...And the band played on.

Today I happened upon a concert.  Actually I heard the music and walked over to the nursing home next door.  The facility was celebrating National Nursing Home Week with a big cookout and a concert by the band and orchestra from West Mecklenburg High School here in Charlotte.  I did what any practitioner of the photographic arts would have done in a similar situation, I took my camera and snapped a few pictures.  

I love taking nature and animal photos and I really like product shots, but for sheer human interest you can't beat people.  In a crowd of people, there are always plenty of great subjects at any given time.  The key of course is to be in position to get the shot at just the right time.

These kids were great and what a joy for music and dance they brought.

Here are some of my favorites:

Click on any picture for a larger image

This is orchestra director Johnathon Sullivan conducting.  I love that his hands are blurry showing motion.  This is accomplished by using manual settings and a lower shutter speed, in this case, I believe it was 1/40 second.

Band members waiting their turn to perform.  The orchestra went first so the band had some time to kill and I liked the visual of these guys just sitting with their instruments, obviously enjoying each other's company.  This is much better as a candid than if I had posed them.

This young lady, a ninth grader, performed a beautiful violin solo.

I'm not sure why I like this one but something about the sousaphone and drums on the ground and the band members chilling out while the orchestra plays.

I really liked this shot of these girls getting ready to play.  A tight shot like this is often more interesting than a wider shot.  Look for opportunities to get close when you are shooting in a crowd.  Be sure to get some wide shots but always look for an interesting close-up.  For me the fingernail polish makes this one.

I liked it so much, I cropped it and desaturated everything but the polish.

A nice close-up of the drum line. A slower shutter speed blurred the drumsticks.

 The bright sun glinting off the brass makes a nice shot.

 This talented young lady was one of the dancers.

The concert is over and the only thing left to do is load up and head back to school. I liked the way these music stands seemed to sprout out of the grass.

The next time you are out riding around, keep your camera with you and your ears open, you never know what you might encounter.

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