I am a lover of local indie music since teenager and in the corner of of mind i still recall days of going to Substation and secluded venues to have a taste of the anti-establishment scene. Back then there was no internet but BBC radio, Big-O magazine, Da Da Records, Valentine Record as well as home made mix-tape to satisfy the rock and roll dream.
Move forward 20+ years later to 2011, the folks have grown up and those that still around are really doing it because of their love of music and who they are: creator of music. One such band i faithfully follow is the critically acclaimed, The Observatory.
In April, they announce they are curating a 6-part series called PLAYFREELY. The idea is a kind of open-concept jam, a ‘playroom’ for musicians from different backgrounds and practices, to come together and share in a musical experience. It is not a performance but a get-together, to explore and express through improvisation.
I jump at the idea to use mainly my 50mm Summilux to capture the event as well as to learn how to shoot in low light with a digital rangefinder. As I know it will probably be an intimate affairs and that I could really get close to the performers, so I wrote to Vivian from the Obs for permission to shoot. She says no problem as long as I don’t move about during performance!
Here is what I encounter during shooting: It’s challenging because of low light with the hall illuminated by the scattering of assorted IKEA table lamps accompany the musicians. I can hardly see the focusing patch clearly and sometimes I have to just estimate. Aperture Priority is useless and manual setting is king. But, i cannot even see my shutter dial in the dark clearly.
Shooting such performance was a great experience as I got to know the limitation of my M8 and how to make the most of the situation. Also in the back of my mind is how to attempt to convey music into sights. Shooting recklessly is not an option as most performance are really QUIET (except for Session 1 & 6), you can hear drop of a pin at times. Imagine the shutter sound of the camera “Cluck…ziiiip” and how I got quite conscious of it! However, later I learn to go with the flow and adopt the thought that the audience wouldn’t really mind if they concentrate on the performance.
For the 3 months period of April to July’11, I am happy to be able to connect my 2 love in a single event: photography and music. Along the way, i got to acquaint fellow lover of music & photographers at the event (some use X100, DSLR etc, i’m the only RF guy) and we had a blast shooting! What was unexpected from it all is that one of the photo got featured on the cover page of Straits Times Life section as the article talks about the development of local experimental music scene!
It’s still a long way in my RF journey but I am having fun as I go along and in my own little way, i hope I can contribute and give back to the local indie scenes.
Photographer: Martin Chua
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