I am a firm believer that some concerts are meant to be photographed, and others are merely meant to be enjoyed. This theory is most often supported by the venue playing host. Last week, Austin, TX troubadors The Wind & The Wave kicked off their "Happiness Is Not a Place" Tour in Denver with two sold out shows at Lost Lake, and in a moment of weakness I broke my own rule. This venue is a fabulously intimate room to see show, but it also tops my "do not photograph" list due to it's minimal lighting. Buttttt when you've been friends with the drummer as long as you've been working in music, you lift your bans, pump the ISO to 8000, and embrace another friend's recent quote of "noise in images is practically 'in fashion' right now."

I 100% do not recommend shooting above 3200 any time, especially in a live concert setting when there's so much movement, but sometimes sacrifices are made. I'm sharing these images primarily to prove that if you know your editing software well enough, you can make any images work - it's just a matter of how you can tastefully interpret what could normally be considered roadblocks. Most folks don't approve of a little grain and blur these days, but "perfect" art isn't really art, now is it? Sometimes it's best to get back to grit and focus on the "why." For me, that why was capturing some friends doing what they love the most, and boy am I glad I did.

If you haven't listened to the groups new LP "Happiness Is Not a Place" yet, I highly recommend you do. A little bit of southern rock, some neat harmonies, and just the right amount of witty lyrics, you can't go wrong with the windows down and the title track blaring out the speakers.