Tips of the Trade
Be influenced by the music. Let it inspire your photography. Also be open and observant of the activities around you. A great moment in the show might be just behind you. Many times capturing the crowd adds a level of excitement to the photo.
General Information
Access
Many smaller venues have an open camera policy unless the band states otherwise. These are great for practice, gaining experience and portfolio building. If you need a photo pass most local bands will allow you access in exchange for use. Prearrange all the details. Don"t show up at a show and expect to gain access then. Most bands have a MySpace page, an excellent way to start the conversation.
Who Owns the Photo Rights
Unless included in the price, never sell your "negatives". Always retain ownership of your images. Whenever possible, you should attempt to lease out the usage rights of your images. Require that they always give you photo credit when published.
Spec Work
The common practice of doing the job in the hopes that you will be paid later. This is more important in the realm of promotional photography rather than live concert photography. Usually if the band is not interested in purchasing the usage rights of your live concert shots, then a local newspaper, magazine or website might be. Also a good way to build published credits on your resume.
Equipment
Cameras
Camera technology is getting better and better. Less costly cameras are taking advantage of technology breakthroughs, giving you access to higher quality photos. You don't need to purchase a high end camera to get started. Though as you get better and more creative, you will probably want the freedom and flexibility that high end cameras offer.
Flash
Many venues or bands will not allow you to use a flash. This means using the available light, of which there is very little. Generally you are going to shoot at high ISO or film speed settings. But the higher the ISO setting the grainer the photo, so there is a delicate compromise. If the venue does change up their lighting throughout the show, certain colors will provide more depth and contrast within your photo. Even though the red lights look cool during the show, they also tend to flatten an image. Then should you convert that image to black and white or shoot in black and white direct, the image is even flatter. You unfortunately lose detail of any three-dimensional object that is frontally lit with red light.
Lenses
We know that we have a low light situation - what is the best lens for the job? Simply put, the fastest glass you can afford. What is a fast glass? We are talking about the speed of the f-stop. Generally you are looking for something around 1.8 or lower. Now this does shorten your depth of field (amount of space in focus), but as long as you keep the eyes of your performer in focus, you should yield a good photo. You may also want a wide-angle lens to cover the entire stage. Most times you will be photographing right next to the stage, unless you want the back of heads and arms in your photos. So in order to get a full body shot, a wide-angle lens is important. Just try to get the fastest one you can afford.
Post-Processing
Most of the time you will want to edit your photos - adjust the white balance, colors, crop, etc. I suggest editing as much as possible in camera raw. There are many books and websites already published with this information, below is a list that I use regularly.
- The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 book for digital photographers by Scott Kelby
- 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop by Scott Kelby
Photo Specs
For each image on this site, I have attempted to provide you with specific camera information. For some older images I only have limited amount of information available, but going forward you will see how I achieved each shot. This will give you an idea of how to duplicate that shot for yourself.
Additional Reading
Though there is not a book or article on live concert photography, I have learned and borrowed ideas and techniques that professional photographers have shared. Below is a list of additional reading.
- The Digital Photography Book 1 and 2 by Scott Kelby
- The Moment it Clicks by Joe McNally
Online Resources
- www.kelbytraining.com - lots of video tutorials on a subscription bases
- http://strobist.blogspot.com - awesome blog on flash photography
- www.shootsmarter.com - this site covers a little of everything
- www.photoshopuser.com - become a member. This site offers a great magazine, great touring classes, great online community and professionals to get feedback on everything from purchasing equipment to achieving the right shot. Also membership gives you many discounts that have saved me more money then the cost of the membership through the year.
