Need advice on making money with concert photography

[o hey tyler]

I took some concert photos the other night. ISO 1600-3200 all night long and close to wide open on my 85mm f/1.4. There was essentially no light in the venue and I needed to keep my shutter speed at LEAST at 1/125, but 1/160 or 1/200 would have been preferable. I also shot on a 5DmkII which is capable of getting nice shots at 1600 and 3200 ISO.

The D3100 with your current setup probably would have had a tough time in this situation. No doubt.

PS. Pardon the Facebook compression.

 

[EnjoyPhotoSfl]

CAN I PLEASE GET SOME CRITIQUE FROM PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT HAVE DONE CONCERTS AND NOT SOME ONE THAT THINKS THERE IS A LAMP FLOATING ON TOP OF THE ARTIST AT ALL TIMES?

Is there a reason, particular to event photography that would make this a desired effect?

i shoot every photo in M mode

Why? Is this out of the mistaken impression that it somehow makes you a better photographer? Your camera has four modes; each has their advantages and disadvantages. Knowing when to use which one, and what mode will deliver the best results under a given set of conditions is what you need to learn.

I agree but at the same at the same time the camera will not give you the correct results all the time. swaping in and out of different modes sets more confusing then knowing how to set up settings for what light setting. after many shows you start to grasp what setting will work with your current lighting situations

 

[EnjoyPhotoSfl]

Learning to mix flash and ambient lighting will help a great deal.

Learning to take the shots at the right time is key. The 'lamp above their head' might not always be on, but when it is you better be ready with your finger on the shutter.

Mix up the angles, move around and get used to saying sorry every time you clock someone in the head with your lens.

have you ever did a concert? flash is never permitted and if so i still wouldn't use it. eliminates the mood of the show

 

[EnjoyPhotoSfl]

I dont think shooting in M is an armature thing to say...

If i wanted my camera do to everything, i would keep it in auto.

 

[vfotog]

Learning to mix flash and ambient lighting will help a great deal.

Learning to take the shots at the right time is key. The 'lamp above their head' might not always be on, but when it is you better be ready with your finger on the shutter.

Mix up the angles, move around and get used to saying sorry every time you clock someone in the head with your lens.

have you ever did a concert? flash is never permitted and if so i still wouldn't use it. eliminates the mood of the show

frustrating here, isn't it? you're right on not using flash. defeats the purpose of capturing the look and feel of the concert. the lights are part of the concert experience. it's important to shoot live without flash, because the vast majority of decent venues or artists aren't going to allow them.

as for photo critiques of your work, there don't seem to be a lot of music shooters here. anyway, obviously, the more experience you have, the better it will be. but think more about WHAT you shoot: when you press the shutter. wait for the shot worth taking. it's total BS that you need the best equipment to shoot music: the best eye wins every time. work on your framing and composition. Yes, you can do that even with live music. I think you could use a wider variety of shots; not so many wide shots... use your zoom to it's full capability. Variety. Wide shots, action shots, portraits, instruments, straight ahead shots and artistic shots... People gripe about low and colored lighting; instead, embrace it and learn to appreciate and utilize it. Concert photography that is technically perfect but boring misses the point. It's live music; you want to capture the variety and excitement and passion of it.

 

[rexbobcat]

Seems like there is there is just a lot of bad energy in this thread.

I would just suggest becoming business savvy in general instead of asking a vague internet forum for help.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Not a chance, if you sold to your last publisher and don't want to deal with contracts, buy tickets enjoy the band and quit pretending to be a photographer that shoots concerts for free. Your chances of increasing your negative cash flow will not change with the attitude that you have. Post some pictures, prove me wrong that you may have some skills to even begin to think about working a professional concert photographer.

And you're welcome.

Holy hostile a$$hole reply, Batman!

 

[KyraLamb]

... Some people are sure obsessed with their equipment around here. Do you think it's a machismo sort of thing? lol

BTW- lovely photos, Tyler. Well done.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Seems like there is there is just a lot of bad energy in this thread.

I would just suggest becoming business savvy in general instead of asking a vague internet forum for help.

Yeah, lots of bad energy. All dude needs is just to upgrade a few things and go bug a paper for some work. All this back and forth is painstaking.

 

[EverydayLaVan]

EnjoyPhotoSfl:

I shoot a fair number of concerts, and by no means am I an expert, but here are my suggestions:

- upgrade your body and glass
- work on your framing and composition
- when you shoot a concert, out the gate, get a couple of solid usable shots, THEN focus on a getting a "Wow!" shot...by the time the first 2-3 songs are over, you should be set.

The thing about concert photography is that everything happens so fast and only a few things are "predictable", especially with touring shows.

So, here's something that I always do...YouTube search the artists and the tour...find clips that fans have posted, and study the actions/motions of the artists/band members. They practically do the same things each night.

Check out my work Everyday LaVan Photography

 

[cgipson1]

... Some people are sure obsessed with their equipment around here. Do you think it's a machismo sort of thing? lol

BTW- lovely photos, Tyler. Well done.

I would expect that comment from someone with a point and shoot... that has never used good equipment, and has no idea what the difference is!

 

[cgipson1]

Seems like there is there is just a lot of bad energy in this thread.

I would just suggest becoming business savvy in general instead of asking a vague internet forum for help.

Yeah, lots of bad energy. All dude needs is just to upgrade a few things and go bug a paper for some work. All this back and forth is painstaking.

I agree.. this should have died already! He got the answers he need in the first page or two...

 

[o hey tyler]

BTW- lovely photos, Tyler. Well done.

Thanks Kyra!