Recently I was invited to a party organized by Disorder magazine. One of the bands playing live was The Electric City.
Unlike the Water Rats just down the road, the upstairs stage in The Lexington had very minimal lighting. I had to get creative. I began by dragging the shutter, mixing the motion blur with crisp flash photography. The photos though were pretty gaudy, due in no small part to the mixture of different colour temperatures; motion blur was bright orange, whereas sharp detail was pale.
Black and white can lend an image a whole different atmosphere if used wisely. Colour casts are neutralised, cluttered stages are homogenized, and tired skin is rejuvenated. That's why a lot of music photography is still rendered black and white. The fastest films are monochrome too, essential in the low-light environment of a music gig.
