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AtomicManiac posted:I'm thinking of starting with a standard $25 for a solo artist, upping it $5-10 per additional band mate, and then applying more if I come up with the ideas, and depending on how much post I think it'll take to hit those ideas. I figure a shoot for a band with 4 members would come out to $50-75. That seems about right in my eyes, both for the market, and for what I think I'm worth. I figure it works out to right around $15 an hour for me. Always, always, always ask for the number of the tour manager. It's saved me on at least 10 occasions.
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May 16, 2010 15:04
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Anyone ever shoot AFI? I've been spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere on getting a photo-pass. So far all I can find is to email their manager Kristen Welsh, but I can't find an email for her. Any help?
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May 17, 2010 07:05
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AtomicManiac posted:Anyone ever shoot AFI? I've been spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere on getting a photo-pass. So far all I can find is to email their manager Kristen Welsh, but I can't find an email for her. Try the publicity companies as well as managers; you'll generally have a lot more success emailing and finding the email of XY Touring than a band manager.
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May 17, 2010 09:55
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AtomicManiac posted:Anyone ever shoot AFI? I've been spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere on getting a photo-pass. So far all I can find is to email their manager Kristen Welsh, but I can't find an email for her. I've shot them a couple times now, though the most recent show was a radio show, so that's not much help. I'll see if I can come up with anything. And PR companies are the way to go, management usually sucks for passes. Edit: Send me an email, I may have a contact who can tell you who is handling their PR. rockcityphoto at gmail dot com rockcity fucked around with this message at 14:49 on May 17, 2010 |
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May 17, 2010 14:38
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I'm thinking this article in the RAW File blog on photos from maximum rocknroll might be of interest to some of you: http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2010/05/gallery-maximum-rocknroll/all/1
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May 17, 2010 15:27
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I shot Country Throwdown yesterday. Which means I listened to 8 hours of music I didn't know. I do know this- country artists really know how to work the camera. They were extremely good to me.  
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May 18, 2010 01:21
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You should try to avoid microphone-eating shots. Wait for a moment when they're not eating it.
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May 18, 2010 01:31
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rockcity posted:On a side note. Is anyone else shooting Ozzfest this year? I'm going to fly up to Hartford to shoot that date in August. I think I might be at the August 14th one in San Bernadino, if i'm not in Ibiza this august.
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May 18, 2010 16:55
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More show photos from me. Pop-punk bands mean posi jumps a plenty (in a garage, I poo poo you not) 1.  2.  I know they look odd, I accidentally had the compression set to 4 in Photoshop
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May 23, 2010 05:18
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Trippple Nippples.  
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May 23, 2010 13:09
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Local band: 
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May 24, 2010 22:38
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Is that first one a comp? I'm trying to figure out if it is or not.
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May 25, 2010 01:19
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rockcity posted:Is that first one a comp? I'm trying to figure out if it is or not. I think it just looks like it is because of the really harsh lighting on the edges
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May 25, 2010 01:24
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rockcity posted:Is that first one a comp? I'm trying to figure out if it is or not. It's not that obvious, is it? I just took a picture with all the guys standing there, and then had the two on the left walk away and snapped another. I was pretty limited with space, and just couldn't get the guy in the middle right. The rim light on the left was a little too strong, but it's not bad for a rookie effort (in my opinion). This girl is really good at promos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckwithpins/sets/72157606005048763/
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May 25, 2010 01:25
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Anti_Social posted:This girl is really good at promos:
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May 25, 2010 02:09
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psylent posted:She does too, and she's 19. drat all these talented kids! Did you see her equipment list? drat all these talented wealthy kids.
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May 25, 2010 02:17
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Anti_Social posted:It's not that obvious, is it? Nahhh, it's not really obvious, it's mostly just that everyone is super sharp. Usually even if you shoot at a high f-stop you get a tiny bit of difference in the focus where everyone isn't razor sharp on the edges. I'm assuming you didn't move the light at all, which was smart. It was more of a guess than anything. I've done similar shots much in the same way. Edit: I think I'm gonna do a photoshoot with Craig Owens and his solo band soon. I need to find an interesting location. rockcity fucked around with this message at 03:06 on May 25, 2010 |
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May 25, 2010 03:04
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rockcity posted:Edit: I think I'm gonna do a photoshoot with Craig Owens and his solo band soon. I need to find an interesting location. I know you're probably a little hesitant to share this kind of information, but I'd love to see the thought process you put into setting up a promo shoot. From location, to having band members stand where they do, lighting positions, etc. And also how you managed to get yourself some recognizable names as clients.
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May 25, 2010 03:45
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Anti_Social posted:I know you're probably a little hesitant to share this kind of information, but I'd love to see the thought process you put into setting up a promo shoot. From location, to having band members stand where they do, lighting positions, etc. I'm not hesitant. I haven't shot that many promos though, I'm trying to get into it myself really. The biggest thing I try to picture in my head with a promo shoot is the general vibe of the photo. The first thing I usually think about is if I want to do a theme or have a general concept to it. (On a side note I really want to do a Dexter themed photo shoot with a band). Some bands just have a personality that fits a certain theme and you just know it when you think of their music. This can also go the other way though, sometimes you just get a vibe from the music that a theme is not the way to go. The style of music is always the first thing I consider. I like to have a photo reflect the music as much as possible, even if it's just a shot of some guys outside. Positioning is where I'm not really all that good at. I usually try a large number of them until I find a few that I like that work both with lighting and general aesthetics. Lighting I'm still fairly new with myself for promo shots. Most of the ones I've done were natural light or flash bounced off a reflector. Now I have two B800's which is definitely going to expand my horizons. I actually like the lighting in that group shot you did. The rim light is nice, and not too harsh as it often can be. The BIGGEST comment I can make here is to vary your lighting shoot to shoot. I see a lot of young photographers using the same lighting style over and over and over and I have a hard time differentiating the photos. As for clients, most of them are friends or just bands I've fallen into contact with. I've known Craig for a few years now. I was actually at his house two nights ago, when I flew back to MI for the weekend, playing catch phrase and yelling at the Orlando Magic. He's coming down to Florida with his band to write music for a few weeks so we talked about doing a photo shoot or two while they're here. His solo work is giving me a hard time on what kind of a vibe I want to do with the shoot. He's staying at a house that's across the street from the ocean so I may work that in somehow.
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May 25, 2010 04:11
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On that note, how do you shoot a solo band? By that I mean when it's say "The Jes Winter Band" or "Johnny and The Rebels", or even say Bright Eyes, which is mainly Connor Oberst? Obviously you're still doing individual shots, but do you frame the shot to be about the front man, or do you just make it like any other shoot? It kind of bugs me when I see the front man off to the side in a picture in band shots, even if it's not like a "Jes Winter Band". I'm not really sure why though.
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May 25, 2010 06:08
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I usually do a few shots from different angles of the main frontman, a few medium range shots of the main frontman plus 1 or 2 other members, and then a few wide shots of the entire stage with interesting composition etc. That way you cover all bases, and if you're shooting for someone they'll probably want the first group. So essentially its the old adage of "get your bread and butter shots first, then experiment"
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May 25, 2010 13:39
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thehustler posted:I usually do a few shots from different angles of the main frontman, a few medium range shots of the main frontman plus 1 or 2 other members, and then a few wide shots of the entire stage with interesting composition etc. That way you cover all bases, and if you're shooting for someone they'll probably want the first group. So essentially its the old adage of "get your bread and butter shots first, then experiment" I'm pretty sure he meant in a posed promo shoot, not at a concert. I've never shot a solo act before, so this will be my first venture with that. I'd say you definitely want to make the shot a lot more about the lead guy, especially if the group is named after him. I wouldn't say that he needs to really steal the photo necessarily, but he should be the focus of it. It doesn't even have to be a big thing separating them. For instance you could have them fairly close together in the image, but have everyone else but him sort of look off in different directions and have him look dead into the lens. I do that with wedding photos with group shots of the groom's party. Think of it this way. If you were to show the photo to someone who had no idea which one the namesake was, they should be able to tell you who it is in your photo just by taking a quick look at it.
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May 25, 2010 20:22
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I have an opportunity to shoot Neil Young at the Ryman next week, but his management requires that photographers shoot with "silent cameras." Does anyone know what the hell they're talking about? My 30D isn't "silent," but I've never felt awkward shooting a concert with it because the speakers drown out the click of the shutter. Has anyone else come up against an extra rule like that? Is his management going to be waiting in the wings with a dB meter, waiting to bounce my sorry rear end if the click registers? It kinda blows my mind that they're getting so picky in a gig where I'm only going to be allowed to shoot 2 songs.
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May 25, 2010 21:08
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I have never once heard of that. I have no idea why they'd have a rule like that. Who is going to hear the shutter click, maybe a handful of people, if that? So that means you'd have to use a point and shoot with no mechanical shutter? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Who did you go through for the pass and who is telling you this? I highly doubt they'd ever follow up on this. Tour managers would be nowhere near where you're shooting from meaning only venue security would be near you and they're not going to care.
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May 26, 2010 02:41
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They probably mean a camera blimp or something. If you've got a camera with live view, that may work too.
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May 26, 2010 02:43
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rockcity posted:I have never once heard of that. I have no idea why they'd have a rule like that. Who is going to hear the shutter click, maybe a handful of people, if that? So that means you'd have to use a point and shoot with no mechanical shutter? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Who did you go through for the pass and who is telling you this? I highly doubt they'd ever follow up on this. Tour managers would be nowhere near where you're shooting from meaning only venue security would be near you and they're not going to care. I'm going through my editor, who's going through the concert publicist, who's going through "management," which I assume is the tour manager. The publicist directly quoted the photo guidelines from management: "For still photographers coming to shoot the show, please tell them that they need to bring silent cameras to shoot the first 2 songs, no flash. It is a low sound level show, and the click of some cameras can be heard during the performance. Let the press photographers know that it is a low light level show so they should bring equipment to deal with those conditions." The best I can figure is that he's playing solo and acoustic. It's conceivable that he might go without a microphone, considering how out-of-this-world the Ryman's acoustics are. I have a hard time believing that anyone's going to be disturbed by the shutter clicks, but wouldn't be disturbed by the photographers scurrying back and forth (the Ryman doesn't have a photo pit, you just go to the front of the stage and shoot around the front row). I guess the worst thing that can happen is that I get bounced before the first song is over because of camera noise. If they're going to get that anal though, I'm surprised they don't just go the Bob Dylan route and say no to any and all photos.
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May 26, 2010 05:26
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When I shot Leon Redbone and Leo Kottke it was at a theatre with amazing acoustics, no pit, sounds like the same deal. I generally hid off to the side of stage right behind curtains and scaffolding, chosing my shots carefully, when the audience began to clap or they were laughing at one of the performers' comments, because the shutter rang out like a miniature pistol in that theatre.
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May 26, 2010 06:57
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Bring a large format camera and use a top hat as the shutter. It's not like he'll be moving around a lot anyway.
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May 26, 2010 07:07
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How do these look? I always go to the same venue, and its starting to put me in a rut.  
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May 26, 2010 19:47
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AIIAZNSK8ER posted:How do these look? I always go to the same venue, and its starting to put me in a rut. Is the green from the stage lighting or did you add that? I think it overwhelms the shot.
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May 26, 2010 20:00
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toppro posted:Is the green from the stage lighting or did you add that? I think it overwhelms the shot. The green is fine. Have you ever shot a concert before? Every photo looks like that. Most concert photos have the tone of whatever light is on the performer unless you're at an arena where the lights are considerably further away and have less effect on the color. I'm honestly not that appeased by either of those photos though. The framing on the first one is odd and you can't see the face of the girl. Hair flying shots can be cool, but they usually need to be more kinetic than that and the rest of the shot needs to look good as well. The girl in the second shot looks like she's taking a poo poo.
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May 26, 2010 20:04
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rockcity posted:The green is fine. Have you ever shot a concert before? Every photo looks like that. Most concert photos have the tone of whatever light is on the performer unless you're at an arena where the lights are considerably further away and have less effect on the color. I have shot a couple and know that stage lighting can tint a photo. Examples of mine: Total red head.  Pink hue.  In that photo it is just such a sickly shade of green. The blown out skin tones also take away from the shot. I agree about the facial expression though.
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May 26, 2010 21:36
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It's probably been said but I will say it again: adjusting white balance and using split-tone processing can fix a lot of those problems. At the very least it can add some variation between photos that were all shot under similar lighting conditions.
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May 26, 2010 21:44
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I think the green is a bit much too, though I'd agree that the framing is probably a bigger issue. I think the biggest issue is the venue, The lighting seems really poor, and it doesn't feel like a stage, more like the corner of a bar somewhere. My advice would be to invest in a cheap bounce flash. You can get some decent results in lovely lighting conditions like that: In my opinion, if the lights aren't doing your shots any favors, and are forcing you to drive your ISO through the roof and still use a moderately slow shutter-speed, you're better off getting clear, frozen action shots with good exposure using a bounce flash. If you want to keep the "concert lights" just turn down the shutter speed to about 1/2 a second. It's really the difference between:  and:  When you see the photos at full-size the difference is huge.
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May 26, 2010 21:50
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AtomicManiac posted:I think the green is a bit much too, though I'd agree that the framing is probably a bigger issue. I think the biggest issue is the venue, The lighting seems really poor, and it doesn't feel like a stage, more like the corner of a bar somewhere. My advice would be to invest in a cheap bounce flash. You can get some decent results in lovely lighting conditions like that: I can name maybe 3 shows out of at least 100 that I've shot that will allow flash. If you use a flash in a photo pit, you're going to get your arse kicked by either a fellow photographer, a punter who caught it in the face, or the performer themselves (not literally, but by them pissing to their manager and putting you on their shitlist). I take one around for crowd/social photos if the brief tells me to get some, but rarely use it during shows. And hey, have some photos (excuse the logos, these are the copies I throw up on Myspace/Facebook fan page because I'm too lazy to go and resize the full size tiffs)  
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May 27, 2010 00:36
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I, Butthole posted:I can name maybe 3 shows out of at least 100 that I've shot that will allow flash. If you use a flash in a photo pit, you're going to get your arse kicked by either a fellow photographer, a punter who caught it in the face, or the performer themselves (not literally, but by them pissing to their manager and putting you on their shitlist). Yea, but a local show at a bar doesn't have a no flash, 3 song rule; which is what that guy seems to be shooting at.
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May 27, 2010 06:51
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So I had my first go at gig photography last night when I went to see a friend play in a jazz club. She was wearing a black dress playing a black piano in front of a black curtain and being a jazz club they were trying to cut their electricity bill by having as few lights on stage as possible (or so it seemed). Pics were OK, but for the most part totally black except for a head and arms floating in space. I was using a canon 100 f/2.0 @ 2.8. If I could have gotten closer to the stage without annoying the people who paid way more than me I could have filled the frame with lit features, but that wasn't really possible. So, is there a magic technique to use for gig photography to get the shot? or more likely, do I need to suck it up and get a longer lens? And if the latter, any recommendations? (I've already got a 28/1.8, 50/1.4 and 100/2.0 on a 1DsII. 580exII in my camera bag too but I'm not using that at gigs unless invited to) Edit: would the 200/2.8 be a good idea or would it be better to just brazen it out to get a good position? Captain Postal fucked around with this message at 13:33 on May 27, 2010 |
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May 27, 2010 13:15
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If you couldn't get a proper exposure with a 1.4 then you definitely couldn't get it with a 2.8, distance be damned.
RangerScum fucked around with this message at 17:38 on May 27, 2010 |
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May 27, 2010 13:36
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Green lights are the bar. They use these super intense LED cluster type things. I guess I'll have to work on framing. It is a very small bar and I hate using flash because its so distracting. I never thought the pianists facial expression said 'pooping' but I will keep it in mind. Also good point about the hair waving shot, still needs more emotion and context to really make it 'rawk'.
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May 27, 2010 14:50
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AIIAZNSK8ER posted:Green lights are the bar. They use these super intense LED cluster type things. I guess I'll have to work on framing. It is a very small bar and I hate using flash because its so distracting. I never thought the pianists facial expression said 'pooping' but I will keep it in mind. Also good point about the hair waving shot, still needs more emotion and context to really make it 'rawk'. Oh god, LED stage lights are the devil. They're not as bright as normal lights and they blow out sensors. You've got to be very careful when shooting a show with them. When I shoot a show with LEDs, I usually underexpose by a notch or two because cameras aren't very good at metering them. Sometimes if I know that I'll be shooting at a venue with crap lighting like that, I'll shoot B&W film. Nice thing about film is that it doesn't have a hairy fit like digital does with red lights. I can't bring myself to shoot digital in black and white. It just doesn't seem right.
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May 27, 2010 15:43
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