Although I didn’t personally have the pleasure of spending the first week of April hanging out poolside with all the celesbians in Palm Springs, I have had the pleasure of photographing many of the artists who rocked the Dinah Shore Crowd this year and I thought I’d share some with you!
When I photographed Katy Perry it was right before the release of her CD “One of the Boys” and of her chart topper lesbionic tune, “I Kissed a Girl” (I liked it too, Katy … clearly). Unfortunately, at the time, Katy had never really kissed a girl. In fact, her real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson and she got her start as a Christian singer. (notice any clues on her wrist?) Although she isn’t now and has never been any kind of gay, she sure does like to sing about it.
Here she is flirting it up, amidst a sea of gay imagery:
![katy_perry Katy Perry](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/katy_perry.jpg?resize=500%2C750)
Katy Perry
![katy_perry2 Katy and her Jesus tattoo](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/katy_perry2.jpg?resize=500%2C533)
Katy and her Jesus tattoo
I met Lady Gaga at MTV before I’d heard her music. She’s one of those artists who seems like she’s always in character — always ON. Gaga doesn’t need coaching to enable interesting and unique imagery; point a camera at this girl and she just … well — does this:
![lady_gaga1 Lady Gaga](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga1.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
The Camera Loves Lady Gaga
![lady_gaga2 Lady Gaga gettin funky](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga2.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Lady Gaga gettin' funky
I recently was able to see Lady Gaga perform live and was not disappointed — and clearly neither was A;ex when she caught the Lady at Dinah Shore last week. Lady GaGa and her gay boy dancers put on a fabulous show.
![lady_gaga_live5 Lady Gaga live](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga_live5.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Lady Gaga live
![lady_gaga_live4 How many masked gays does it take to lift little Gaga?](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga_live4.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
How many masked gays does it take to lift little Gaga?
![lady_gaga_live3 Still posing.. I love her robotic moves!](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga_live3.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Still posing.. I love her robotic moves!
![lady_gaga_live2 Look at all those cameras down there.. I think my VIP spot upstairs was the best location to see this show!](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga_live2.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Look at all those cameras down there.. I think my VIP spot upstairs was the best location to see this show!
![lady_gaga_live1 A great performance... can't wait to see her again!](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lady_gaga_live1.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
A great performance... can't wait to see her again!
Uh Huh … Her. Well, what can I say about Leisha Hailey and Camila Gray that hasn’t already been said here? They’re all you’d expect — very funny, super down-to earth — and although Leisha does find it a little bizarre when people shout “Alice!” during her shows, I’ve gotta say I noticed straight away that she’s just as charming and adorable as Alice Piesecki herself. Camilla’s so wonderful too. When asked about the L Word fans who flock to UHH shows, she expresses nothing but gratitude and appreciation.
![uhh1 Camila and Leisha](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh1.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Camila and Leisha
![uhh0 No matter how many times a band poses for "serious" shots... there's always a moment like this. Love it!](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh0.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
No matter how many times a band poses for "serious" shots... there's always a moment like this. Love it!
![uhh2 Uh Huh Her](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh2.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Uh Huh Her
![uhh3 How adorable.](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh3.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
How adorable.
![uhh4 I loved Leisha's bowler hat.](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh4.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
I loved Leisha's bowler hat.
![uhh5 I love editing images differently just to see what happens.](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh5.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
I love editing images differently just to see what happens.
![uhh_live1 Live at Dinah Shore (last year)](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh_live1.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Live at Dinah Shore (2008)
![uhh_live2 Crazy hair!](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh_live2.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Crazy hair!
![uhh_live3 Uh Huh Her rocking out](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh_live3.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
Uh Huh Her rocking out
![uhh_live4 I was sitting closer to Leisha (on the stage actually) so I snagged some closer ones of her.](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/uhh_live4.jpg?resize=500%2C313)
I was sitting closer to Leisha (on the stage actually) so I snagged some close ones of her.
Well, there you have it. A photographic round-up of the artists who were at Dinah this year. You can see more of these artists and more on my website and blog. Feel free to send me an autostraddley message/comment too!
robin, these are ACE! will you shoot me, pretty please?
Thanks for sharing these. Lady G and UHH are so much my faves, so this is like gold. I always feel like Camilla is under-repped in UHH context, standing in the shadow of ‘Alice’ – I want to do a big post on her some day. Thanks again. Auto ‘S’ is also under-repped, but I’m trying to help spread the word. Best, B.
Robin, your photography never ceases to amaze me.
You are such a creative genius and I wished I lived closer to NY so I could hang with you :)
ah to be in the front row of a Gaga concert with a zoom camera. i can only imagine the pics i would click from beneath her…
once again, miss robin, beautiful shots. i love it. and i loooooove leisha…and ms. gaga and katy!
thank you!
I feel like that photo of Katy smiling at the camera is possibly the most honest photo I’ve ever seen of her. Once agin, miss robin, yay!
katy has nice armpits. cool photos!
How many pictures do you usually take at a shoot and how many end up being usable?
For these musician shoots my average time I get with them is 5 minutes. No joke. So any light set-up/metering has to be done really quickly and I only take about 30-40 images, and 3-4 different poses/set-ups. So all of them pretty much have to be usable, but I throw out blinks, etc and just pick a few where they have nice facial expressions.
Holy crap! 5 minutes! No pressure.
Poker Face and Just Dance simple rocks! more power to Lady Gaga.
Katy Perry is my dream girl!