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Title: The gear I used to photograph Paul McCartney

Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:30:33 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/cameras/the-gear-i-u...

This story about Paul McCartney begins with one of his old bandmates. "I'm
not really Beatle George," the ever-philosophical George Harrison once said.
"For me, Beatle George was a suit or a shirt that I once wore. And the only
problem is, for the rest of my life, people are going to look at that shirt
and mistake it for me."

On one hand, thatΓÇÖs, well, George being George. But his quote does speak to
our need to mythologize the Beatles. ItΓÇÖs hard not to! The music is so
exquisite, influential and timeless that we look for grand stories to tell
about it. We want a stronger connection to it, so we pore over biographies,
interviews and documentaries. We seek meaning and purpose in their story.

Still, it must be surreal to be one of the four protagonists of that story.
At some point, the narrative takes on a life of its own that may not reflect
your experience. McCartney alluded to that in the 2013 song "Early Days."
"Now everybody seems to have their own opinion on who did this and who did
that," he sang. "But as for me, I don't see how they can remember when they
weren't where it was at."

So, IΓÇÖll try not to mythologize the Beatles too much as I describe my
experience photographing Sir Paul McCartney last month. I will, of course,
fail spectacularly at that mission.

The crowd ranged from seniors to teens in Sgt. Pepper costumes. Will Shanklin
for Engadget

Months before I watched him play for nearly three hours in front of 15,000
fans (at age 83!) at AlbuquerqueΓÇÖs Isleta Amphitheater, I sent a press
request to his team. A few days before the concert, I learned that my
photography pass had been approved. Once it sank in, I screamed and giggled,
not unlike the teenagers in Ed Sullivan's audience. (Don't judge those gals
until you've been near a Beatle!)

But there wasnΓÇÖt much time to soak up the excitement. Without any real
cameras on hand ΓÇö my iPhone 17 Pro certainly wasnΓÇÖt going to cut it ΓÇö
and only a few days to prepare, some quick decisions were in order. After
enough internal debate to make my head spin off its axis, I settled on an
oddball combination. For the body, I went with the Canon EOS R50, an ultra-
compact mirrorless with a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor.

Was it the best one available? Not at all. But instead of renting a $3,000
camera, I decided to buy something in my budget that I'll enjoy using for
years. I'd already eyed it after handling a display model and reading Steve
Dent's review. Plus, it created a fun challenge: How can a sub-$800 consumer-
facing camera stand up to the unique demands of concert photography?

The lens, on the other hand, is no place to mess around. So I rented the
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM, a gargantuan, professional-grade telephoto
one. (It's the precursor to this $2,399 one.) This choice was simple: It was
by far the most concert-appropriate lens available to rent. It maintains
sharpness and contrast across its long zoom range, its autofocus is fast and
its f/2.8 aperture is crucial for the unique demands of stage lighting.

Put the tiny camera and ginormous lens together (with this $38 adapter), and
you get the odd couple you see below. To say this sucker was front-weighted
would be an understatement.

"She's so heavy..." Will Shanklin for Engadget

Camera in hand (and Beatles hoodie equipped), I took my position in the tight
press pen. The photography area was about 150 yards from the stage and
didnΓÇÖt allow for lateral movement, so ideas for creative compositions were
set aside. My only option was to push that glass out to 200mm (or close to
it) and fire away. Save those composition ideas for when it's time to crop.

When photographing someone like Sir Paul, you ideally want an image that
captures not only the man and the musician, but also that larger-than-life
myth. It should be something grand that youΓÇÖd want to hang on your wall. No
pressure!

Sir Paul's first number was the John Lennon-penned classic "Help!" Until this
year's leg of the Got Back tour, McCartney hadn't played the song in full
since 1990. We can only speculate about his reasons for pulling it out of his
bag now. But I feel like the song's desperate pleas gain new poignancy in
2025. I can't count the times I've wanted to cry out to someone ΓÇö anyone!
ΓÇö to "Please, please help me" after reading the news.

We were huddled close enough together that I was glad I wore these $16
kneepads under my jeans. When the crowd in front of us settled down a bit, I
kneeled to give my photographer cohorts more elbow room. My right knee
bounced pleasantly onto the cozy leg pillow.

Will Shanklin for Engadget

With one song already down, the R50's burst mode was getting a workout. The
stock Canon battery was still going strong, but I had these two third-party
spares stashed in this camera bag to swap out if necessary. (I didn't end up
needing them, despite snapping over 600 photos.)

McCartney transitioned into his second number, "Coming Up," the first track
from 1980's McCartney II. That LP was ahead of its time, embracing synths,
drum machines and other studio tricks before they became commonplace.
Contemporary critics didnΓÇÖt care much for it, but it later became a cult
classic. That combination illustrates something about his solo career: always
experimenting, sometimes misunderstood, but ultimately vindicated.

Two songs were over in a flash. Macca addressed the crowd, and picture time
was over. Off to leave my camera with security, and claim the faraway lawn
seat I bought long before I knew I'd have press access.

The rest of McCartney's set included a perfect balance of Beatles, Wings and
solo numbers. (There was even an old Quarrymen song, "In Spite of All the
Danger." As you can see in the photos, he started on his trademark H├╢fner
bass. But he moved on to piano, acoustic and electric guitars and ukulele.
The latter was for his beautiful rendition of Harrison's "Something."

That number wasnΓÇÖt the only point that moved me. The most notable was where
he teamed with Lennon on "I've Got a Feeling." Present-day McCartney singing
with 1969 Lennon, who appeared on the giant screen above (via the restored
rooftop concert footage in Get Back), was profound. "I love that one because
I get to sing with John again," he said.

Will Shanklin for Engadget

Sir Paul strikes me as someone whoΓÇÖs always looking forward. But the Got
Back tour is a chance to look back. It lets us, the romanticizing fans, join
him on the long and winding road from the Quarrymen to today. The entire
production made me feel like a passenger on his journey.

I could go on. But you don't need me to elevate Paul McCartney's musical
legacy any more than you need me to explain Michael Jordan's basketball
skills or Meryl Streep's acting chops. Listen to the music ΓÇö and catch his
tour if you can ΓÇö and you'll feel it.

As for the photos, my favorite is the one at the top of this article. (I also
included a color version in the gallery below.) ItΓÇÖs the only one that (to
me) captures the man, musician and myth as he plays his H├╢fner bass. Out of
more than 600 rapidly-fired photos, one that feels just right is good enough
for me.

But even if they all sucked, who cares! Decades from now, I'll tell everyone
at the old folks' home that, when I was young (and my heart was an open
book), I snapped some pictures of Sir Paul McCartney. The story may grow more
inflated by then, and maybe IΓÇÖll invent new details. But perhaps I can be
forgiven for a bit of mythologizing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/cameras/the-gear-i-u...
133033591.html?src=rss

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