The People's Favorite
Doug McLeod has to be a photographer’s favorite with his facial chiseling and shock of curly white hair. He is also the favorite acoustic blues guitarist for a lot of folks because he walked away with the “Acoustic Artist” award — by popular vote — at the 35th Annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis last week. The event's video crew is world class, so I did not remove the cameraman in the lower right hand corner, who is capturing the dramatic image on the screen behind Doug. I personally met Doug for the first time this trip. He is a gentleman — and humble despite his enormous talent.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Pine Buff, Arkansas
You Can Always Use a Bit More Blues.
We are still looking at Blues Music Awards pictures this week, primarily because I did not have time last week to go through the entire 3,600 plus shots I burned off during the event. In any case, we are back in Memphis for this Photo of the Week epistle. For those of you who prefer pictures over verbiage, this week you get your way.
Student and Teacher
It’s not often you get the photo-op to grab two legendary performers in one shot, but this one fell right into my lap. These are two of the finest living blues guitarists. On the left is Bob Margolin, who was a mentor and teacher to Ronnie Earl on the right. Ronnie won “Instrumentalist Guitar,” which attests to his stature as a blues guitarist. They played a long set and no one complained.
Bob and Earl in a Different Light
Bob Margolin and Ronnie Earl, still wailing in the same set under different light with a bass guy, who un-fortuitously, I cannot idenfify.
Belt It Out Southern Gal
Trudy Lynn had a great band with her, but this isolated shot captures who she is: a dynamic, belt-it-out Southern blues singer doing what she does in an appropriate spotlight.
You’ve had another glimpse of the top performers in one of the only true American, Delta-spawned art forms. I hope you feel elucidated. I do.
All shot with Nikon D7100 set at ISO 3200 at varying speeds and apertures depending on the light. I metered one initial setting, then went manual and adjusted on the fly as necessary. Kinda like the old days, except now you can see the results immediately. Too cool.
See more blues
at Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind,
including this dramatic image of Little G. Weevil in his chair and on the big screen. Click, go, and gander.
