bands and breaks

So this is my first posting i wanted to enter it as my hello and my first day as a member on this page. i've been shooting since i was sixteen and in the past year i've began to seriously pursue this art that i was once not brave enough to share with others in this capacity. i love this site as a resource and i'm looking forward to connecting, sharing and learning with other photographers who love what i love. here are a couple of shots ive taken in the past few months. i shoot a variety of things and i'm looking for feedback.

thank you

Overall, not bad, especially given that this has to be one of the most challenging venues in which to photograph. Two comments I'd make about #1 are that it's slightly washed out in the highlights and too dark elsewhere, and the composition would be perfect if it didn't seem that the singer was stabbing the gutarist in the eye with her microphone; always watch for things like this, and ideally take several shots close together. I'm sure that this position was only there for a brief time, it was just bad luck that you caught it. #2 again suffers from flash issues (what camera/flash are you using?). I don't know if bounce would have worked, but perhaps cranking the flash up a couple of stops and using a diffuser might have improved it. Still, you're on the way. Keep up the good work, and let's see more of it.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary.
~John

daring attempt to shoot this pics........ but then again as beginner,they are quite good:)i like to shoot concerts......they have been my favorites:)your first pic,captured the body language of the girl,very well.she looks sensuous!flash pics have limitations.unless practiced a lot:)but technology helps.in the second pic,you captured the dancing moment perfectly..the exposures cab be improved, but then again to please the experts in this field,one must make the snaps look like pictures:)

For sure a most challenging area to be involved in, not least for the difficult light conditions and sometimes from organisers who want to relieve you of you camera kit, if you have not gone to them for permission to shoot beforehand.

I nearly always prefer to use available light in these situations for two reasons. Flash can burn out a lot of the atmosphere (I think you have done very well to retain it in these shots) and secondly it can be distracting to the performers. At a lot of venues unless you are right up to the stage, flash is waste of time anyway, because it will not 'reach' the performers.

So whilst the previous posters are correct in their comments I would encourage you to keep on with the live event shooting, maybe boosting the ISO settings in your camera. This will create more noise/grain, but will obviate the need for so much use of the flash.

those are tough conditions to take pics. I think you did pretty good. I'm guessing those events take place in big halls (possibly a school gym for break dancer?) so I am gonna assume bouncing flash off the wall is not a easy task.

Here's my thought; follow Shreds' suggestion and bump up the iso, and talk to the DJ. Perhaps you can use the strobe light in the dance as your main light source. You :oMIGHT:o get some pretty funky shots.