John Brown’s Body Tractor Tavern 12/19/08

John Brown’s Body is reggae band originally from Ithaca, NY and Boston, MA known for playing original material. Having released a number of albums and a consistent touring schedule, they have created a large following. The groups latest CD, Amplify, topped the reggae charts at #1.

Performing at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, a neighborhood of Seattle, WA, John Brown’s Body performed to a full audience, playing a set that made sure no one was standing still. With the Band having to cancel their gig the night before, the crowd was excited to see them take the stage. Seattle was in middle of a major snowstorm that made it challenging to get to the venue. I was able to shoot the show by contacting the Band’s Management who was helpful in securing the ability to shoot at the venue.

The Tractor Tavern is a music club that has one large room with the stage placed in the back. The stage is very small especially when you place 8 band members up there! It seemed as if there was very little room to move around. The stage is about 2 feet off the ground, which created some challenges when trying to shoot from mid way back. One of the opening acts asked that they turn down the lights a bit and the club never seemed to raise them back to the level they were at first. The lack of light on other members other then the lead singer proved to be difficult to capture them with the camera. The constant movement of the crowd was also hard at times to position myself to capture the best shot.

I found myself using 3 Lenses to shoot this show. My Nikon 10.5mm f2.8 fisheye was able to capture the whole stage and band. I enjoy shooting with this lens the most, as I was able to shoot right in front as well as towards the back of the room. However, I felt I was still pushing it at f2.8. The next lens I used was my Nikon 50mm f1.8 and my Nikon 105mm f2.8. I used this from the side of the room about halfway back. Not expecting to need to use 3 lenses, I only brought my D300 so I had to take the time to switch between lenses.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, below are some of the best photos from the evening. If you ever have the chance to see or photograph John Brown’s Body, I highly recommend it and am confident you will find it worth your time.