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dlc
So a friend of mine needs someone to do some photography for his band... and it sounds like it would be an interesting experience, which I'd like to give a shot.

However, my experience with shooting live band performances is limited. Anyone want to chip in with some tips, ideas, suggestions of gear?
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>> Anonymous
buy less motion blur
>> dlc
>>110757
HURR HURR. No really?

That is all I could find for a related picture that I took so as to follow the board rules.
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>110758
Hes being serious, buy a fast 1.8 lense and shoot wide open to get enough light for fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion correctly.

using a flash is bad.

also BAMPU! that iso.
>> dlc
>>110762
Yeah, well obviously a bigger aperture and faster shutter is better in that sort of situation. Back when I took that picture, that wasn't an option due to p&s limitations. Now I've got a dslr, so I'm able to do the above.

Why no flash?
>> Anonymous
>>110763
Most of the time direct flash makes for really crappy lighting and chances are you might not have a good ceiling to bounce it at a concert. So most of the time you have to work with available light and an aperture wide enough to get a decent shutter speed enough so there's no blur.
>> Anonymous
>>110773
Yeah I tend to not like flash in any situation. Makes the photographs look like some holiday collection because of the funky lighting, or some lame myspace photo
>> Anonymous
>>110773
>>110776

lrn2bounce/diffuse/take flash off camera
>> Anonymous
>>110763

What camera do you have now and what budget?
>> Anonymous
>>110778
its not just that.

being at a concert where some prick photographer thinks hes free to flash who-ever/wherever he feels is a royal pain in the ass.

the crowd doesnt like it, dunno bout the band but im sure they get sick of it. and sure as hell bouncers get sick of it and will revoke your pass/ask you to stop flashing or just boot you from the venue.

also the aforementioned points about crappy shots.

just dont do it!


learn to control/balance your ISO and aperture while generally trying to follow the rule:

shutterspeed=1/focal length; or for a 50mm lens, no slower than 1/50sec shutter.
though it is possible to go slower, thats your call.
also, expect a lot of blurred, out of focus and just generally crappy shots for the few good ones.

e.g, i took ~400 shots one night and had maybe ~30 that were either in focus, not blurred or badly composed due to moving singer/crowd etc.

hope that helps and, as with all photography, band photography takes practice, and then some...
>> Anonymous
>>110783

"So a friend of mine needs someone to do some photography for his band..."
>> dlc
>>110781
My list of gear now is as follows:

Rebel XTi
28mm f2.8
50mm f1.8
18-55mm kit lens
55-200 f4-5.6
10-17mm fsomething I can't remember and don't feel like digging it out.
Canon Speedlite 430ex
>> Anonymous
>>110836

eh, stick with the primes if you're not using the Speedlite. Use the 18-55 if you are using it.

If you want to buy something, 85/1.8 isn't bad if you have the distance to work it.
>> Anonymous
>>110752

If you are on a budget, get a nice 50mm f/1.8 lens on the cheap. If you have a few more bucks, the f/1.4 is totally worth it for the 2/3 of a stop increase.

Avoid the flash if possible, because ambient shots definitely have a special something to them when you can pull it off.
>> Anonymous
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>>110844
>> Anonymous
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Simon Patterson with flash.

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>> Anonymous
>>110846

Either you missed the focus or used too wide aperture.

Dude is blurry even resized.
>> Anonymous
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Without flash.

Which do you think has the more natural club/rave look?

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>> Anonymous
>>110846
>>110849

Not my pictures. Posted to make a point about flash vs no flash.
>> Anonymous
>>110849

winrar
>> Mesh !!/BUEfj+JBnB
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>>110849
Rebel XTI, shot wide open with the thrify 50, iso 1600, probably 1/50th of a sec.....

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>> Vincent
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How about With flash + long shutter speed

With, 30mm f1.4

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>> Vincent
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OR No flash at all
30mm f1.4 again, Fantastic lens, super usefull for AF when indoors (IT has HSM)

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>> Mesh !!/BUEfj+JBnB
>>110865
Really good shots vincent, that lens must have been expensive as hell, avb rules btw.....

Any tips for a noob like me, in general, shots, etc. Also if you have any tips about approaching promotors/club owners to get permission to do photos at events.....

Thanks and /r/ your galleries, etc...
>> Anonymous
>>110866

I love that shot. Also shows me that the promoters here could probably put an ounce more effort into non-suck lighting.
>> Mesh !!/BUEfj+JBnB
>>110871
My bets are it was shot a a club with a dedicated lighting system that was professionally designed.
>> I||ICIT
>>110867
just talk to bands and offer your services.
bands love shots they can put on teh "myspacez/beboez/facebookz"

generally they get X number of people on the door list, offer free pics(on a CD, not prints incase you were wondering) and you should be sweet. good way to meet new people as well and possibly some free beerz.

but, and its a big but!!!!
when working with young/inexperienced/unrecognised/dumbass bands:
expect to lose at least your whole night waiting for them to setup, check etc etc.
most shoots i was there from bout ~8-~12

also dont expect money/getting payed: most of these bands barely get anything in their own pockets and what they do get, good luck getting a cut of it.

also dont expect much recognition for a long time. most of the people who see the photoez are "myspacez/facebookz/beboez" tards who wont remember your name so wont hire you for their band, and if they do, theyll forget to put your name on the door or wont care when you do turn up.

basically:
dont expect to go anywhere with it, you could be working for years before some slightly more well known band asks you for pics. even then they prob wont pay either, theyre prob only slightly less skint than the previous band.

basically 2:
dont do it, or expect to lose nights, fun, money from getting to/from and just generally dont do it! there'r easier ways to get known in the photog world. though they suck prob only slightly less....
>> Mesh !!/BUEfj+JBnB
>>110883
Heh, thanks for the advice :P
>> I||ICIT
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>>110883
here.

here are some sample shots from a local band.
only bout ~5 people actually turned up to the show so it was easier for me to move around and compose etc....

few more to come.
>> I||ICIT
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>> I||ICIT
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>> I||ICIT
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>> I||ICIT !!mknjFN/v/49
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>> I||ICIT !!mknjFN/v/49
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>> I||ICIT !!mknjFN/v/49
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>> I||ICIT !!mknjFN/v/49
thats bout it for now.

if you want more, lemme know.

also!
please dont tell me theyre OOF, duh i figured that. AF was useless in this place as it was lit by only about 3 small wattage lights and the band was very active so...yea... AF was useless.
>> Anonymous
>>110896

At a show I went to recently, I kept my 580EX II on top of the camera just to use the focus assist lights and rarely actually fired the flash.

Expensive way to do it, but if you already own the flash anyhow...
>> Nipplelesshorse
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Damn my gf's house is dark... anyways figured I'd add some band shots... these just happen to be some friends playing rockband...

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>> eku !8cibvLQ11s
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>>110896

You really should learn to post process those photos. This>>110890is maybe you're best shot, but it lacks any kind of processing, which is as ipmortant as the photography itself in low light.
Add some crazy sharpening. Remove the hand and guitar (bass?) neck from the right. And do some other things.

Repost is a repost.

And just in case OP doesn't realise this, shooting RAW is must. And pushing ISO up to 1600.

From the OP's gear I would ditch the flash, but take everything else with me.

Learning how 400D's light meter works, helps greatly. Underexposure when backlight is dark as hell, overexposure if there's lot of smoke.

I use Av mode, or M, depending on situation.

>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
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When in doubt, cheat.

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>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
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Also a wide lense is very very useful.

Im getting a 20-40/2.8 next.

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>> Anonymous
>>110971

SIEG HEIL!
>> Anonymous
>>110973
Heil Smoochy!