This photo gallery was originally published on D Magazine (Click To View)

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to shoot a very special performance by St. Vincent with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as part of the DSO's inaugural Soluna Festival. It was my first time shooting at the AT&T Performing Arts Center's Winspear Opera House--it was a beautiful setting to shoot in.

Of course, nothing is ever as good as it seems. Usually the bigger the artist and the grander the venue the more restrictions there are as was the case this night. On this night I was fortunate enough to have a seat for the beginning of the show, but only for the first six songs. After that is when she began to perform with the Dallas Symphony and is when I was allowed to shoot my three songs with the other photographers in the building. I can't begin to explain how nervous and flustered I felt. We only had two spots to stand in in the venue--a walkway near an exit and a mezzanine stage right. Both were no less than 50 yards away. Because of this I was concerned about the variety of shots I'd be able to capture for a photo gallery I had due for D Magazine. On top of the shooting restrictions the lights changed about as fast as a blink of the eye.

It's moments like that these that you really have to know the ins and outs of your camera. I was changing settings so fast and adjusting to changing light so quickly that I couldn't afford to waste any time fumbling with my camera's settings or chimping. I just had to trust my knowledge.

After those three songs, I unfortunately didn't have an opportunity to see the rest of the show as the photographers were escorted out, but I'm grateful to have been able to witness of the best performances I've ever seen. If you ever get a chance to see St. Vincent live do it! Walking out of the venue I didn't feel good at all about the photos I got, but in the end I was really happy with the variety I captured and how I was able to work with the rapidly changing available light.