Ms Lauryn Hill at the Indig02, London
Pax Vobiscum, pilgrims!
Seems like 2012 is the year for comebacks, if you will. Back in February, we had D’Angelo, but to be honest, I think he needs a masterclass from Lauryn Hill. Last time Ms Hill performed in the UK, it was a lot to be desired for. I never went to that gig back in 2005 (I think that was the year), but from what I heard, it was a shambles and then some. Far be it for me to criticise her and all, but all I wanted to know was whether it was worth going out to take pictures of her, and if she still has her musical moxxie. I’m happy to inform you that yes, she can still hold her own, and no, lighting was not a priority for photographers for this gig. 
If we couldn’t get the images, then we were fresh out of luck!
To be honest, I had no idea of what to expect from her visual. There are some recent shots of her circulating the web that does not flatter her at all. So when she came out with a presence that screamed, “Damn it; I’m here for business!”, you pay attention quick! Now here was a Lauryn that oozed finess with a ting of afrocentrism.
Now, if you’re expecting a musical review, you can forget about it. As a Live music photographer, you have only one thing on your mind: how to get the shot. However, as this evening demonstrated, there will always be moments when you have to fight between strong, blue backlight and flashing strobes. So, that’s my cue to set the ISO to 1600 (should have whacked it to 3200!), f/2.8 between 1/80th-250th, bracketing all the way, depending on what lighting was slammed in. I swear, it was like being at an intense laser-light show, or as my friend Matilda Egere-Cooper eloquently put it: “Lighting was near epileptic at one point!” Truer words have never been so spoken, and she’s a huge Ms Hill fan!
So: for the duration of 10 minutes to cover her show, what did I think? Well, first off, may I just say: Good to see you back, Ms. Hill. Now continue to go back out there and show those young whippersnappers how it’s really done! She was amazing, to be honest. She did seem a bit nervous from the onset, but you could tell that she was overwhelmed by the love from the sold out crowd at the Indig02, and I guess that did the trick. So much so that the concert was trending on Twitter within the UK, so it’s a win-win. Here’s to you, Ms Hill.
Food for thought & Soul: We should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead: —2 Corinthians 1:9
© 2012 – 2013, Akin Aworan. All rights reserved.
wow im still kind of on a cloud after tonights gig! so im really happy to see something uploaded so quickly about it! thank you for these great shots.
i thought the show was incredible she gave a really strong performance her voice is still amazing she had such a presence and this strong attitude but in a good way.
also the crowd was amazing all i could see was people smiling all the time everyone was so excited and super supportive
i thought the dj at the start was awesome too!
lauryn hill is amazing! her speech about having been away but being back with more strength was really lovely
thank you again for the shots!
xxx