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I've been doing some concert photography and I think I'm getting pretty good at it. I don't use a flash and the only lens I've used is a 50mm 1.8. I'd love a zoom lens to give me a bit more flexibility in framing when I have no room to move but the 2.8 minimum aperture on the Sigma and Tamron lenses that cover the 20-70mm range would only be useful for well lit venues. I'll probably end up sticking with primes and buy two more for wide shots and balcony shooting. I'm on a crop sensor body. Can anyone recommend some lenses for me? Some photos also because those are fun.     I know the photos aren't as sharp and clear as some of the flash assisted photos I've seen but the bands seem to really like them. I do most of my shots candidly and tell the band about it afterwords. It creates a completely different kind of atmosphere and even experienced performers can get camera shy if they know they're being shot. Edit: this post might be against the nature of the thread because I've never charged and have no future plans to start. Also also, I just realized I posted four pictures of the two same people. gently caress it's late. gotly fucked around with this message at 09:03 on May 15, 2009 |
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May 15, 2009 08:54
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I honestly recommend sticking to prime lenses for concert photography, especially in dark clubs. I shoot almost exclusively with a sigma 20mm f1.8 and my canon 50mm 1.8 lens. I have a sigma 24-60mm f2.8 that I like, but it's just not as sharp as prime lenses at low apertures. It's great outdoors though.
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May 15, 2009 13:45
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I really like my Sig 30mm f/1.4  The Nikon 35mm f/1.8 is a cheaper alternative, but you seem to be on Canon, who makes a 24mm and a 35mm f/1.4 primes (expensive L glass), and cheaper 28mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/2, but I have no idea of the optical quality. Those will result in a "standard" length on a crop body or a bit shorter.Sig also makes a 20mm fast prime but it's poo poo  For the long end, the 85mm f/1.8 USM doesn't seem too expensive, and it's pretty good. I'd definitely get the short lens first though. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 14:08 on May 15, 2009 |
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May 15, 2009 13:53
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evil_bunnY posted:I really like my Sig 30mm f/1.4 What? I love my sigma 20mm. I use that thing all the time. Might be too wide for most people's normal uses though.
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May 15, 2009 15:04
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Some friends were in a battle of the bands type of event called the classic rockathon, they ended up winning. Their band is called Universal Soul. Was my first try at concert photography other than some open mic nights, I had a lot of fun.   
snowman fucked around with this message at 11:12 on May 16, 2009 |
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May 16, 2009 10:27
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My first "big" show. Big as in people show up to it on finals week.  
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May 16, 2009 15:14
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Another prime lens to consider: Canon 35 1.4 L
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May 16, 2009 17:55
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What shutter speed are most of you using for these pics, I'm hoping to get my 50mm 1.4 soon and it would be interesting to know what you consider the best range of speeds to be.
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May 16, 2009 18:26
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Depends on the band. Some coked-up rockers will need ~150 or flash, quieter stuff you can go down to ~50, bit lower at wide angles.
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May 16, 2009 19:33
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If motion is minimal you can get away with 1/60th or even slower at times, if there is any real motion that usually jumps up to 1/160th. Even higher if there is jumping involved.
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May 18, 2009 13:39
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I finally got a D90 and because of this thread you all made me think that I could actually get paid for something I love. I put up a couple of pictures in PAD but they may be sick of seeing concert shots. Don't want to double post so the set is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/aiiaznsk8er/sets/72157618288200431/ . I knew the 50mm 1.8 would be awesome, but it took some time to get used to the new crop factor coming from 35mm. I occasionally used flash but turned down the power so I could bump exposure of the subject just a bit. I still feel a little self conscious getting up in front of the stage to get good angles.
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May 18, 2009 14:32
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My most recent concert shoot: battle of the bands in Franklin, MA. The lighting was poo poo, so it was flash + slow shutter speed. I got some decent shots, not a whole ton though. One of my favorite shots of the night is below. What was annoying was they turned the overhead lights off but kept the lights behind the bands on so they were heavily backlit which was hell for me.
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May 18, 2009 16:22
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Zoowick posted:   
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May 18, 2009 17:36
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Shooting with a 50 1.7 is obviously ideal for concert situations, just be aware that if you're body has a crop sensor you will have to factor that in. Mine has a x1.25 crop on full frame lenses, so that pumps it up to 75mm, which works fine in a venue where you can move about, just as much as a 50mm. However, at a larger venue, one where you may have to secure a photo pass to even get a DSLR past the front door, you can feel 75mm getting rather narrow, as your ability to move your physical self can become extremely limited by the time the headliner hits the stage. If you have a crop body you can always look at full frame primes in the 20-30 range but you lose some aperture coverage as well.
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May 18, 2009 20:06
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Anyone considering Prime lenses - these were all taken with my £90 ($170) prime canon 50mm 1.8mm lens and a canon eos 350D (rebel xt)   
TheScribe fucked around with this message at 00:05 on May 19, 2009 |
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May 18, 2009 20:26
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I've done quite a bit of this for friend's bands and it's been a ton of fun. I've used exclusively Sony cameras and have had good luck with them. I recently upgraded from a fixed-lens F-828 into an Alpha-350 and it's my first DSLR. I've still got the OEM 18-70 lens and will probably go fixed at some point since the MP count is high enough to allow some pretty radical cropping before things get ugly. The 828 was awesome for concert work. Being able to rotate the body independently of the lens allowed me to shoot over my head and over the heads of the crowd. The tilting LCD+Live view thingy does the same thing now. Things I've learned: Don't let a band boss you around. I've done some work for a good friend of mine and he and his wife always demand to get raw unprocessed shots from me immediately. I finally had to put my foot down. MY shots follow MY workflow, and that involves shot selection and spending time in post. If you work for free, there is no goddamn reason to be rushed. I'm contemplating switching to RAW, which will negate the problem entirely, especially since massive CF cards are so drat cheap. Be polite with security, even if you have a backstage pass. Don't get lovely if you are challenged. You are on their turf. Carry a calling/business card. Carry spare batteries, since concert photography is 9/10ths luck which will require you to: Take a ton of shots. In any live photography environment, composition is a luxury you don't always have. Given the often inconsistent lighting conditions you're not going to catch anything good even 5% of the time unless you're blasting the stage with a flash, and even then you may end up with something lovely. Over the course of most full-length shows I've blasted off 700+ shots and maybe walked away with a dozen good ones at most.
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May 18, 2009 20:43
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Kynetx posted:I've done quite a bit of this for friend's bands and it's been a ton of fun. I've used exclusively Sony cameras and have had good luck with them. Kynetx posted:I recently upgraded from a fixed-lens F-828 into an Alpha-350 and it's my first DSLR.  Kynetx posted:will probably go fixed at some point since the MP count is high enough to allow some pretty radical cropping before things get ugly. Kynetx posted:The 828 was awesome for concert work. Being able to rotate the body independently of the lens allowed me to shoot over my head and over the heads of the crowd. The tilting LCD+Live view thingy does the same thing now. I mean on my D90 it's just retarded. Just will not work in the dark. About the only thing I've used that was good enough was the G1. Kynetx posted:I'm contemplating switching to RAW, which will negate the problem entirely, especially since massive CF cards are so drat cheap. Kynetx posted:Be polite with security, even if you have a backstage pass. Don't get lovely if you are challenged. You are on their turf. Kynetx posted:Carry spare batteries, since concert photography is 9/10ths luck which will require you to:  Kynetx posted:Take a ton of shots. In any live photography environment, composition is a luxury you don't always have. Given the often inconsistent lighting conditions you're not going to catch anything good even 5% of the time unless you're blasting the stage with a flash, and even then you may end up with something lovely. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 21:37 on May 18, 2009 |
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May 18, 2009 21:27
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Kynetx posted:Carry spare batteries, since concert photography is 9/10ths luck Also I know it's a simple thing to remember but always make sure your batteries are charged the night before. I shat bricks when half way through an event both batteries in my camera died. The only saving grace was the G9 I brought with me took the same batteries as my 400D. Kynetx posted:I've done some work for a good friend of mine and he and his wife always demand to get raw unprocessed shots from me immediately. I finally had to put my foot down. MY shots follow MY workflow, and that involves shot selection and spending time in post. If you work for free, there is no goddamn reason to be rushed. I'm contemplating switching to RAW, which will negate the problem entirely, especially since massive CF cards are so drat cheap. If you're shooting live performances you'll want the fastest CF card you can get, it might not be cheap but it'll help when you've fired away and become frustrated waiting for the buffer to empty. I'd recommend checking out online stores if you're not pressed for time.
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May 18, 2009 21:52
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evil_bunnY posted:Now that's just silliness. quote:Is the live view AF actually anywhere near fast enough for that in low light? quote:Also send them manly pictures of themselves if you work on their turf regularly. Really. 90% of security knows my first name at the couple of venues I shoot at regularly. [/quote]
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May 18, 2009 23:45
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Hm, I posted some of these on PAD but I guess it's more suitable here. Managed to sneak my camera in by convincing the security guard my camera "couldn't change focal lengths" and snapped away at Animal Collective in Toronto with grouper opening up (first pic). Shot all of these with a sony a700 and a 50mm f1.4. First time shooting a concert. Btw, the light on the dude's head isn't glare, he's called "The Geologist" and wears a headband with a light on it. just sayin'.      
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May 19, 2009 06:48
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So I got interest from the band I shot on Friday for use of my photographs. I was thinking that I would put my name in the corner and give them permission to use a select few on their myspace only. If they wanted to use it for posters or on their proper website, they would have to negotiate a price for them. This is the first time I have licensed my pictures to anyone. Does this sound like a good plan? I know the business thread frowns upon giving stuff away for free. I know my photos have value, so should I charge money and give them the license for broader usage beyond myspace? They did not 'hire' me for their show to take pictures, so my other idea was to ask them if they would hire me for their next show explicitly for promo pictures. What did you established guys do for your first set of licensed photographs? edit: I just thought of this. When you sign contracts for licensing, do all members of the bands sign? Are you making a contract with the individuals or the band as an entity? Do you state that this is only for use by Band X not by Solo Guy if he leaves. AIIAZNSK8ER fucked around with this message at 16:18 on May 19, 2009 |
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May 19, 2009 14:05
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Doing web-sized photos for their myspace for free is fine, just make sure they credit you in the caption too. If they want to use them for their actual website I'd charge them a small fee, and give them slightly higher-res photos without your name. If they want to use it for anything big, then draft up a contract and have all of them sign it, providing they don't have management of any kind.
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May 19, 2009 15:21
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So how do you people address colour metering at concerts? You'd think this would come up in most guides, but it doesn't.
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May 19, 2009 19:07
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Nihiliste posted:So how do you people address colour metering at concerts? You'd think this would come up in most guides, but it doesn't. Along these lines, gently caress lighting people who use predominantly red lighting. DSLRs handle it so badly.
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May 19, 2009 19:08
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I half agree with Kynetx. Respecting security can be tough as some places have extremely huge assholes working. And sometimes you're more afraid of the bartender than you are of the dudes with the huge arms keeping eye on the venue. But mostly I agree with taking a million photos. You will wear out your battery pretty well through a show but you also get great candids. I have about 10 shots of Fischerspooner's dancers off routine, where they really showed that they were enjoying the gently caress out themselves.  Watching a woman in flesh tone spandex do the robot while laughing is something I will never forget.
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May 19, 2009 19:28
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Nihiliste posted:So how do you people address colour metering at concerts? You'd think this would come up in most guides, but it doesn't. I kind of throw white balance out the window with concerts. The lights are constantly changing colour and intensity, so what's the point? I leave it on auto and sort it out later if it needs sorting at all. As for actual metering, definitely shoot in raw. If you've got a blown-out highlight with a purple light for instance, try desaturating that colour of purple. You can recover a surprising amount of detail by playing around with specific colour saturation. If your camera has a feature that makes blown-out areas blink when viewing the preview, turn that on so you'll instantly see what's working and what isn't. It's okay if you've blown-out a light behind the performer or whatever, just as long as the important things like facial features are still good to go. Basically get the photos are bright as you can without going over the edge. Bright photos with good contrast work the best if you need to do noise reduction in post. Scream Machine posted:Respecting security can be tough as some places have extremely huge assholes working. And sometimes you're more afraid of the bartender than you are of the dudes with the huge arms keeping eye on the venue. I guess I've been lucky at the venues I shoot at. I show them the utmost respect and they show it right back. Generally, the calibre of security follows the calibre of clientele. If it's a club that caters to posers and idiots, you're going to get security that treats people like dicks. If it's a more laid-back club where people know how to behave, security is much more cool about things.
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May 19, 2009 19:42
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Nihiliste posted:So how do you people address colour metering at concerts? You'd think this would come up in most guides, but it doesn't. For the most part I set my WB to sunny. I find it does the best job with stage lighting. I shoot everything raw though so I can tweak what I need to in post processing to get a more accurate color tone.
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May 19, 2009 19:43
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Nihiliste posted:So how do you people address colour metering at concerts? You'd think this would come up in most guides, but it doesn't. I just shoot AWB and correct in post. Maybe there's a better solution, but since I'm a loving newbie I haven't found it. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 19:48 on May 19, 2009 |
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May 19, 2009 19:43
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Sunny white balance, fancy that. I usually just edit everything in post, as well. Shooting a daytime concert was fun, though. More than acceptable shutter speeds, and I had full access to the stage itself. 
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May 19, 2009 20:43
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Did some promos today for a friend. Third time doing a promo shoot, second time in a 'studio.'     
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May 20, 2009 00:01
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I'll be honest. It looks like you're trying to sell clothes with those shots, not the artist. Nothing really draws the eye in to the person. 2,3 and 4 are basically shots for American Apparel. 5 looks like a candid shot of a friend at the park. The first photo is really the only photo that looks like it would be a promo shot, though I'm really not liking that crop.
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May 20, 2009 02:25
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rockcity posted:I'll be honest. It looks like you're trying to sell clothes with those shots, not the artist. Nothing really draws the eye in to the person. 2,3 and 4 are basically shots for American Apparel. 5 looks like a candid shot of a friend at the park. The first photo is really the only photo that looks like it would be a promo shot, though I'm really not liking that crop. Now that you say that I agree. How can you do singular artists promo shots? I don't really know. I want to do into advertising photography, so I guess the fact that I've nailed down that style is good... but still. shudder fucked around with this message at 02:54 on May 20, 2009 |
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May 20, 2009 02:48
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Shooting against the sun fill is your friend. Shooting people without sunglasses in the hogh afternoon sun isn't a brilliant idea either, you get shadowy blobs instead of definition in the eyes.
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May 20, 2009 09:08
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shudder posted:Now that you say that I agree. How can you do singular artists promo shots? You're not really selling personality with your photos. The poses and expressions are neutral. The settings are generic and bland. Your full length and torso shots might as well be head shots since there's so little going on. If I'm a record company executive, I'm thinking: "drat, this guy is boring." Try some of the tricks you might try with concert photography. Think back to what elements made your best concert shots your best concert shots and apply that to the promo shots. Did you talk to the artist beforehand to see if they themselves had any ideas kicking around that they might like to try? I find that's helpful in getting the ball rolling.
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May 20, 2009 15:51
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shudder posted:Now that you say that I agree. How can you do singular artists promo shots? Try to get some more personal shots, do a few tight photos, maybe not even the whole face. Try something like a horizontal shot that cuts off somewhere in the chin region and just below the top of his head. Make the lighting dramatic if you can. I find with single people finding interesting backgrounds can really add dimension to a photos. Here's a big key to that. Remember, a background doesn't need to be vertical (it can be the ground, or what's on the ground). You'd be surprised the cool photos you can get by having someone lay on the floor or a rug and shooting down at them. It plays tricks on the mind.
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May 20, 2009 16:21
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Holy loving poo poo, I've been shooting bands as a hobby for 5 years and I've never bothered using photoshop till NOW (left is the finished product after about 1 min of editing in photoshop) MIND BLOWN. Now I have to go through 5 year's worth of photos and "fix" them.
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May 20, 2009 16:31
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stage light was terrible, so these were lit with vivitar 285hv/inflatable softbox using ebay wireless triggers  
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May 20, 2009 17:07
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psylent posted:Holy loving poo poo, I've been shooting bands as a hobby for 5 years and I've never bothered using photoshop till NOW What did you do?
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May 20, 2009 17:50
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psylent posted:Holy loving poo poo, I've been shooting bands as a hobby for 5 years and I've never bothered using photoshop till NOW I, for one, welcome our new Photoshop overlords. Isn't ps GREAT?! That looks like it might be "auto levels"...?
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May 20, 2009 18:11
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natashafatale posted:That looks like it might be "auto levels"...?
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May 20, 2009 18:33
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