feedback on Live Music

ChrisLarner · Dec 4, 2011

Hi,
Looking for some feedback on these two photographs,
If you like it please say and if you think there is area's i could improve/ do better that would be great!

Thanks
Chris

Live Shot 2 by Cjl-photography, on Flickr

Nikon D300s
ISO 2000
Focal Length 24mm
Aperture F2.8
Shutter Speed 1/250th

Live Shot 4 by Cjl-photography, on Flickr

Nikon d300s
ISO 2000
Focal Length 24mm
Aperture F2.8
Shutter Speed 1/200th

cheers!

cyngus · Dec 4, 2011

cool shots.. might not be the most compelling or dynamic poses but the lighting is nice and the angle you shot them at is spot on..

GrantH · Dec 4, 2011

Try to clone out the mic stand on the first photo.

ChrisLarner · Dec 5, 2011

thanks guys appreciate the feedback

gsgary · Dec 5, 2011

I like the lights in the first one, but the mic stand and head of guitar cut off spoil it a bit

DiskoJoe · Dec 5, 2011

These are good. The framing on #1 could have been a little better. Try to get the whole guitar in the pic. #2 is fine as is but you could have panned a bit lower. This would eliminate some of the dead space above the guitarist head and also have got some more of the drummer in the shot too.

c.cloudwalker · Dec 5, 2011

From the 2 shots that you are showing us I would say you have an understanding of mike placement in the images so that I totally disagree with that aspect of gsgary's post.

I do agree about not cutting off the bass (yeah gs it's a bass

)

I find your photos lacking emotions but otherwise fine. Now, having worked with bands quite a bit, I know what a challenge it can be to get good shots in small clubs

gsgary · Dec 5, 2011

c.cloudwalker said:
From the 2 shots that you are showing us I would say you have an understanding of mike placement in the images so that I totally disagree with that aspect of gsgary's post.

I do agree about not cutting off the bass (yeah gs it's a bass )

I find your photos lacking emotions but otherwise fine. Now, having worked with bands quite a bit, I know what a challenge it can be to get good shots in small clubs

So you like the mic out of the head look ?

ChrisLarner · Dec 5, 2011

thanks guys for the feedback helps me out alot on where i can improve

gsgary · Dec 5, 2011

If you can get to the side of the stage you can get some interesting shots (Ansley Lister)

c.cloudwalker · Dec 5, 2011

gsgary said:
So you like the mic out of the head look ?

In a perfect world, no.

But we are not in a perfect world. And a stage is even less perfect than most other places I can think of.

I've worked with bands both as a sound engineer and a photog and when I did sound I usually tried to place the mikes and stands in such a way that they would interfere less with the photos. However, musicians like their mikes in a certain way and would, more often than not, change them around as soon as they hit the stage.

So yes, it would be a whole lot better if that mike wasn't there at all. Unfortunately, until everyone can afford ear-mounted mikes, they are going to be there between the musician and your camera

And a mike coming out of the head is ten times better than one right in front of the face that keeps me from knowing what this person even looks like.

And I don't find your shot to be much of an example of what to do. It is a general band shot which let's me think it's a four piece combo and nothing much more. I sure as hell wouldn't recognize any of those people if I was to run into them on the street in the next day.

Yes, you can get interesting shots from backstage. This is not one of them.

gsgary · Dec 5, 2011

c.cloudwalker said:
gsgary said:

So you like the mic out of the head look ?

Click to expand...

In a perfect world, no.

But we are not in a perfect world. And a stage is even less perfect than most other places I can think of.

I've worked with bands both as a sound engineer and a photog and when I did sound I usually tried to place the mikes and stands in such a way that they would interfere less with the photos. However, musicians like their mikes in a certain way and would, more often than not, change them around as soon as they hit the stage.

So yes, it would be a whole lot better if that mike wasn't there at all. Unfortunately, until everyone can afford ear-mounted mikes, they are going to be there between the musician and your camera

And a mike coming out of the head is ten times better than one right in front of the face that keeps me from knowing what this person even looks like.

And I don't find your shot to be much of an example of what to do. It is a general band shot which let's me think it's a four piece combo and nothing much more. I sure as hell wouldn't recognize any of those people if I was to run into them on the street in the next day.

Yes, you can get interesting shots from backstage. This is not one of them.

Thats not one of my best just a quick example this is a bit more interesting and i have the mic out of the head

c.cloudwalker · Dec 5, 2011

No you don't.

Look man, I like you plenty enough so don't make me hate you with some stupid BS contest. The mike in your second example is as much in the musician's head as in the OP's first shot. But you also have some guy's head right behind the mike and singer's hands which is extremely annoying.

Your shot is much worse. Get over it. We are not perfect. I am not, you are not. Live with it.