urgent advice for concert photography!

[placeonthecorner]

hi ladies & gents!... ive been asked to shoot some pics for a band playing at the Glasgow academy in a couple of weeks and i have no idea how this works... i think theres a policy where you cant use flash... can any one just give me some general pointers?... il be using my 350d and i have 2 lenses, the 18-55mm and a 70-300mm... thanx for any help..

 

[shingfan]

for most concerts (the ones that i've been to)...the stage is usally light up so that flash is not required....in fact....you are sitting so far away....flash is not going to do you any good even if you use it......so if you are trying to shoot the band on the stage....you just need a snipper and take the shot.....just joking....but really.....you just use a lense with long focal length....no flash is required....the spot lights will provide enough light for proper exposure

 

[Big Mike]

I suggest looking for a 'fast' lens...somthing with a large maximum aperture. The 50mm F1.8 is the usual recommendation because it's so inexpensive.

The problem with concert photography is that it's usually quite dark. Having a lens with a large aperture will give you faster shutter speeds, which will help to keep the image from being too blurry. You may also need to use a high ISO setting, like 1600 (or 3200 (H) if your camera has it). This will cause the images to show some digital noise...but that may be something you have to accept...if you want to get fast enough shutter speeds.

 

[placeonthecorner]

ive actually got a press pass so il be in the gap between the barrier and the stage... but i guess your right about it being lit up, i wasent really thinking clearly there!!

 

[placeonthecorner]

ah i totally forgot i could change the iso!!...d'oh!!.. thats a great tip thanx!... unfortunatly i only have the standard lense, and the 70-300 isnt very fast...

 

[castrol]

It's going to be tough. Look for spots of stopped activity... like the singer
holding a high note or something. Those will be your best bet with a slower
lens. Shoot a lot of them, because most will likely not come out very well.

 

[Big Mike]

The standard lens isn't very fast either...but at least it is easier to get sharp shots with that lens...than the telephoto.

 

[placeonthecorner]

ok... well il try my best... i feel an investment coming on again...*sigh*... thanx tho!

 

[mrcoons]

Shoot in RAW that way you can tweak the exposure if need be.

 

[txshutterbug]

The Canon 50mm 1.8 is less than $100! Try that!

 

[Don Simon]

Unfortunately when it comes to photo gear, the conversion between US$ and £ is literally just the changing of the sign, so an $80 lens is an £80 lens. But £80 is still great for what a 50mm f/1.8 can do for you. If you don't want to buy then see if you can borrow, but I do believe fast primes are the best way to do this sort of thing without flash.