Shooting concert

[8ball]

I am going to try and shoot an indoor concert tonight I have a d3000 with 35mm 1.8 lens and sb-600 what do you guys suggest I use for settings. i have a feeling it will be pretty dark inside with flashing lights.

Thanks guys!

 

[Postman]

Check to see if they'll allow you to bring in the flash. There are alot of venues that are stricter on the "Professional Equipment" policy and it's gonna be harder to explain that you're not using pro gear if you're shooting with such a big flash.

Bring another lens if you can just incase you cant get what you want out of the 35mm, preferably something with VR to help with the low-light conditions. I use a 55-200 non-VR and it's kind of a pain to use after a certain distance but I make due cause I dont wanna attract more attention to my gear if I go with a bigger lens... unless you have permission to shoot the concert.

I use spot metering for indoor concerts and dont be afraid to bump up the ISO when you need to.

Take tons of pics and experiment. I think the first concert I shot I took 1500 shots and the first half or so were terrible but by the end I had a handful of keepers I was happy with.

 

[8ball]

Thanks this place is pretty much a dive bar ill talk to them when I get there make sure they are cool with it

 

[bigtwinky]

Most friends who take snaps with their P&S end up using flash, so if you use yours it shouldnt be a big deal.

However, flash during a show can make things look really bad and flash, specailly when top mounted on your hotshoe. So while it can be usable, might not give good and natural results.

Dont be shy to hit the 1600 ISO, open the lens up to 1.8
High ISO noise isnt a huge thing if you are able to nail the exposure.
Watch for coloured lights... I hate shooting red lights and even blue...they tend to wash the colour and detail.

 

[AaronA1]

I agree with everybody on here. I shot some shows at a local music venue, and since they had lights that were only colors, and it was a pretty dark music venue, I had to use a flash. If the lighting in the venue is a white or more bright so you can see the subject really awesome, then do not use a flash. If there are like, spinning disco lights, and it is very dim, then try just using the flash. I highly suggest bouncing the light off of any white object you can, it really helps. Also, to give you a pretty cool idea, try using their lights(if placed back far enough), as backlights, and then use your flash to get rid of those lights shadows. It gives it a really cool effect. Good luck!

 

[bigtwinky]

If the place is small enough, feel free to head on over to the sound/light guy and ask him to turn the lights up for a song or two if he can. No harm in asking.

Funny when I get the look and they say "they are already at max" haha