Bhangra Blowout 18

Here is a photograph from Bhangra Blowout 18:



Here is a picture from Bhangra Blowout 17

(The full set is here.)

I've yet to process the 1K+ shots from Bhangra Blowout 18, but they're not very different from the first picture above.

What are the differences?  Last year's (BB 17) was taken with the 5D + 135mm f/2, ISO 3200, from a position at the foot of the stage, but (facing the stage) to the extreme left.   This year's (BB 18) was taken with the 5D2 + 70-200mm f/2.8 IS v2, ISO 6400,  with a center view of the stage, but about 20 rows away.  You can see all the stage paraphernalia in the BB 18 shot that tends to ruin the view.   The shot from BB 17 above has some photographer's head on the right, but it is only a minor distraction.

Also, last year, the dance teams used a lot of lighting.  This year, though the stage - a different venue from last year - had a lot of lighting capabilities (as, e.g., was evident in the exhibition dance), it was little used, and the dancers typically had stark black as the background.

Whenever I post the BB 18 set, it will be found on Flickr, here.

I mourn my stolen 135mm f/2. Having the additional stop would have been very useful.

The 5D2 provides a lot more croppable pixels and that is a blessing.

PS: Just FYI, the uncropped views from 70mm and 200mm were as follows:

PPS: Last year's competitition was at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall; this year's at the Warner Theatre.