The guys over at Radio Poppers have been busy. In case you don’t know, Radio Poppers combine the advantages of radio wireless systems like Pocket Wizards with the advantages of proprietary infra-red systems that allow you to transmit flash power and TTL data right from your camera. I’ve seen these units perform, and they look great, but I was holding out for the new models before I dove in and purchased my own set.

It looks like that wait is almost over! Yesterday I noticed two new announcements on the Radio Poppers blog: “P8’s and Jr. Canceled … Sort of.”, and Second Generation P1/P8 and Jr.

The short story is that the originally planned multi-channel P8 and Jr models (originally slated for August release) have been scratched, because the Radio Poppers team realized that they could make their planned next-generation 2010 launch this year… In other words, they’ve leapfrogged a whole generation of product development, and are now on the cusp of unveiling the second generation flagship Radio Popper unit (no name revealed, as of yet), along with a budget version that is targeted to compete with the cheap Cactus V2 triggers. There’s a lot more detail on the Radio Poppers blog, but it’s a bit much to wade through. I’ll keep you posted on the specs as they become available.

[Update: Pixsylated.com got a sneak peak at the new units. After reading, I'm even more excited about the announcement coming December 12!]

Gravity Presents: The 8th Annual White Party. This was my first gig at The Depot, and I must say, the venue ROCKS! Plenty of room to dance, lots of tables, an upstairs balcony overlooking the stage, three bars, the works. What a great venue for a party like this. As usual, the White Party vibe was amazing. These parties always attract the friendliest people around.

For this gig I brought my background stand and a white background. Special thanks go out to Jeff McGrath for manning the booth while I was shooting portraits on the dance floor. Check out Jeff’s Photos.

And, of course, My Full Gallery

View the full talk at YouTube

The 8th Annual White Party is coming next week. I’ll have a portrait booth set up. I’m giving away two free tickets on the VIP Club — sign up to win!

Get Freaky is the biggest electronic dance music event in Utah. This year, it featured MSTRKRFT, Kraftykuts, Felix Cartal, Deekline and Wizard, Jackal and Hyde, DJ Monk, Adam F, Breakbeat Mafia, and a whole bunch of other performers. Once again there was an amazing vybe for this show, particularly in the Future Sound of Breaks tent. I had a terrific time.

I faced some fairly unique photography challenges during this event. Ms Easy’s sparking grinder act jumps immediately to mind. They were literally hanging off the speakers at the front of the stage, and the audience was pushed back just a few feet. I had to be in close to capture the action — I didn’t have a photo pit to work with. I had sparks bouncing off my lens, flying in my hair… they burned a bit. I talked to the brave victim at a more recent show, and she told me that it was a little more painful than she expected it to be.

Again, the rooms were fairly dark, there’s a lot of motion, and the contrast between the darkened crowd and the bright stage lights presented an interesting challenge. It’s tough to get shots of the stage setup that are really representative of what it was like to be there in person. Nikon’s new DSLR line-up offers extended dynamic range, better shadow detail, and better high-ISO performance, which means that I should be able to shoot at a faster shutter speed with the new Nikon D90. That will reduce motion blur and make it easier to capture shots of the whole room. I’m looking forward to posting some comparison shots from future events.

Don’t miss the Full Gallery

Chelsea needed photos for the Incendiary Circus website. Chelsea and Drew are good friends, so this shoot was very relaxed and fun. I’ll brave the cold for these guys any time! =)

Full Set

East Bay Studio is one of the largest photography / video production studios in Utah, but few people in the industry know it exists, so they decided to host a little get-together hoping to put it on the map. The private event featured a fashion show, two live bands, and a lot of local photographers. While most of the other photographers were off shooting in the many locations available at the studio, I decided to concentrate on shooting the bands — because, well. I like music photography… but you already knew that.

For this shoot I used a pair of SB-600’s. One was mounted to a speaker stand using a Superclamp, and the other was mounted on a light stand. Both were mounted with umbrella elbows to aim the flashes. I used the 18-135mm superzoom DX lens, mainly for its versatile zoom range. It’s slow, but when there’s no ambient light to speak of and you’re creating your own light, that doesn’t matter as much.

For the last few shots of the second band I powered up the on-camera flash to fill in some shadows and create a distinctive look I’ve played with on a few other shoots. The style is the bastard love child of the lo-fi on-camera flash style that has been so hot recently, and the off camera strobist style. Using either style in concert photography is kindof rare. Using them both at the same time is… well, let’s just say a lot of other concert photographers think I’m bonkers. I think it creates a really interesting, raw look.

This is the effect:

View the full gallery.

Ki Events and Harry O’s teamed up to bring DJ Mag’s #1 DJ to Utah.

The world famous Harry O’s is well known for their Sundance Film Festival celebrations, but it’s a little out of the way for Salt Lake City residents. That didn’t matter Friday night for Armin’s enthusiastic fans. The club was packed!

The show was a resounding success, and Armin played skillfully to the energy of the crowd.

View Full Gallery