Concert Photography

[pasteofanchovie]

I go to many concerts and my cell phone camera isn't cutting it for me. I was wondering what was the best way to take pictures of the bands with a Kodak Easyshare Z612 and a Canon Powershot G9. I'm learning about ISO, aperture and shutter speed and its starting to make some sense. Does anyone have any experience with this and what setting they use? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[potownrob]

I'm no expert but I have found being close to the front is good for lighting and also so you don't have to zoom in so far. You will probably want to keep the aperture wide open (lowest F/ number), the shutter speed pretty slow (I'd have to try it out and it depends on the camera and lighting and all but I'd say 1/4 second or slower, probably slower) and higher ISO. I'd try to keep ISO lower to start with since higher ISO will make for noisy pics. I'd try to keep it at ISO 800 on that type of camera. You'll want to have your IS turned on too. You can try using the Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority modes but you may need to use full manual mode to expose things right. I'd try upping the exposure compensation in AP or SP modes before going manual, unless you're good at balancing aperture and shutter speeds. I think these suggestions will at least point you in the right direction. Someone who knows a lot more than me will hopefully chime in soon :lmao:.

 

[tirediron]

I'm no expert but I have found being close to the front is good for lighting and also so you don't have to zoom in so far. You will probably want to keep the aperture wide open (lowest F/ number), the shutter speed pretty slow (I'd have to try it out and it depends on the camera and lighting and all but I'd say 1/4 second or slower, probably slower) and higher ISO. I'd try to keep ISO lower to start with since higher ISO will make for noisy pics. I'd try to keep it at ISO 800 on that type of camera. You'll want to have your IS turned on too. You can try using the Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority modes but you may need to use full manual mode to expose things right. I'd try upping the exposure compensation in AP or SP modes before going manual, unless you're good at balancing aperture and shutter speeds. I think these suggestions will at least point you in the right direction. Someone who knows a lot more than me will hopefully chime in soon :lmao:.

Okay, first off, anything below 1/30 of a second is just too slow to hand-hold (I'm guessing they're not going to let you bring in a tripod or monopod). Ideally, because of how much performers move, you want a shutter speed of 1/200 +. Is that achievable? Not likely, unless you're shooting with a Nikon D3 cranked up to ISO 6400

What I would do is set your camera for shutter priority, 1/60 of a second (fast enough to stop most movement) and auto-ISO and hope for the best.

 

[prodigy2k7]

Also, try to snap a picture when the performers arent moving so much! TO be honest, i hate shooting with a flash or when its dark, its hard to be good at it... I suck

 

[KristinaS]

Hi,
Like others have said, this is unfortunately one of those situations where you have to crank your ISO. I always leave mine at 800 or sometimes even 1600.

I shoot A LOT of concerts and I used to shoot all manual, but I recently switched to av because it's a lot easier with the constant changing of stage lights.

I rarely use flash and when I do it's for creative purposes (light trails, etc.). Most of the concerts I shoot don't allow flash photography anyway. A fast lens is very much needed in concert photography.

 

[pasteofanchovie]

I mainly go to local shows so I can get right in front of the bands. I might be going to a show on Thursday so I'll try some of these tips. Thanks for the help!

 

[RyanLilly]

On your G9 you could try Av, keep the aperture pretty wide open (lowest Number) Then keep raising you iso until you get shutter speeds high enough to stop motion. Probably around 1/60th as mentioned above. I have some pretty good shot that I took as slow as 1/15 and 1/30, but at those speeds, keepers are few and far between.

Try and shoot for 1/60, f/2.8 and whatever ISO is required to achieve it. You will need to zoom out all the way to keep it at 2.8.

 

[justshootingconcerts]

Try and shoot for 1/60, f/2.8 and whatever ISO is required to achieve it. You will need to zoom out all the way to keep it at 2.8.

I don't know much about this particular camera, but if you can shoot at f/2.8, then you should be able to get some pretty decent shots, assuming it's a decently lit venue. Although, the OP mentioned that he/she was shooting a smaller/local band and usually that means poor lighting. Also, if you can use 'Spot Metering', do so.

Chad