need help with upcoming show

cornfield girl

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i have some friends that play in a band and are growing quickly in popularity. I'd like to get some really good shots for the website. But I've not been able to get very good shots in the past in bar settings. They'll be playing their biggest show yet at Nicks sports pub on march 3rd. It's very spacious, so there's plenty of room for me to move around. They've made it an 80's show, so everyone will be in 80's drag.(zebra pants and all) The band will be set up on a stage that's about 2 feet tall and sets in front of a huge window that runs as long as the stage and all the way up to the ceiling. The lights will be dimmed and they'll have a light show going on during the show. And also to the left of the stage there is balcony seating with about 6 tables that runs the length of the wall. And one major problem is that there's a square pole that stands about 8 from the stage which gets in the way of taking a full band shot from the front. I'll have my fuji digital,and my moms cannon 35mm, and 2 attachable lenses. i'm not sure exactly what kind of lenses they are, i don't have them in front of me. all I know is that one is about half the length of the other.(i'm not exactly skilled or knowledgable with these things, obviously). Basically what i'm asking for is some suggestions on lighting, angle, distance, what sort of camera to use....etc. anything that could possibly help me. below are some pics of the band playing a couple of weeks ago in the same bar, so you can get an idea of what the place looks like. I had some issues with lighting last time which i posted on a thread a couple weeks ago. Thanks for any help i can get. :)

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I have been shooting a little in night clubs for a couple of my friends bands. My biggest recomendation is to shoot in black and white. I really think that colour takes away from club shots. I also think that using the onboard camera flash is a huge problem, you would be better to have a flash which you can bounce off a wall or ceiling to prevent the direct flash. Also, if you are going to use the flash you have on your camera, be prepared to adjust brightness and contrast on a editing program in order for you to restore some of the club feel. Also, get closer up to your subjects, it will be a huge improvement.... But please keep in mind I am fairly new at this myself, but those are just my thoughts.
 
Well getting down low and shooting up can some times give good effects but i wouldnt be able to give you any technical info on how to do it :S only other suggestion would be to get some real close ups of the musicians and their instruments could make and alright shot. Sorry it isn't much help :S

Stu
 
I have an attachable flash for the cannon that i can angle in any direction. Could this help?
 
Don't use the flash, it ruins the mood. Get a fast lens like the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and bump your ISO up to 1600. That way you'll be able to make images with the lighting they've set up and the high ISO will let you shoot at fast shutter speeds.
 
What exactly does this mean...f/1.8. i'm not sure what the f/ symbol stands for exactly.......

so the faster the shutter speed, the better??
 
What exactly does this mean...f/1.8. i'm not sure what the f/ symbol stands for exactly.......

so the faster the shutter speed, the better??
the f number or "f/symbol" basically controls two things...depth of field(ammount of hte photo thats in focus) and the ammount of light that hits your sensor. the reason why an f/1.8 would be good is because it would let you get more light hitting your sensor, thus letting you use higher shutter speeds. its not necessarily the higher shutter speed the better in some cases, but in the case your in, you want it as high as humanly possible to freeze the motion of the band.
 
If I'm correct in thinking that your fuji is a P&S camera, use the Canon with the short lens. From your description I'm also guessing that the shorter lens is a 50mm and probably around f1.8 or so which is what you'll need for this. You will be tempted to use the longer lens but unless it is a fast one (f2.8 or less- I use Nikons but the difference in makes isn't very much so if the longer lens is right at a 3 it's ok) just leave it at home and walk to where the pictures are best. You can bring the flash but unless you are comfortable using it or can get your mom to 'school you up' in a hurry, I would just use it for posed shots before the gig and on breaks. You can get Fujifilm iso 800 negitave film at most places and set the iso on the canon to 1600 (check the meter to see if it is about right, if not you can go to iso 2400 with out too much trouble) This is called pushing the film and you will have to tell whomever develops it what you have done to get it to come out right [Remember what you set the iso to!](do NOT use wal-mart or the corner drugstore) Also, you are not going to have quite as much leeway with the film this way so you'll need to pay close attention to the meter but you can shoot in a much darker room this way. As far as composition, look at other band photos that you like and then just look for those same photos through the view finder. Enjoy it! mike P.S. I wrote this and then went to dinner. what has been said before this is true but with out more experience, you most likely need the f number to be no less than 4. If all this makes you want to throw up both your hands, just take the Fuji and have a fun night. If you want to go ahead, take your mom's camera to a restaurant with about the same lighting and practice. Just remember to tell the shop you get to develop your film how much you pushed it by (what iso you shot it at)
 
1. If at all possible, raise the ISO and stop using flash.

2. It's Canon not Cannon.

3. I agree with the idea to get the 50mm f/1.8 lens. If you have a zoom now, it probably won't cut muster without the flash.

4. Bring the flash just in case you're not having any luck with the ambient light only.
 
tell whomever develops it what you have done to get it to come out right [Remember what you set the iso to!](do NOT use wal-mart or the corner drugstore)

Where do you think i should get them developed? Are there places that i can send them off to?

2. It's Canon not Cannon.

yeah...i realized that about 15 minutes ago.

Also, you are not going to have quite as much leeway with the film this way so you'll need to pay close attention to the meter

what exactly do you mean when you say "meter".

sorry about all the questions.......i'm still working on my photography lingo.
 

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