Shooting a band? Tips/Advice please

Bossy · Mar 9, 2012

I'd love some tips! I've shot a couple before, but they were friends, and tomorrow I have my first "stranger" band gig. I have to do some interview with the band shots as well as during concert shots. Its non-paying, but I get a spread in a minor magazine.

Regardless I've been looking for something to shoot so I'm pretty excited! Now that aside, I have an off camera flash and transmitter/receiver so I can use it off the camera. I don't have an assistant. Actually I could have an assistant if you think it would be good. The fastest glass I have is a 35mm 1.8 and a manual focus 100mm 2.8, my zooms are the usual 3.5 etc. I can't buy or rent a lens. Its at a bar, so the lighting is likely to be awful and the background is ugly. So I'm thinking as much with the 35mm as possible to blur the background. But I also can't shoot at 1.8 all the time, so aside from bumping my ISO, is there a way to use flash so it doesn't look like daylight and only adds a little light? I don't have anything fancy, I can't dial it down on the flash itself, and I haven't messed with it in camera yet?
Links, videos, tips, helpful life in general advice would be appreciated and rewarded with likes

photo_joe · Mar 9, 2012

Definetely will be watching this thread as I'm going to be shooting a band in the near future. I think they are just looking for individual pictures and a couple of group shoots. More than likely outdoors, but we are still trying to figure out where.

Bossy · Mar 9, 2012

^Your equipment list is so much better than mine <3 Someday. What kind of band are they?

photo_joe · Mar 10, 2012

They are a rock band. They finally got all the members of the band sorted out so I'll get some pictures and then start working on a website layout more that likely to help them out.

sharpiegoddess · Mar 10, 2012

Not about lighting but remember to give a little more focus to the front man/lead singer. A well together band knows he's the image of the band and should have a bit more attention in the photography (even the group shots.) Make him/her look like the ring leader but not the boss, as tricky as that sounds.