Photos: Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort

Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
Black, white and red composite of Pretty Lights performing at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV...

It has only been about a year since I had the happy accident of coming across the music of Denver, Colorado based Pretty LightsDerek Vincent Smith, the man behind the moniker, has seamlessly crafted one of the most unique electronic music hyperniches that I’ve had the pleasure of coming across in my musical exploration known as life.  Take the crate-digging elements of past hip-hop sampling gods a la mid-to-late 90’s DJ Shadow and mix with the likes of A.D.D.-friendly electro mashup groups like The Glitch Mob and sprinkle in a dash of old school Philadelphia soul and you (essentially) have the music of Pretty Lights.  The music however, cannot even begin to describe what takes place at a Pretty Lights show here in late 2011.

The lighting is mindblowing, pure and simple.  For reasons beyond my journalistic prowess, I can only assume that the creators of this interactive organic lighting entertainment system have indulged in multifaceted psychedelia and aim to entrance concertgoers in ways never before achieved.  Photographing this madness was no easy task, but I was able to walk away with several shots that make me proud to hold my Nikon D7000 DSLR.  The attached Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens was fast enough to slow down the mile-a-minute lighting programming, while still communicating the excitement and elemental balance of the man at the helm.

The settings which I did keep static were the aperture and shutter speed at 1.8 and 1/250th of a second, respectively.  The ISO was something that I manually adapted to each stage as the lighting programs were unleashed, successfully utilizing a range of 100-3200 to achieve many favorable captures.  I invite you to view the full Pretty Lights gallery and share your favorites here and with your social networks; and for those of you who haven’t been to a Pretty Lights show in the past month or so — this is all brand-new — so get out there and rage on!

VIEW THE FULL PRETTY LIGHTS GALLERY HERE

Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
Pretty Lights taking the stage at GSR...
Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
Slightly reminiscent of Daft Punk's Alive 2007 tour...
Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
There are few words for how beautiful the interactive lighting was that evening...
Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
BOOM! Pretty Lights delivers a punch...
Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
Pretty Lights? Check. Lens Flare? Check...
Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
The man in the mist...
Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
A wider angle take on the sensational Pretty Lights live performance...
Pretty Lights Crowd @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
Silhouette of the raging Burning Man decompression crowd...
Pretty Lights Crowd @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
A spotlight washing over the sold out audience at Grand Sierra Resort...

 

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D


Go On, Treat Yourself to Something Nice!

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Super-Happy Fun Bonus Pics!!!

Pretty Lights @ Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV 2011-09-06
The happiest man ever...

Photos: Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House

Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV 2011-06-27
Zedd, hidden in a contrast of shadow and brilliant white...

Wow!  Zedd’s late June opening performance for Skrillex at Knitting Factory Concert House still remains quite memorable even after a couple endless weeks of summertime have since passed by.  While the bartenders looked a little bored, the youthful crowd was beyond energetic to say the least.  There were party people dancing with LED gloves, glowsticks and fuzzy knee-high boots, visors, sunglasses and raver candy galore … all getting down to a progressive, yet slightly commercial (yes, we did hear Lady Gaga) mix of electro house and dubstep.  Admittedly, it has been about ten years since I last attended a (il)legitimate rave party, and I can safely say that if this young DJ/producer/remixer couldn’t get you dancin’ … you need to invest in getting your mojo back!

Shooting this show was beyond challenging, but the crowd definitely made up for any lack of usable stage lighting; photographically at least.  While my trusty Nikon D7000 was fitted with the legendary Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens, which makes up my usual standard for low-light shooting these days, it was a welcome challenge to compose shots using the white floods as a backdrop; which offered a more silhouette-based approach for close-ups and forced me out of my usual photographic ‘bubble’.  ISO’s ranged from 1000-1250 and shutter speed/aperture remained constant at 1/250th of a second and 1.8, respectively.  If you like what you see below, please check out the full gallery for even more and hit the like/tweet buttons to share with your friends … Zedd and I thank you in advance!

VIEW THE FULL ZEDD GALLERY HERE

Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV 2011-06-27
A celebratory pose; the bass will consume you...
Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV 2011-06-27
Zedd Crowd wylin out at The Knit...
Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV 2011-06-27
An elevated crowd absorbing massive waves of bass...
Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV 2011-06-27
Even the upstairs crowd likes to get down...

 

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D


Go On, Treat Yourself to Something Nice!

Do you buy stuff online? Do you buy camera stuff online? If this post or anything else on ishootreno.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and making your next photo gear, music or general purchase through one of our affiliate links:

Every time our readers buy new gear through our affiliate links, it helps us bring to the table more of that which brought you here in the first place — the ‘money’ shots!

The best part?!  It doesn’t cost our readers anything extra to show their support!

If our readers do pick up some new gear, please drop us a line … we always love to hear about your new additions!

Comments, Praise, Feedback?  We’re all ears!

Please let us know what you thought of this post on ishootreno.com!

Super-Happy Fun Bonus Pic!!!

Zedd @ Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV 2011-06-27
Full-on blast of white light during Zedd's performance...