Guide to Concert Photography

[sood1992]

The most important aspect of Concert Photography is to freeze motion properly without any motion blur and get perfectly exposed pictures. This post will guide you through steps on how to be a better Concert Photographer.

Guide to Concert Photography

 

[ValentinaMatteo]

Thanks for posting this I was hoping to find some good advice for photographing concerts. This was really helpful

 

[seanrayford]

Hey guys,

I'm a 33 year old photojournalist who got his start shooting concerts in high school and at this point I've photographed some thousand bands during that time. One piece of advice in becoming a better concert/music photographer - learn to become a better photographer in general. Some things you can't learn unless you walk away from the stage even though they will help you when you are there.

Oh yeah and remember: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. It takes a **** ton of hard work, persistence and continually experiencing failure but learning from it.

Feel free to wander over to my blog: Columbia SC Photojournalist and Music Photographer - Sean Rayford

 

[fjrabon]

I don't think this is a particularly good guide. Fast shutter speeds are important, given the usual lighting in concerts, but there's a lot of very basic advice, and some that's outright wrong (underexposing and bringing really dark pictures up in post will make for REALLY noisy photos a lot of times, especially since your ISO is already maxed out). Essentially this entire guid was a very basic "how to get fast shutter speeds in low light", which is a part of concert photography, but an extremely small part of it.

 

[pixmedic]

I don't think this is a particularly good guide. Fast shutter speeds are important, given the usual lighting in concerts, but there's a lot of very basic advice, and some that's outright wrong (underexposing and bringing really dark pictures up in post will make for REALLY noisy photos a lot of times, especially since your ISO is already maxed out). Essentially this entire guid was a very basic "how to get fast shutter speeds in low light", which is a part of concert photography, but an extremely small part of it.

being totally unfamiliar with concert photography myself, what are the other parts besides the fast shutter speed in low light?

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I hate to say it but you killed your thread with your first sentence.

Probably why noone paid any attention to it until today!

Unless of course your guide is for classical music concert. And even then I would call BS. There is energy in every kind of concerts and sometimes that energy is best translated by motion blur. I believe all you have taught us is that you have no understanding of music

 

[fjrabon]

I don't think this is a particularly good guide. Fast shutter speeds are important, given the usual lighting in concerts, but there's a lot of very basic advice, and some that's outright wrong (underexposing and bringing really dark pictures up in post will make for REALLY noisy photos a lot of times, especially since your ISO is already maxed out). Essentially this entire guid was a very basic "how to get fast shutter speeds in low light", which is a part of concert photography, but an extremely small part of it.

being totally unfamiliar with concert photography myself, what are the other parts besides the fast shutter speed in low light?

Well, it varies depending on the type of concert. Shooting a rock concert with very dynamic lighting is mostly about figuring out the 'flow' of the lighting and then anticipating what the lighting is going to be and when to shoot. For a small blues club, with maybe a couple of static lights, the biggest issue is figuring out how to capture that light ont he performer the best. For a classical type performance, the issue is similar, but on a larger scale.

For all types of concert photography, the biggest thing is where you are shooting from, which wasn't addressed at all. The "hey I'm in the middle of the crowd and blindly holding my camera up in the air" shot sucks, regardless of how fast your shutter speed is.

And as c.cloudwalker expressed, the issue isn't necessarily getting rid of motion blur, it's knowing the right amount needed for a given shot. For instance, when a really fast guitarist is soloing, you probably want his fingers a little blurred, to convey the fire of the solo. Same for drummers. For singers, it's mostly about being able to anticipate their facial expressions when they sing. Bass players are tough (unless you're shooting Flea) because they tend to just stand there and gently pluck their notes. And they also tend to be poorly lit.

Probably the biggest issue I had with the article though, was that it was written at such an extremely basic level, yet it advocated shooting manual. For the type of person that needed to be told how to increase their shutter speed, manual is going to be overwhelming for a concert. For most people at that level, I usually advocate shooting in shutter speed priority mode, with a relatively high fixed ISO.

 

[Alan92RTTT]

What is the trick to getting the venue to let you bring your SLR in?

Every time I have asked I have been told no removable lens cameras.

 

[fjrabon]

What is the trick to getting the venue to let you bring your SLR in?

Every time I have asked I have been told no removable lens cameras.

Usually the only way to get around that is contact the artist and/or club in advance and get special permission. Or just seek out clubs that allow it.

 

[lizzys]

The guide seems to me to be a very basic intro to concert photography - where someone who has never experimented with it at all would start. Even then, there are some things in there I would argue with. My base settings at almost any concert are f3.2, shutter 1/125 and ISO 2000. This is my personal preference, but lighting at shows can be highly versatile (and volatile), and I can quickly lower my ISO and bump aperture/shutter if I need to, or vice versa in poorer lighting conditions.

One way for me to tell the difference between someone who has covered concerts before and someone who is still learning is by asking how many photos they took at the end of the 3 songs. If they tell you upwards of 1000, then you know they set the camera to full auto and held the shutter button down. And that drives me crazy. Concert photography, though extremely fast paced (keep in mind at most shows you only have three songs to shoot during), still has similarities to every other type of photography. If you take an extra second to observe - and even wait - for lighting to position itself, you can compose a shot that will be better than any of someone else's 1000 photos. Also, do *NOT* always use the widest aperture! If the lighting is elaborate enough (and at festivals and larger shows, it is!) bump the f stop up to 4, or even higher. You'll have a much easier time with getting the correct focus and DoF. Even at the crappiest, smallest low lit venues, I still rarely go under 3.2.

Even scouting out a venue will only help you so much. The only way to predict lighting is by seeing a performer multiple times - then you will know what to expect.

The trick to getting a dSLR in is to contact the band's publicist or management and request permission. Doing this is tricky at first, because they rarely want to let anyone in who doesn't have a portfolio and/or isn't working for a publication. What benefit do you bring if you aren't providing them exposure? If you really want to get into concert photography, your best bet is to go to local shows at small venues - network with bands and get your name out there in the local scene. Grow a portfolio with those images, and then once you have something to show off, try to reach out to a publication or radio station and see if they would be interested in using your photos in exchange for tickets and photo passes.

 

[fjrabon]

Another thing, if you've ever wondered why so much classic concert photography is in black and white, its because noise is less bothersome in black and white. If the lighting is crappy (and in small clubs it usually is), jack the ISO and shoot in B+W (well, shoot in color in your camera and convert to B+W later in post). People will think you're being arty and dramatic, when really you're just hiding the fact that you shot at ISO 3200 or even higher. A noisy shot that's sharp and in focus is better than a shot at lower ISO where either your shutter speed was too long or your depth of field was too shallow and you missed focus.

 

[lizzys]

@fjrabon - True, b&w also helps concur red lighting that a lot of concert photographers complain about.

 

[fjrabon]

Here are a couple of awesome peices of advice Zack Arias put on hsi tumblr from renowned concert photographer Allen Ross Thomas:

Ask Me Anything About Photography • Hi Zack! Which lenses do you recommend for shooting concerts? Prime or zoom? Primes are a lot cheaper and probably faster and the zoom ones are very expensive. (be aware this advice is for a full frame, so take the focal length rec's accordingly, ie the 35mm f/1.8 is probably the best prime if you're shooting crop frame, and a 50mm f/1.8 for longer shots)

Ask Me Anything About Photography • Hi Zack! I

 

[Steve5D]

That was a "guide"?

Seriously?

 

[myvinyl333]

In searching concert photography posts I came upon this Guide to... it is very basic and not very accurate if you shoot a lot in very low light or strobes galore. There is so much more to capturing that perfect shot than freezing the shot. Most times you do not know if you even got a good shot to post. Turn up the ISO and shoot @ will