Concert photography

[The Blue Boy]

Hi all,

We've had a few questions in the past regarding this subject in the past, so when a friend of mine recently covered the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards ceremony in Liverpool he also wrote quite a good blog about the experience which I thought might be of interest here.

http://www.londonphotos.biz/blog/archives/217

Enjoy,

[Shadowman]

Nice link, very well lit photographs. You usually don't get that kind of lighting setup at events.

[John Morton]

Nice link, very well lit photographs. You usually don't get that kind of lighting setup at events.

That's for sure! As the linked article says:

"At concerts and events like this – great shots pass by in a heartbeat, so it helps to have quality, fast glass that focuses quickly and reliably. There’s nothing more annoying than seeing a great shot and missing focus. (Still happens sometimes no matter what you’re using). The light was variable as you’d expect at a show, but I guess the benefit of televised events is that the lighting team are top notch, so you can expect the performers to be well lit for broadcast. Unlike mono colour, backlit only gigs in small, dingy clubs where there’s often little or no light on the artists’ faces. Still – a camera with good low light / high ISO performance is a must have and both my Nikons excel in this."

Took a bunch of shots for some friends who played a Hallowe'en gig at a local bar where, surprise surprise, the lighting could be described (charitably) as characterisitically that of a "mono colour, backlit only gig(s) in small, dingy club(s)."

I'll post a few images with the settings for those interested in more 'real world' concert photography....

All photos were shot, using available light, with a Nikon D700 and an AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 G lens. The camera was set to "S" (shutter priority) with Exposure Value (EV) compensation applied.

I shot as close to the stage as I could, to maximize the amount of light actually reaching my camera.

The band is called "Abandon Eden."
They were all in costume (no, that's not their real hair ;-).





ISO 800; 1/125 sec; f/1.6; EV -1.67

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ISO 800; 1/125 sec; f/1.6; EV -1.67

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ISO 800; 1/60 sec; f/1.4; EV -1.33

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ISO 800; 1/60 sec; f/1.6; EV -1.33

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ISO 800; 1/125 sec; f/2.2; EV -1.67

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These have of course been edited and I did bring back in solid blacks because, hey it was Hallowe'en and where would they be if not "Back In Black"!

[Reds]

Thanks for sharing my link Mark Hope people are still awake after reading it!

John - Not that it's a competition, but I've seen worse lighting than that. Heaven in London was about the hardest to get a shot. No front light to work with, just a little side and a lot of back. Difficult to expose, focus and avoid flare. A triple whammy, you could say. Got very few decent shots that night. Great gig though (Band of Skulls)

[Shadowman]

That's for sure! As the linked article says:



I'll post a few images with the settings for those interested in more 'real world' concert photography....


These have of course been edited and I did bring back in solid blacks because, hey it was Hallowe'en and where would they be if not "Back In Black"!

Looking forward to seeing more, you obviously did get as close as possible shooting with only a 50mm.