Gospel Bell

ancient_mariner

ancient_mariner

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Toni
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Is an acoustic gospel blues band based in North Oxfordshire, playing regularly in Adderbury and Shipston on Stour, plus other gigs as they arise. I've been playing with them since about June: we're all characters one way or another, and photographing the guys from the inside seemed like a potentially interesting project. The lineup is flexible (this kind of music doesn't need much learning, so it's easy for guys to come & go) and occasonally one or two better known local musicians sit in as well, which makes life interesting, especially when they're really good. So I'll be trying to take pictures each time we play out, to see if I can bring back some of the different characters.

Sean - ex performer, now retired and quite unwell.
Gospel Bell Mono-5105 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

John - profession unknown to me.
Gospel Bell Mono-5106 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Don - shop steward
Gospel Bell Mono-5108 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Richard - university professor
Gospel Bell Mono-5111 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Dave - retired, runs the local Morris
Gospel Bell Mono-5134 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospel Bell Mono-5135 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospel Bell Mono-5145 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospel Bell Mono-5143 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr
 
A good set that tells a story, captures the atmosphere and the feel of the band, works well in B&W.

Chris
 
Thanks Chris.

Looking through them now, I can see all the classic mistakes about things growing out of people's heads, but OTOH this is a pub band (in a small and very dark pub) & not a wedding shoot. My excuse is that I took these at times when I stopped playing, and position was a bit fixed.
 
I like the idea and the pics. But prefer the colour versions on Flickr.

That bass ukulele is cool!
 
Lovely mood to these pictures Toni, you can tell that the performers love what they're doing.
Looking forward to seeing more.
 
Interesting set Toni, I think they work well in mono. They all look a set of characters.
 
Thanks Gents - we're all a bunch of 'characters'. I'm actually a little divided between colour and mono, so we'll see what the next lot are like. We're playing at the Horseshoe in Shipston on Stour next Tuesday, so will take the camera along again then. Hopefully it will be a little lighter. :)
 
I like the second set, but prefer the first - I think B&W adds the atmosphere, how about adding a B&W copy of the second set?

Chris
 
I might well do that Chris. Last night things were a bit late & I got back from the gig at near 11.3, then started choosing and processing.
 
It's been a little while since I last uploaded, and we've had 2 gigs since including on e this afternoon (where I didn't take a camera).

Having established a baseline set of images, I don't want to keep just adding more of the same, and both Don and Sean have been well represented already. I do have one of David the guitar player up there already, but really liked these 2: 1 pre and one mid gig.
Gospel Bell-5516 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospel Bell-5522 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gillian has played with us a few times since I've been around, and the first time that I played with the guys she was there, wanting to sing "You've got a friend" so we just sat down together - she sang and I played. She also works hard to get us gigs outside the usual pubs.
Gospel Bell-5539 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

And lastly Dave the Morris - you'd never guess this respectable looking chap is a Rolling Stones fan.
Gospel Bell-5555 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr
 
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It's good to see this collection growing, you capture the feel of the atmosphere - I still like the B&W best.

You do realise Toni, that to complete the collection you have to appear on the other side of the lens!

Chris
 
Foxbat Flyer said:
It's good to see this collection growing, you capture the feel of the atmosphere - I still like the B&W best.

You do realise Toni, that to complete the collection you have to appear on the other side of the lens!

Chris
Click to expand...

Thank you - I'll do my best. :)

I'm wondering about some re-processing into mono the the colour versions, so maybe that will happen.
 
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The last set work best for me. I do not know if it is the tones or that you have got in closer... probably both....
 
Nice set, looks like fun too (y)
 
Thanks for your comments everyone.

Terrywoodenpic said:
The last set work best for me. I do not know if it is the tones or that you have got in closer... probably both....
Click to expand...

Terry, the first set were taken with a 50mm f1.8, while the second and third sets with an 85mm f1.4 (samyang) with the third in a smaller pub room. I've also cropped to 4X5 format for the third set, which places the subject a little further to the fore, and shot at 3200 instead of 6400, which might have helped the tonal range a little.
 
Foxbat Flyer said:
It's good to see this collection growing, you capture the feel of the atmosphere - I still like the B&W best.

You do realise Toni, that to complete the collection you have to appear on the other side of the lens!

Chris
Click to expand...

OK, I'm the good looking one on the right who isn't in any of the photos above - this from Saturday at St. Marys in Adderbury at their Christmas Tree festival.

 
I have to agree. I'm liking the mono ones better. The attention is more focused on the performers rather than any distracting surroundings and clothing.
 
I definitely prefer the B&W images, don't know why, but removing the colour adds something - the pictures are more involving.

The video is good, I like the rehearsal video too - it's a good band that you have there.

Chris
 
Thanks gents. There's a bit of massaging going on with the conversion, but I'm glad I was nudged into doing the work.

As for the videos, they're down to Giles, the son of the chap in the first 2 images of this set. The band is a fun project, with the prime movers being Don (the chap who looks like Thorin Oakenshield) and Sean (not in the video here) who are both very able performers. It's easy being a sideman to good frontmen.
 
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Time and inclination have been lacking - there's a bunch of images still waiting to post as well. TBH although the portraits are nice, I'm not feeling it for the sense of it being a band, and need to find another way to take pictures. It's difficult too, because I only have one or two songs that I can drop out & shoot.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Maybe a lower angle and a wider lens might help with the sense of being in the band? Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Yup - or a higher one. All apart from the first set were shot using my 85mm Samyang (and all at 6400iso/f1.7-2) hence they all have the same look. I'll break out the ultra-wide sigma shortly, though lack of light is a real problem.

Catching up some more:

GospelBell-6095 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

GospelBell--9 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

GospelBell--8 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

GospelBell-6081 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr
 
I've been taking photos but not been especially happy with them recently, however last Tuesday's gig producing a few that I feel a little happier with, managing a bit of eye contact occasionally.

Gospelbell-8067 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospelbell-8069 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospelbell-8073 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospelbell-8076 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospelbell-8088 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospelbell-8090 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Gospelbell-8092 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

It's difficult to get time out from playing to do much more, and Richard the bass player (2 and 3 above) has started bringing his camera along to take pictures of ME!
 
Toni,

This latest set is a great addition to the series. A lovely collection of portraits of working musicians - you capture the atmosphere well.

Chris
 
Thank you gentlemen. Space is limited, and so I tend to be restricted to shooting from where I play, hence the fixed viewpoints. After Christmas I started using a smaller bodied guitar that allowed me to sit & play, and these were taken from a seated position, jammed into a corner of the bar.
 
I took these before the last lot that were posted a couple of weeks back. It wasn't a great session - photography wise - and it's taken a while to feel inclined to process the least weak of them, even though they should really go into the set.

gospelbell-7763 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

gospelbell-7962 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

Sean, horsing around when he saw I had the camera. Yes, I mostly missed focus.
gospelbell-7983 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

gospelbell-7990 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

This is the least displeasing one of the set - to me, at any rate.
gospelbell-7967 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

I took just a couple of pics at this weeks gig & haven't got around to uploading them to the PC yet.
 
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I think the first and last of this lot are among the best yet. The first one gives a good impression of what the set up really is.
 
Thanks Dave. Perhaps I'm really a portrait photographer at heart. :)
 
I'm parking this for now. We're playing quite a bit, but I don't have anything fresh to bring at present.
 
I've really enjoyed this thread Toni, thanks for posting a great collection.

Good luck with your gigs,

Chris
 
Thanks Chris. We had a fun time this last Tuesday, where another guitar player brought a new epiphone 335 copy he'd just bought & I brought a strat, instead of playing acoustic. I ended up with very sore fingers and a realisation that I've not played lead properly in quite a long time.
 
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