It haunts my D90 like Sting’s proverbial ghost in the machine. I take hundreds of concert photos & it never fails that about 70% of them have some sort of wispy fingertip smudges all over them. Dang-blasted irritating blur!!!!
It’s my fault, I know this. Somehow someway I have messed up a setting somewhere, causing the blur to bleed over everything in its path. It drives me F***ING NUTS!!!!

I have an affinity, as I have been told more times than I can count, for capturing that “something”. I have “an eye”, they say. I take wonderful portraits of people, capturing their personality & life. That is what I keep hearing. But for the love of Elvis, sometimes I wonder if something isn’t blurring THEIR doggone eyeballs. Jeez, what is it that they see that I cannot???
Another debate for another blog. My photographic insecurities are not what I am babbling on & on about today. Nope, its blurry rock & roll. It’s my ability to capture a great guitar face yet, time & time again, upon opening the photo on my pc, there is finger blur or hair blur or just plain old blur EVERYWHERE.
It’s pitiful that I do this. I upgraded to a D90 from a D40; & got some pretty cool glass with a f1.8 that lets in all that wonderful light when the stage is sometimes pitch-black (ask me about The Radiators one day; they didn’t seem to want ANY lights on them at all – a photographer’s nightmare). At this time in my life I can’t afford the REALLY good camera & lens. I’m fresh out of a bad marriage & thankfully I am financially getting things back together. But one day I will be able to.
So I have to do what I can do at this moment in time with what I have. I continue to take hundreds of photos, because its just what I do, in hopes to capture a few good ones that the band or the club will like & post on their websites. I practice at mostly the mechanics because I seem to get THE SHOT, just not exactly in focus. I’ve had musicians play to my camera & I’ve been practically underneath them. One photo here, half a photo there is the outcome.
Frustrating beyond all definition of the word.
But there is hope & there is light at the end of this tunnel. I have some good photographs which have received some big-time compliments. I continue to go out there every couple of weeks & shoot bands in low-light staging, earning my dues. I’m making contacts with managers & PR people, other photographers & magazine editors. I’m getting advice & instruction from professionals & everyday shooters.
And you know what? Sometimes a little blur enhances the essence of a photograph. Score one for BLUR.

Top Photograph = Josh Gillie of Jane Doe's Dead
Bottom Photograph = Devon Allman of Honeytribe
BLUR
Music Playing = Picture Me Broken
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