Mile of Music 12 - Shot the Whole Damn Festival at 100 ISO and Manual Focus

Published on Eternal Moment Photography – From the Heart: Stories Behind the Lens

The heartbeat of Mile of Music—captured in pure light, no compromises.

New technology in mirrorless cameras can push ISO to the limits, and their autofocus is a photographer’s dream. They are perfect for music festivals like Mile of Music, with the high-powered, fast-moving electricity of live music ranging from golden hour shows to late-night sets.

Compared to photographers of the past, I have been privileged to start my career with a mirrorless camera body. My first year, I was using an entry-level 50mm lens, Sony’s cheapest, and a Facebook Marketplace 24–70mm kit lens. Occasionally, I rented higher-end glass like the 70–200 f2.8 or the GM 24–70 f2.8. My camera body had the ability of a Corvette, but I was driving it with Prius lenses. While I always shot the body in manual, I left the lenses on cruise control with autofocus.

Even with the higher-end rentals, I kept autofocus on. Cruise control is fine until it gets too easy. That changed when I made the financial decision to invest in a 28–70mm F2 GM lens. Now I had a Lamborghini engine on my Corvette body. Capturing great images became too easy. I needed a new challenge. Complacency is not an option for me.

The new high came when I rented a 150–600mm telephoto with a variable aperture for EAA AirVenture. Balancing Uber shifts in a Chevy Traverse with attending the event, I stumbled into the world of manual focus. Around golden hour, I realized I had more control over depth of field in manual, especially once I discovered focus peaking and set it to yellow. I had found a new way to feed my addiction to growth in photography.

I also discovered that long lenses made candid shots easier. The freeze that happens when people notice a short lens pointed at them was no longer a problem. On the last day with that lens, I took it to Asylum Point Lighthouse in Oshkosh, one of the best places to watch a sunset over the harbor, and added a second challenge: keeping ISO locked at 100.

Asulum point

If you are not familiar with photography jargon, ISO is the international standard for measuring a sensor’s sensitivity to light. It comes from film photography, where 500 ISO was groundbreaking. Today’s electronic sensors can push ISO into the thousands and still produce a decent image. The higher the number, the more noise or grain. 100 ISO is pure light, nothing artificial.

Returning that lens was tough. I wanted more of that high. When I went to my former employer, Camera Casino, they did not have a 150–600 in stock, but they did have a 150–500 for a one-day rental. I took it on a trip to the Lady of Our Champion historical marker in Champion, Wisconsin. I go into more detail about that ethereal experience in my “Boy Under the Tree” blog.

After returning the telephoto, I still had my Lamborghini, the 28–70mm F2. On its side was a simple switch: AF to MF. I flipped it to MF, manual focus. My first test was an afternoon shoot for my daughter’s Boys and Girls Club Girls Tea lunch. I passed with flying colors. The images were drop-dead gorgeous.

Then came Mile of Music. Four days of outdoor performances in summer’s golden glow, then under high-powered, fast-moving stage lights. My shutter speeds and apertures changed constantly, but my ISO never climbed above 100, and my lens never left manual focus.

I will toot my own horn here. I took some of the most powerful images of my short photography career. At my level, I am not supposed to produce shots that could run in Rolling Stone. Most photographers might get a lightning-in-a-bottle shot once in a while. Not me. I chase perfection. I chase the silver thread of life. I get a dopamine rush and a compulsive need to improve. To quote Aaron Rodgers, my down years are career years for most people.

If Mile of Music held a photo competition, I would be the Wisconsinite in a spring break drinking contest. It would not be fair.
The whole damn festival. Manual focus. 100 ISO. All because of my addiction: photography.