The Assignment
As a Las Vegas concert photographer, I don’t usually get to photograph a show without leaving town — but that’s exactly what happened when PRG brought me in to photograph New Kids on the Block’s “The Right Stuff” residency at Dolby Live. PRG is the company behind the lighting, video, and production design, so instead of just chasing the band around the stage, the biggest part of my job was capturing what they built: the rig, the set pieces, how the whole room comes together around the performance.
PRG ran the production side of the whole thing, and walking into a room they’ve built out is a different experience than a normal tour stop. They didn’t just truck in a touring rig — they reworked Dolby Live’s own system and built on top of it. They ended up using some of my shots from the night in their own write-up on the production, which gets into the fixture list and programming in a lot more depth than I’m getting into here — worth a read: PRG’s breakdown of the production (https://www.prg.com/en/news/lighting-new-kids-on-the-blocks-las-vegas-residency).
Working as a Las Vegas Concert Photographer at Dolby Live
One thing worth saying: the theatre staff at Dolby Live are some of the nicest people I work with, and not just to me — to everyone. I never feel like I’m in the way. I feel like a guest. That kind of working environment make for an even more successful shoot and I’m grateful for it!
Wider, Then Closer
For a shoot like this I wanted clean wides that show off the whole set, but I also wanted to get closer — let pieces of the rig show up at the edges of the frame, or let an element of the staging lead the eye toward the performers. I still shot it the way I normally would too: pairing two cool elements together, chasing a lens flare, building something symmetrical out of the set when the moment allowed it.
My Gear
Two Nikon Z9s the whole night — 14-30 f4 for the widest stuff, 24-120 f4 as my workhorse, and the 135 1.8 for tighter, isolated shots. Some of the best frames of the night came from the simplest idea: a level, centered shot, timed right. Once you know how wide that set is, and how wide the group spreads out, a straight, intentional frame does the job.
Watching the Stage, Not Just the Show
I noticed I was watching the staging first and the performers second — where a set piece was about to move, where the light was about to land. Being able to wander the floor gave me room to chase that, and going up a level or two for a few songs gave me a different read on the whole stage. I got a heads-up on a few key moments ahead of time, like when the light cubes fly in later in the set, and having the setlist meant I wasn’t fumbling for the right lens when those moments hit.
The Pit
There’s a pit in front of the stage, and because the group comes out into it, I was able to get behind them while they performed — the shot looks like I’m up there with them, even though I’m not. Those are some of my favorite, most “concert” concert photos from the night. And I’ll always chase a silhouette when the light gives me one.
If you’re a production company, lighting designer, or venue looking for a Las Vegas concert photographer who can document the technical side of a show as well as the performance, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here: https://b-freed.com/contact/
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