Photographing Abbatastic - turning a less ordinary venue into a studio.

Now let's be honest, Limavady Football Club is not the most glitzy venue to a) perform and b) photograph. So I spent the day thinking about how to photograph tribute band Abbatastic. Press photographers don't usually carry a large bunch of gear around with them: camera and flash gun basically (it's on camera to keep things really simple) and a notebook. For some things it's the best way, cheque presentations and the rest. For Abbatastic we have to turn things round a little bit.

So, in the car. My 1.5m x 2m black collapsable background and a few white reflectors. An SB-600 with a bounce card, and a camera - my Fuji S5 Pro.

The job doesn't start at 8pm, it starts at 5.30pm with a quick scan of the internet to see if the band are online. Double whammy blessing is a mobile number so I call the band asking if I can do some specific shots and can they be ready, dressed for as near as 8:15pm as possible. Next is a quick scan of the internet to see what covers Abba have done. A quick look at the "Definitive Collection" cover looks good: can be setup quick and it doable with what we have. More to the point I don't have quick access to a helicopter to do the "Arrival" cover. So my point of reference is defined, all I have to do is introduce myself and do the picture.



Brown Sugar are supporting and I know these guys they are a breeze to photograph, plus you just get festival chairman Peter Jack in the picture (white suit, white wall, perfect) and we're done.

I do the Abbatastic shots in the dressing room (it's actually the Limavady Utd boardroom), background up and young roadie Eamonn is immediately roped to be my assistant and VAL (voice activated lightstand). Now all I have to say to the band is "can we do something like the Definitive Collection" cover and before you know it Bernice has everyone in place. So two minutes to setup, a minute for a test shot and two minutes to arrange everyone.

So the shot for the paper takes no time at all, looks great and (more to the point) will be different to any of the press guys and the coucil photographer. Just takes a little bit of effort and (where possible) a phone call. So with the other ten minutes I photograph the rest of the band.



All you need is 15 minutes and little bit of planning.

It keeps things interesting if you are a press photog, the same type of pics can actually starting to wear you down. It all depends how creative you want to be. Obviously there are times you are never going to get to do all this. I've just decided to up my game, a lot.