Its not everyday that you see someone wearing a gas mask.  In fact, the last time I saw someone wearing a gas mask was during a zombie apocalypse film; and truthfully, civilization just isn’t to that point yet.  Realistically, I probably just need to go to Burning Man, and then this might not seem so extraordinary to me.  On the other hand, during that rainy evening of Sunday, June 5th, it was pure magic.

By magic, I’m referring to the stellar lineup found at The Underground in Reno, NV which was comprised of a slew of local musicians (NoBody Really we’re looking your direction), artists (Ashley Drake you’re awesome) and the hip hop legend whose parking spot I almost (unknowingly) stole, Pharoahe Monch.

As the show began, DJ Boogie Blind (X-Ecutioners), MeLa Machinko and Showtyme took the stage in saluting poses, the crowd packed in tightly against the monitors and our shutter began clicking away.  After a quick swipe from stage right to center and back again, I was in the perfect position to capture Pharoahe Monch’s arrival, gas mask and all.

In the two earlier postings from the evening of June 5th, I had noted that the venue was quite dark, especially if the performer(s) didn’t step all the way up to the front of the stage, extending themselves over the monitors. This did make for a challenging shoot, but luckily I was prepared for the worst, and hoping for the best.

That being said, I found that while shooting on my Nikon D7000 (Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens) it was important to keep the aperture wide open at 1.8, my shutter speed relatively fast at 1/250th of a second and the ISO cranked up to 3200.  Admittedly, my thumb did take the shutter speed up a little bit accidentally at a couple moments in the evening (1/200th of a second was the fastest I noted), which may or may not be represented in one or more shots in the full gallery.

There are several crowd shots also included in the gallery, as there was an obvious and direct connection between those performing on-stage and the excitement found in the air, shared throughout the room.  In short, this was a show to remember for everyone in attendance, for a period lasting no less than a lifetime.

VIEW THE FULL PHAROAHE MONCH GALLERY HERE

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D

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