To say this was a tough shoot would be an understatement. Having seen The XX the last time they came through town at the tiny DC9, I knew ahead of time that they prefer to play in the dark. So I was leasently surprised when I walked into 6th & I Synagouge at 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon for the group’s matinee show, because there was a lot of ambient light in the venue from all the stained glass windows.
Because of the two different types of light (ambient light at the top of the venue, concert lighting in the stage area) metering this show was a serious challenge. The ultra bright spotlights the band used weren’t helping things either. If I went wide I got photos like this:
And if I zoomed in I got photos like this:
So I ended up trying to strike a balance between the two. No one ever said shooting concerts in places of worship would be easy.
The band did give a few minutes after their gig to get a quick portrait.
Here’s the full photo set:
The XX at 6th & I Synagouge – Images by Kyle Gustafson
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