Gig Photos, Any Advice

[imm102]

Hey,

Im a total amateur guys so bare with me. My problem is I bought my dig cam originally to capture images at gigs, festivals etc. My problem is my casio Z3 although spec wise has variable shutter speed etc its impossible to actually build a custom setup, or "best shot" as they call it.

The two main environments I take in are dark tents, clubs or out in the open air at festivals. The bands obviously are moving quite fast and eratic and what I find is that most of my images come out blurred.

Ive found a "best shot" editor online http://get.to/bestshots so I was wondering what type of settings you guys would recommend for the two environments.

The specs can be found here:

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/specs/Casio/EX-Z3%20Exilim.htm

Thanks in advance, maybe this year I can get a decent amount of sharp photos.

 

[Rob]

Hello,

I'm not sure what a "best shot" editor is supposed to be... could just be me, but I've never heard of it.

The difficulty with the concept of sharpness in such a situation is that you are working a tradeoff between sensitivity (grain) and freezing movement. With the best will in the world, it's tricky to capture a gig with no grain, high speed in the dark with no flash to ruin the atmosphere - even using the best kit in the world (which you aren't).

The best advice I can give you is to up the ISO to say 1600 or whatever your camera maximum figure is (if this is possible with your camera). This will allow a shorter shutter speed which will freeze the action, reduce camera shake and let you shoot without flash.

IMHO gigs and such are the most tricky events to record as you can't normally disturb too much with flash and are working with fast-moving subjects in low lighting. There isn't much you can do but experiment!

Good luck

Rob