So, you want to combine your love for music and photography but don’t know where to start. I’ve developed a series of weekly articles will help you get started.
The first place to start is with a Digital SLR (DSLR) camera. Sounds simple enough but many people don’t realize that the typical point and shoot camera will not produce the shots you want. Sure point and shoots are great for snapshots of you and your friends but not of the show. I use the Canon EOS xsi with two different lenses. The lenses I almost always use are a prime 50mm f1.8 and a 24-70 f2.8. I find that very rarely do I go into my bag to grab a different lens.
Why these two lenses? The Canon 50mm lens (sometime referred to as the nifty-50) is a lens every photographer should have. The 50 is an inexpensive way to have something that is fast enough for the poor lighting conditions of concert venues. F1.8 is more than enough when shooting at ISO800 – 1600. The 24-70 2.8 allows me to frame the shot differently. Where as the 50mm is prime (no zoom in or out) the 24-70 gives me some more freedom. F2.8 is fast enough with a shutter speed of 1/60 – 1/125 while using ISO800 – 1600.
If you notice I haven’t mentioned using a flash. I never use a flash when taking concert photos. Why? Unless you are on assignment from the band or band’s management the artists really don’t appreciate a flash popping in their face during the set – or even the three songs you’re allowed to shoot (we’ll get to that part later in concert photo etiquette.) Many times the conditions of using a photo pass is “NO FLASH”.
Basic equipment needed: DSLR Camera (which has at least ISO1600) and a f2.8 lens. (Above is a photo of my primary concert gear.)
So you have the gear – now what? You have to know your camera and know the settings. I’m not saying before getting started you need to be the most technical photographer. The knowledge needed is how your gear responds in different lighting situations. What shutter speed? at which ISO? what f-stop? This is what makes or breaks the picture. Get the lighting right and your chances increase dramatically of getting a good photograph. Below are samples of my photos with various camera settings I rely on:
Know your camera, know your settings, trust your instincts and have fun – chances are you have the best seat in the house!
The next post in this series will discuss ambient light and basic camera settings. The article will also include metering, aperture, determining ISO, and shutter speeds. (Other upcoming posts will include how to get the shot, framing – concert photography composition, post processing digital images, getting your photo equipment in the house and photo credentials.)
I want to know about your concert photography experience. What was the first concert you shot? How did the images turn out? Please leave a comment and show off some of your music photos.
Article by Greg Taylor
Founder, Markerting Press. Vegetarian. Hopelessly addicted to music. Blogger, Collaborator, Phoenix Suns fan. NJ Native living in AZ
Greg has contributed 159 articles to this site.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting this blog/series. I’ve done a handful of concerts and would like to get better at it. Here are the best results from a concert I shot about a year ago, some friends of mine in a Phoenix band called Mr Meeble. (they’re friggin awesome too)… I’ve only shot maybe 2-3 concerts. http://www.flickr.com/photos/razorwriter/3259808560/in/set-72157613427628319/
Aperture priority to let in the light.. didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it beyond that. One of the reasons I got the D700 is because I can shoot 1600-3200 ISO without terrible noise problems for situations like this.
Greg, my biggest question to you beyond the technical points which you are mentioning going into more.. is how do you get access to great bands like these with a good angle and letting your equipment in? For bigger bands I imagine you need connections or some sort of press pass…
Thanks Ben – access and photo credentials will be a part of the concert photography series. Before I touched on those points I felt a responsibility to at least give a 50,000 ft. overview of everything else it takes to get a great live music photo.
Here is a coule of quick tips on photo credentials or how to get gear in the show: befriend bands or band management, find venues in your city that are photo friendly (if you’re in AZ I can email you my list) – many times bands are really cool about photography, it’s the venue holding them back, build a strong portfolio and display in a professional manner, sometimes to start play dumb and just walk in the show with a small photo bag.
Thank you for reading and sharing your photos. I will keep my eyes open for Mr. Meeble.
Yeah, I’d appreciate that list – I live in Phoenix. It’s ben at woodcreative dot net.
If you want to check out Meeble: http://twitter.com/meeble
I’m digging this! Looking forward to all the rest.
What’s up Greg,
I, too, us a D700 for concerts as it’s almost essential to have a full frame sensor, in my opinion. I did, however, photograph Thievery Corporation with a D300 and a cheaper 18-200mm f/3.5 lens. I accomplished this by being really steady and waiting til the performer froze. Now, I’m fortunate enough to have higher grade equipment which makes the job so much easier…relatively.
I do agree with Ben for using Aperture mode as it locks in the f/2.8 speed I want. As for metering, I tend to use spot metering if the subject has hot spots on say, the forehead. I will meter for the forehead and let the rest fall in place with lighting. I hate to have hotspots on the subjects skin, therefore, I like using spot metering if they have strong lights shining on them.
Since I enjoy photographing DJ’s, I tend to get away with flash a lot. This gives me more flexibility and creativity that I can add to the scene. Not only can I make my own light, but playing with ambient lighting is wicked! I’m getting off subject, aren’t I? Anyway, that’s my basic dealio with concert photography and no flash.
~yaggi photography
Thanks Brent for you input – over the last couple of months I’ve become a big fan of your work.
Since I can’t use a flash and I rely on ambient light – I am almost always shooting at 2.8 – so I’ll make more adjustments on the timing than anything.
I’d love for you to weigh in with your experience as this blog series develops.
Greg,
I’d be more than happy to keep posting any Q&A’s, thoughts, etc. I did check to be notified of follow-up comments, but haven’t received anything on email about your comment. I just came back to read some more…
I’ll look into the technical gliche
Good blog. I like it, so don’t take my words here wrong…but…
DSLR not necessary for good pix. Yeah, sure – I use it when I have photo pass, but a lot of times I rely on my trusty Olympus superzoom – and lately I’ve been a “crowd shooter” using nothing more than a pocket Casio P&S.
Sure, with the P&S I throw away 99.8% of the shots because they are total crap. But, when I write my music blog that night- I only need one, maybe two shots that are passable.
My point is – photography is photography. The best camera for the job is the one you have with you!
Check my blog for pix, it will lead u to my flickr stream, buzz, myspace…
Meanwhile keep up your good work and good blog.
Photography is photography and I want people to use what is available to them at the moment they feel inclined to take a photo. There is so much manipulation that needs to happen when I shoot concerts that I can’t get from my P&S.
Very good information. I teach these tips as well, though I must confess metering is my biggest weakness.
Metering comes with practice and situational experience. Once you start getting the hang of it, the rest of comes naturally.