Indian master musicians in Tokyo

[Akira]

Last week, five master musicians from India came to Tokyo and gave a couple of concerts.  Unlike the most of the concerts of Japanese or foreign artists, not only taking the pictures but also even video shooting were allowed.     So I decided to press my newly purchased ISO monster, Nikon D750, into service.  All images were shot with either AF-S 50/1.8 or Ai 20/4.0.  I was sitting down in the first row and a little to the right-hand side of the stage.  I had to shoot everything from that position.  I found the best lens in the current lineup for this particular situation was AF-S 18-35/3.5-4.5.   

The ghatam (clay pot) player is Vikku Vinayakram (famous as member of "Shakti" and later "Remember Shakti" with the guitarist John McLaughlin).  The customized hand-drum kit is played by V. Selvaganesh (Vikku's eldest son and also member of "Remember Shakti").  He also plays the kanjira (Indian tambourine) which is his main instrument.  The kanjira is also played by S. Swaminathan (Vikku's grand son).  Swaminathan also plays his original instrument called double kanjira.  The mridangam (double-sided hand drum) player is N. Ramakrishnan.  The name "mridangam" came from the Sanskrit words "mrid" (clay) and "angam" (part), and, as the origin of the name suggests, the barrel of the instrument was originally made of clay.  (Anirban, please correct me if I'm wrong!)  But today it is mostly made of jack tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus).  The violin player is S. Venkatasubramanian who also sings.

Hope you enjoy them.

First set: Vikku Vinayakram.

[Akira]

Second set: V. Selvaganesh and S. Swaminathan.

[Akira]

Third set: N. Ramakrishnan and S. Venkatasubramanian.

[Frank Fremerey]

1426 is so lively. really love it very much!!!!

[ColinM]

Thanks for sharing these Akira.
Looks like everyone had fun and your new 750 seems to have delivered the goods.

Lovely background info too

[Akira]

Fourth set: their fascinating ensembles.  The japanese playing muharsingh (Indian jaw harp) is played by Koichi Takehara, disciple of Vikku Vinayakram).

[Akira]

And the last set: a couple of photos of the arrangements of their playing positions.

[Frank Fremerey]

1308 shows their acting together. but you have been to near to them so you got perspective distortion!!!

[Akira]

Frank and Colin, thanks for the all-too immediate responses. 

1308 shows their acting together. but you have been to near to them so you got perspective distortion!!!

Yeah, I know.  But unfortunately there was no choice of either the shooting position or the lens.

[Frank Fremerey]

That happens and I think there must be a filter to correct that in
post. I see the math in my head. Just like normal perspective
correction but perpendicular. Rendering a 3D scene from 2D and
then correcting in the plane given by camera position and the eyes
of the outer musicians e.g.

[Akira]

That happens and I think there must be a filter to correct that in
post. I see the math in my head. Just like normal perspective
correction but perpendicular. Rendering a 3D scene from 2D and
then correcting in the plane given by camera position and the eyes
of the outer musicians e.g.

Frank, if you would spare your time, I would be willing to send you the NEF to try your idea.

[Frank Fremerey]

I am not a programmer. I have seen some new filters in PSCC
have to investigate

[PeterN]

It is a wonderful set, Akira that brings me into the scene and allows me to visualize them playing and hear their music

[Akira]

I am not a programmer. I have seen some new filters in PSCC
have to investigate

Okay.  I don't remember if one can correct the perspective distortion in PSCC, but I will look into that, too.

It is a wonderful set, Akira that brings me into the scene and allows me to visualize them playing and hear their music

Thanks, Peter.  That is exactly what I wish to achieve whenever I have chances to shoot the musical performances.

[simsurace]

That happens and I think there must be a filter to correct that in
post. I see the math in my head. Just like normal perspective
correction but perpendicular. Rendering a 3D scene from 2D and
then correcting in the plane given by camera position and the eyes
of the outer musicians e.g.

One possibility is to use the 'warp' functionality in PS to correct by feel.
DxO Optics Pro has a correction of anamorphic distortion built in.