LETS TALK ABOUT…. SPIKE HELLIS.
If there are three words that are able to completely summarize and encapsulate my emotions after their show, I’d have to go with
“HOLY-FUCKIN’-SHIT”
I am always a fan whenever a body of work/project is able to tap into all aspects of sensory stimulation, and Spike Hellis is a perfect demonstration of such.
I stumbled upon the single “SLICES” from their self-titled album right around the announcement of their North American tour, and as soon as that song was over, I was dialed in-
1-888-FKN-WEAK
I needed to see them live and emulsify the night on some 35mm film. I reached out to them wondering if I could embark on this mission and they happily agreed, however cautioning me with
“We are not an easy band to snap though haha”
Now, by this point, I’ve dabbled in a decent amount of weird lighting conditions shooting for artists like Kontravoid, Blu Anxxiety, and Boy Harsher, so naturally I was like “I FREAKIN’ GOT THIS BABY!” However, this was weeks before the show, and a couple days before they posted on their Instagram story about this brand new synchronized lighting system they recently acquired for this tour…
I most DEFINITELY underestimated this set up.
FAST FOWARD
Setting: TV EYE in Brooklyn, right in front of the stage, waiting for the venue’s velvety curtains to open up. Suddenly, all the lights cut out…
Gulp.. yeah, I think I understand what they mentioned earlier.
Right out the gates, I quickly realized everything was going to come down to T I M I N G.
Their intricate lighting system started out with a slow, low pulse resembling the booting up of some massive machine that soon progressed into a controlled chaos.
Rhythm was a crucial component to all this. I found myself bobbing and weaving, camera up to my eye, learning the mechanics of this complex sequence: waiting for snares that triggered staccato green lights.
I’ve spoken in previous posts how many variables there are to concert photography, whether its the sporadic lighting, the movement of the crowd, or the films I bring. However, one thing has remained constant in every experience,
I don’t use flash.
There’s several reasons behind this:
- I might be a little scared of flash lol
- Sometimes flash can be distracting
- I think I have made it my own style for when I shoot shows
- It forces me to adapt to my environment. Relying on my ability to use certain lighting to my advantage and quickly manipulate my camera’s settings in order to capture the essence of the performance.
Before the show started, I noticed the two other photographers that were there…
and they both had flash (gulp #2)
At that point, I will say I felt a bit of Flash Envy as some intimidation settled in, but I knew I had to just buckle myself up for the ride and do what it is we do!
_____
_____
_____
First roll I shot was Kodak TMAX 3200 (pushed +1 stop). I wanted to catch some grit and I knew in monochrome (especially with pushing for extra contrast) that there would be cool textures with how the lights flared out and it would look sort of smokey with their figures popping in and out of existence.
_____
_____
_____
I was pretty pleased with the black and white images! A lot of the highlights served as the perfect backdrop to silhouette Elaine’s figure, bringing a sort of stillness to the fast-paced tempo of the night.
Baked shots 🙁 I think it’s important to show that NOT ALL SHOTS COME OUT GOOD
However, I was in a rush to get through that roll at the halfway point of the show. The energy was picking up fast, and these colors, oh boy these colors were meant for some Cinestill 800T (which I always push +2 stops for shows).
So, as soon as that TMAX ran the end of the line, I managed (more like struggled) to throw in that 800T, and was locked and loaded for some saturated colors and movement…
However, sometimes when color film is pushed too much in lower light settings, all that color, all that grain, and all the shadows get totally
b a k e d.
Black and white film is much more forgiving in this situation. But, when color film sits in chems longer than usual, colors start to shift, shadows turn green, and all the contrast makes the damn thing look like a screenshot off a Nintendo 64 console.
Thankfully, the couple images of Cortland turned out pretty cool! The red-orange glow surrounding him feel like flames that in combination with their performance-
Completely consumes all in attendance.
