#max gregor

If you ever need further evidence of my level of insanity when it comes to taking pictures, these pictures of Lemuria should be it. In the world of fun coincidences, I was going to be home for the holidays the same time Lemuria was going to play one of my old favorite venues: Black Cat. Since we were renting a car, it only made sense drive up to DC a few days before xmas to do some work. I reached out to the band when I made the revelation and asked if they would be interested in getting some shots. It turned out that show was the last stop on the tour, so they asked if they would get some shots of Prince and them together to commemorate the tour. It was fun goofing around in the back alley with these famously nice people who lived up to every bit of that reputation. The last photo is a happy accident of Sheena when I was adjusting the focus. Based on that expression alone, I feel like she would make a great model. How could you not photograph a face with so much character?

The show itself was an interesting experience. The venue didn’t allow flash and I was a little distraught. For the first time in a while, I was forced to shoot an extremely low light show with only ambient lighting. I ended up really enjoying the results from forcing myself to play with different aspects of framing with light and shadow and available items on stage, like mic stands. It has definitely influenced my shooting style as 2015 has gone on because if there is on constant I have learned is that you can’t always shoot with a flash, so it helps to know how to use what is around, even if it’s shit.

Lemuria at the Black Cat in DC on 12.23.2014