Music Photography by Joe Papeo

Photos: Jack White at Firefly Festival

The Woodlands, Dover, DE, 7.20.12 – I guess it’s kind of cool to have Jack White headline your festival since it seems like the year where you have him headline every major festival.  And when people talk about it they start to even complain a little about similar line-ups at every festival.  But it’s when you show up to a festival like Firefly and he first takes the stage you realize it’s Jack White that makes the festival cool.  And Jack’s not cool in a manufactured way, he’s cool because he just is.  He doesn’t wear something ironic or in any way try and manufacture it.  He is music’s answer to Johnny Depp.  But you can’t get away with just being cool, you need something to back it.  And the reason Jack White is cool is because he is just a bad ass musician who does things the way he wants to.

At Firefly, Jack stepped onto the stage and decided tonight he would play with his shoes off.  And no, tonight there would be no set list; he’ll make it up as he goes along.  But what probably makes Jack White as cool is he is is that he knows he is not always the coolest guy in the room, proving this at Firefly when he bowed to his drummer to acknowledge he knew he was taking a back seat to an amazing musician for just that moment.  And knowing it wouldn’t be the last time that night his persona would take a back seat.  Because when you can command a stage like he does, you know how to take it back immediately.  Check out my photos of Jack White at Firefly Music Festival by clicking through the link.

The lights for Jack White seemed less blue live then the first time I shot him but for some reason at Firefly Festival I had a tougher time correcting the blues, especially the skin tones.  Or else the rumor is true and Jack White is a vampire.  This show will go down as the most people I have seen in a photo pit.  60 photographers were allowed in the pit.  Some were even shooting with iPhones or a point and shoot.  Good times.  Add to that the people who stand against the stage and lift their camera over their head and you start to wish bodily harm on people.  While the pit was fairly large, 60+ people clamoring  for space to shoot is tough.  You like to have some room to move about and change your angles.  Not so on this night.  I rarely stick to one spot but you just weren’t getting through the crowds and getting a new, good spot.

www.jackwhiteIII.com

Check out Slide Show Below:

  • Full Gallery of Photos
  • See photos BIG
  • Purchase prints from the show

Equipment:

Canon 5D Mark IIICanon 5D Mark IICanon 7D
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IICanon EF 24-70mm f/2.8LCanon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS

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