, sometimes because the audience is in a tight arch around the dancers - like in some of the class rooms - or because the audience can be seated on either of two sides of the stage - like at the Mango.

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The best those with cameras can do is pick their side, second guess their shot and hope the dancer is kind enough to play to the camera.

These shots were taken at Zayna's monthly hafla at the Mango in Niles, Illinois. My thanks go to all the people who danced, for their time, talent and hospitality. Here's to hoping these pictures did them justice.

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