concert photography

[rwheeler]

hey all, I was wondering if anyone has had experience with shooting concerts. Just found out that i may be able to take some pictures at a show coming up later this week in a smaller venue here in town. What settings and techniques have you gotten good results with in low light? I'm assuming that I wont be able to use flash

[Marc Sabatella]

There have been several threads on this topic, so I'd suggest you search these forums (this one as well as the DSLR forum and the Beginner's forum). Here also are a couple of blog article I wrote:

Marc Sabatella: Concert Photography - Equipment
Marc Sabatella: Concert Photography - Technique

[figmental1978]

I've shot a few a local bands, some flash some not but it depends on the type of music and if the band cares about the flash. If you can, talk to the band, their manager or the venue manager to see if they care because sometimes flash can create some great effects, especially for rock/punk/metal bands or just an artists that moves around a lot.

I always shoot with my K10D (ISO 800 is acceptable but 1600 is too noisy but sometimes there's no choice). My first few concerts were shot with a manual Takumar 55mm f/1.8 and a Jupiter-9 (85mm f/2). I recently bought a DA*50-135 and although slower works pretty good. Anything slower that f/2.8 would cause too much motion blur.

Here are some articles and photos on my site regarding concert photography.

[Ash]

All the best for that gig.
A fast telephoto is invaluable in that setting.
I use a 70-200/2.8 and that seems to work very well for reasonably well-lit stages without the need for flash.

[MidwestMax]

Do you know what the lighting set up is like at the venue? If all they use is small, LED can-style lights on stage, then you will probably need to be shooting at large apertures (F 1.7, 2.0, 2.4, etc.), a slower shutter speed (1/45, 1/60, etc.), and at a high ISO (1600). And because you will not likely be using a flash, I would shoot RAW so you can adjust the color temperature when you edit the photos after the show.

All these techniques have worked for me in venues with dim lighting, but it's all trial and error. The best thing to do is get to the venue early to get an idea of the stage set up and what the lighting is like.

[bethtphotos]

I love shooting musical artists in small venues & have some good & bad experiences. Definitely you want the fastest lens you can get: I live by my Pentax 50mm f/1.4 & my 50-135mm f 2.8. I bring a hot shoe flash unit (love my Pentax AF 360 if I can bounce off a wall or ceiling) but generally if there's some cool lighting, take advantage of that & skip the flash. I usually stick between ISO 400 -800 if there's decent stage lighting. Experiment...you can get some cool effects with slower shutter speeds. Move around... See if you can get up on stage either to the side or the back facing out). If its a heavy metal venue, be careful for mosh pits & flailing dancers...Have fun!

[GregV]

I've been shooting alot of shows and portraits lately. And until I killed my K10d it was sort of frustrating. Like mentioned above, the k10d is really only effective up to iso 800. And if you haven't invested in the expensive lens, you really have to be sure the light is good, or time it to when it's right. Most of the time bigger bands will prohibit flash. But sometimes you can get lucky and the band doesn't care. I've shot both ways.
Then I killed my k10d and bought a k20d. Holy mackarel did this thing change the game for me. I just shot Creed laste week and the k20 is amazing. I was using iso 6400 but it was really noisy so I dropped it to 3200. Then with the kit 18-55 I noticed I was shooting shutter speeds @ 1/500 or even 1/1000. I was astounded. I threw on my 70-300 and had to walk up a couple of sections to use it, but it was amazing even then. Huge difference for me anyway.
But I ramble, sorry. The bottom line is use a flash if you can, use the highest iso that looks decent, and shoot lots of pictures and keep practicing.

Greg V

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