I first caught this unique elctro hip-hop act last year when they kicked off their US tour opening for Deadmu5.  The Deadmau5 crowd seemed generally disinterested in Die Antwoord’s performance but they soldiered on and played a full set.

Just over a year has passed since their inaugural Seattle performance and Die Antwoord’s popularity has really taken off.  This time around they played an enthusiastic crowd during a sold-out performance at The Showbox.   Fans we’re packed tightly screaming, jumping, and thrashing to the heavy electro beats that the group was laying down.   Both visually and photographically It was great to watch the band and the crowd feed off each others energy and take the show to an intensity level found at only the best shows.

The group started off in bright orange jumpsuits and a haze of smoke and blue light.  It was a tricky combo to shoot much less process. At the beginning of the set I was aiming to get a good shop of the trio working as a group onstage.  Having only three songs it was something I wanted to get out early.  As the songs progressed and the lighting got better I tried to capture the partnership between the two rappers Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er and how they interacted with each other on stage.  As the third song the duo traded solos while taking turns posing at the front of the stage.  At the end of the third Ninja stood at the center of the stage posing for the photographers as he thrust his hips back and forth.  He had this strange look on his face and I decided I wanted a quick portrait of this.  I aimed my camera, placed his face in the right third of my frame, and clicked away.  I was pretty pleased with the result; I ended up with a unique portrait of a very unusual man.

Notes:

Camera: Canon 5D MK II
Lens: 24-70 f/2.8
ISO: 3200 / 4000
Shared the photo pit with the legendary Charles Peterson