Last Friday evening, I had the privilege of attending and photographing a concert given by a unique and exceptional songwriting duo, Chris and Daya. The evening opened  with the Steve McPeter’s Band playing a nice tight country set filled with good vibes that warmed the crowd for the main act. Daya followed with a solo set at the baby grand. Daya Rawat’s music has spanned many years and collaborations with John Adorney, Eduardo Del Signore and others. By the end of the set I was soaring along with her heavenly vocals, my experience enhanced from focusing on her through the lens of my camera. Extraordinary! The third set featured Daya with her song writing partner Chris MacVittie. Their relaxed style onstage along with beautifully crafted lyrics and soaring vocals caressed the audience in a joyful and fun experience.  Many of the songs played were from their recent album Envy of the Stars. It was truly a most special evening.

The gallery accompanying this post includes a few photographs from the evening that I hope captured a little bit of the passion and feeling of the performances. While reviewing and editing the photographs in post,  I was transported back to the really good feeling I had while at the concert so I hope that these convey a little of the feeling from the performance.

This photo shoot was the first of this kind for me and it offered a unique challenge technically, as well as the always present challenge of trying to spawn an emotional experience with the photograph. I want to give props to my friend David Tanner. David is a friend from my days at CRMS and also a photographer. I have been enjoying David’s musical performance photography for several years now. He was very generous in responding to my request for tips on how to best photograph a musical performance and I must say that his advice was golden.

If you are interested in prints please contact me. I will be forwarding all net proceeds from any sales to Chris and Daya to help fund their next album.