Thursday, March 28, 2024

Students experience concert photography

September 14, 2009

Media Arts and Technology sophomore Reina Ajluni photographs the Lansing-based band Narc Out the Reds on Monday evening on the roof of the Communication Arts and Sciences parking structure. Telecommunications 242 practiced photographing bands in preperation for its upcoming assignment to shoot BluesFest, which is happening this weekend in Old Town.

Photo by Georgia Rhodes | The State News

On the fifth floor of the Communication Arts and Sciences Building parking ramp, a unique opportunity for students from Telecommunications 242, The Digital Image, was held Monday.

A local band, Narc Out The Reds, played atop the parking structure with the entire class as their press, creating a crowd of more than 200. The event was formulated by professor Henry Brimmer, who designed the class and wanted his students to be prepared for their upcoming assignment of photographing the Old Town BluesFest in Lansing, which is going to be held Friday and Saturday.

“My students went to the BluesFest last year,” Brimmer said. “This time, it occurred to me that I should allow students to practice prior to going downtown in order to get the best photos possible.”

That is how the big idea came about — Brimmer wanted his students to experience photographing a music event along with the crowd to gain more experience.

Advertising freshman Kristin Elinski, a student in the course, said the event helps to prepare for real world experiences.

“Since the next assignment is to go to the BluesFest, I think this experience will really help us with photographing outdoor lighting and dealing with natural things that may happen with so many people in such a large crowd,” she said.

Brimmer also invited other people from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, including professors and students to create an authentic crowd atmosphere.

“Students in this course have a range of capabilities, as it is an introductory level course. Everything we do in this class is weird,” Brimmer said. “This is a great opportunity for kids to get ready to partake in the Old Town Lansing event and is the closest thing to photo journalistic nature that I could create for them to get ready to visually document an event.”

The band Brimmer found was through his musician friends who are creating a documentary on local Lansing music store, Elderly Instruments, 1100 N. Washington Ave., in Lansing.

“Narc Out The Reds is a local band that plays all over Michigan and we describe ourselves as an indie, rock, post-punk band,” lead singer Chris Baratono said. “We volunteered to do this because it’s great to get our name out there to young students, especially for a good cause like helping Mr. Brimmer’s class.”

Practically everyone in the crowd held a camera and photographed as the band played with perfect lighting just as the sun began to lower at 6:15 p.m.

“This is a really good way to get out of the classroom and experience stuff you can’t teach inside, especially if you’ve never shot before,” said media arts and technology senior Patrick Bosman, as Brimmer stole the microphone from lead singer Baratono’s hands to comment on how to properly shoot in the sunlight and with a large group of people.

“This outdoor lesson is really great for focusing on being able to use natural light and real world settings,” media arts and technology sophomore Ethan Pollard said.

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