I was at the Exeter Phoenix again last night to shoot the hugely popular Nick Mulvey. Despite the gig being sold out, it felt like an intimate affair with subdued lighting and the fans crowded right up to the edge of the stage. Not ideal conditions for great concert imagery but it did make for a great night of music.

Supporting Nick was the very talented musician Sivu. Here he is working his magic on the stage:

One of the really cool things about shooting gigs is the back stage access. I've been lucky enough to meet some real characters back there and they always have an interesting story to tell. Some of the kit the crew turn up with is also amazing. Just check out the mixing desk below:

The person manning the desk lost one of his custom ear buds and I helped him find it which is was really grateful for. I think it was something to do with the £500 price tag. And that's per ear!

And finally, here is Nick doing his stuff.

See you next time on the Unplugged Blog!

I love going out in the evening to shoot gigs. Sometimes you'll be familiar with the band, maybe even a fan, but more often than not you're going to see them for the first time. Good preparation demands that you research the acts you are going to shoot so you can position yourself for the best shots. My research for this night quickly revealed it was going be a loud night of rock and I was looking forward to it!

As always on the Unplugged Blog, here are a couple of shots from the night that caught my eye in the virtual darkroom.

First up on the stage at the Exeter Phoenix was Save Your Breath.

Without a doubt these guys from Wales really got the crowd going and warmed up for the main act of Kids In Glass Houses.

Kids In Glass Houses - Aled Phillips doing a little solo number.

I managed to capture some great images of the night. It always helps when you shoot artists that know how to use the stage.

Keep an eye out for a full gig review over on MusicMuso.

On a technical note...

As I mentioned on the blog last time I was unable to process the RAW files straight out of the camera. This was hampering my workflow. I'm pleased to say that I can now at least convert the RAW (NEF) files to Adobe's DNG format. While this increases the length of the image workflow, it does mean I can now extract the maximum amount information from the image. Which is always a good thing.

Sivu and Nick Mulvey

Save Your Breath and Kids In Glass Houses