Anya Marina
My Beginning Photojournalism class's weekly assignment was to shoot an event of some sort, subject of our choosing, so Erika suggested looking in The Metro. Me being who I am, Anya Marina's cute picture jumped out at me, as well as the fact that the show was free the next day (Saturday) at the Coffee Society, where I've been many times for various meetups.
Also, one of her songs had played on Grey's Anatomy, which I'd just started getting into. And I tend to like quirky and humorous folky singer-songwriters anyway, like Dar Williams and Allette Brooks. Anyway, I sampled some of her stuff via MySpace (first time I used that feature). Not enough listens to make a full judgment, but I liked it well enough.
So I figured I might as well go shoot it. Even if I didn't get any good shots, I'd probably enjoy the show anyway. Erika, unfortunately, wasn't too interested in going if I was going to be taking pictures. I had mentioned this to her the day before and thought she was planning on coming along, so I was a bit disappointed, but still planned to shoot it. A couple hours beforehand, I sent out a rare shout to dodgeball about the show.
For those not familiar with dodgeball, it's yet another social networking tool thingamabob where you can use your cell to text message all your friends, contacts, fans, and creepy stalkers your whereabouts. It's a service that Courtney's always raving about, but I was never much one for text messaging, and never figured out how to use the damn thing until I asked her to walk me through it at the Best of 2005 CD Mix Exchange that earthdog organizes.
I still hadn't used it much, since most of the local people on it are all up in San Francisco, but I'd actually made rare use of it the day before, noticing that the dreamy Eris Stassi had made a rare South Bay check-in at Dave & Busters in Milpitas, just down the street from where I worked. Needing to practice my rusty stalking skills ( 18 units of classes hadn't left much room for quality Natalie Portman time), I decided to stop by before work, but I wasn't able to find her until shortly before I had to leave. So unfortunately, didn't have time for much other than hellos. At least I got a chance to get another glimpse of her (sans camera, unfortunately), and she claimed to remember who I was, which I guess might be a good thing. Or not. Who knows?
Anyway, enough about dodgeball and Eris. I'm not sure the chemistry is there anyway. This is a post about Anya Marina. Anyway, I was trying to read up more about her in case I had a chance to talk to her before shooting, and was also downloading the Grey's Anatomy episode via bittorrent (it had aired before I started watching the show). I'd planned on getting there early to check the lighting and get a good location, but I lost track of time and had to pack all my equipment up real quick and rush out the door (before the episode had finished downloading -- our DSL connection sucks). When I got there, my heart sank as I saw a large crowd and video equipment set up.
I had half a thought to just leave, but I went in and walked around. There were a couple of seats in the back room, so I could still at least sit and enjoy the show if I couldn't get shots. So I ordered a cappuccino and, of course, a cookie, and asked if it was okay if I stood to watch the show. The guy wasn't sure, but said it was probably fine until somebody complained. So I staked out a spot near where they were setting up and munched on my cookie.
I had forgotten that there was an opening act, Life with Jonas (presumably not this Jonas). They seemed to be setting up. They seemed to have a guy there with a professional-looking camera who was also operating the video equipment, so I wasn't sure whether they would mind me taking shots. So I went up to them and asked, and of course they were fine with it.
I was a little nervous, so I forgot to ask whether they'd be okay with flash use and all that, but I was hardly the only one there with a camera (indeed, somebody seated in front of me also had a Canon digital SLR with an L-series lens), and everybody else used flash with no hesitation, so I went ahead and used it as well. This meant I could use my new 24-70 F2.8 zoom lens instead of one of my 1.8 primes, which made it easier to get a variety of shots even though there wasn't any room to move around. The band wasn't mind-blowing, but they were pretty good and played a high-energy set with some nice grooves (even though they had to tone it down and go acoustic). And they were clearly enjoying themselves, which is always cool to see. I particularly liked the drummer's double bass drum usage. And they did a cool cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven."
Anya took the stage, and I snapped away. She didn't look how I expected, mostly cuz she wasn't sporting the young schoolgirl look that she has in all of her promo material. Still cute and as sexy as hell, so I snapped away and got a few decent shots. From some of the interviews I read, I also expected her to be edgier and with attitude, but her music was more conventionally soft and folky. Perhaps because she didn't have a backing band with her.
Anyway, she has an incredibly cute voice that kinda reminds me of Juliana Hatfield (no doubt the reason she looks so young in her promo material). Partway through the set, I got a dodgeball message that Kevin Bjorke was at Coffee Society. I looked around and spotted him near the counter and waved, and he waved back. I was still busy taking shots (I'm not nearly as good a photographer as he is, so my keeper ratio is really low), so again, we didn't get a chance to say much more than hello, since he took off before the set was over. I kinda felt bad not chatting with him more. I guess I just have not been all that social lately despite being out and about.
Anyhow, Anya also told some amusing stories about her family and stuff. Clearly comfortable in front of the microphone, which makes sense given that she started out as a DJ. I kinda wish I wasn't taking pictures, since it's hard to relax and enjoy at the same time you're looking for a shot. I did make a point to consciously put the camera down from time to time to just enjoy the show, but it's hard to completely turn off the part of your brain that notices good moments to capture, even if you already know that you won't be able to catch them in time. Ah well. Hopefully that's something that gets better as you gain confidence in being able to get good shots.
Anyway, after the show, I decided to buy a CD and ask if I could take a portrait. I always get star-struck no matter who it is, so I didn't make much conversation beyond the usual fannish blabber, but at least I did ask for the portrait, and she was really nice and posed for me. She said she probably looked tired, but I think it came out really nice (although I think the real credit goes to her pretty face and my dependable 50mm f1.8 prime lens). Even if I don't end up using any of the photos for my class, I think the whole thing was worth it for the portrait. That, plus she autographed my CD. w00t!
Anyway, more photos available here.