band photographers

[nic_ola]

does anybody know of any band photographers and their websites? i wanna take up a little band photography for a uni project, i want to get some cool black and white shots, but want to have a look at some existing work to bulk up my research.

 

[manda]

http://www.photo.net/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i.htm
is a good article

tony mott is a legend
but his website is down at the moment

 

[nic_ola]

just looked at your website, you have some great images! is it quite difficult to photograph bands? im kinda new to photography so not exactly clued up on what equipment to use, did u use flash?

 

[manda]

thanks
yes its not the easiest subject in the world to shoot, but lots of fun!
no, never use flash.
firstly, a lot of bands wont like it and also its only going to show up heads in front of you, bottoms of stages and not much else. use the lights on the stage and work with them.
i tend to not shoot when the lights are too red as it makes the performers faces look the same. if you can learn to work in time with the lighting guys, it will help hehe

himmm..use a high speed film..400

performers, especially guitarists and singers move around a lot so you have to wait for opportune moments. i wouldnt shoot them if they are running all over the stage on your first go. its a frustrating subject to shoot because youre dealing with lots of different elements at play, so dont be disconcerted if you come home with a roll of blurred photos.

if you can, id shoot digital, that way, you at least know what you need to fix and can change the speeds around.

i hope this helps in some way!

 

[Shutterbug]

I don't trust bands anymore, the one time I was hired to work for one, they burned me pretty bad. :\

Damn poor musicians

 

[Digital Matt]

You need a fast lens for band photography, or a good flash, but I'm not a big fan of flash photography, and neither are bands really. I'd much rather use available light. I use my 50mm f/1.8 as often as I can with high iso and get good results.

 

[nic_ola]

o cool thanx...im not a fan of flash either ... i get it all wrong! but i have seen some fabulous images since i posted it and i wanna use colour. i like night time/dark photography, iv just done a project about roadside shots. it was fun!

 

[nic_ola]

that makes me feel confident ... ta!!!! ;-)

 

[nic_ola]

thanks, it does help, iv just been to age concern shooting some sequence dancers and boy can the elderly move fast!!! the problem with digital is the flash though? or can u turn it off! see im clueless! lol! so a 400asa would be ok-thats cool i was thinking that or 800, but i really like your shots they're good...u have been really lucky to get to be able to go and shoot them bands! the problem with this project is that it cant cost me too much money as i am a poor uni student!

 

[Jovian]

i haven't gotten the opportunity to shoot any bands for a while. If you're having problems getting a fast enough shutter speed, then just shoot with what you have. Use the motion that you get to convey the speed and energy of the show. Just play around with flash if you can, play around with no flash, play around with fast shutter speeds, and slow ones too. So many different results are possible, and they all look awesome.

 

[ksmattfish]

If you look near the bottom of the Galleries page on my website you can see some of the band photos I've taken.

I typically use flash because I'm shooting medium format, and part of what I want to get is lot's of details and sharpness. Bouncing it off the ceiling is an option in some bars, which gives a less harsh look to the lighting.

This photo is going to be used for the next Drakkar Sauna CD cover

It was taken with a Rolleiflex TLR and bouncing the flash (Vivitar 285HV) off the ceiling.

 

[nic_ola]

yeh i totally agree...but are lecturers are terrible for wanting all this meaningful stuff and i kinda just wanna do stuff cos i wanna create cool effects and just have a play around!!

 

[manda]

that is a great shot matt!

 

[nic_ola]

really wkd shot!!!