Photo's at Gigs.

Jim

I find it extremely difficult to take good photos at gigs with my digital camera. Anyone have any tips they want to give me? Post up your gig photos aswell.

My best one is probably.

Mark Geary

rascal-wheeee

The news you won't want to hear is that your average point and shoot digital camera just can't hack it.

Unless you're at the very front, your flash will be out of range and of no use. Besides this, direct flash photos of concerts look horrible (unless used with some creative slow sync methods, but I won't go into that).

You need to be shooting at ISO speeds of 1600 (or 800 at some gigs will manage) to comfortably take clear shots. If you've a film camera, simply purchase 1600 speed film. I recommend the fuji neopan 1600 pro b&w film, widely available.
(if you don't know what ISO is, it's the film speed. How fast the film reacts to light).

Basically, you're gonna need an SLR, whether film or digital.

If you've access to neither, than still go ahead with whatever you have. I've seen impressive shots pulled from far less capable cameras, but this is rare. Try and find the settings of the camera where you can adjust the ISO manually, and adjust it to its highest (I think most consumer digi cams go up to 400).

rymus

I'll ramp the ol camera up to 800 iso tonight so and see what happens.

chewy

reckon its still worth a try mightent get commercial quality but twould be fun...

yeah on digi cameras just experiment with longer exposure

and er theres some sort of sensitivity option you ramp up to its highest not sure what the equivalent name of it is on an slr, i always get confuddled with those names

you can experiment( as you can with digitalk cameras and theen delete) till you get a balance between a murk of colours and a evokative shot of performer, as yes one thing ever trying turning round taking pics of the crowd ,tis certainly more interesting when taking bout djs...

if theres lots of smoke about you can cover part of the flash with your finger and the pic will come out clearer with less flash boucnig off the smoke, actually i try to not use flash at all as said above it only travles so far and beyond that its usless

and watch out for bouncers

pics taking when clubbing
http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~chewy/photos/index.html
http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~chewy/best/bestofphotos.html

DotOrg

if you want to take pictures at gigs you have to be dedicated to it and have good equipment, ie: an slr, fast lenses (meaning very wide aperatures) and use 800/1600iso film or equivalent digital.

If you don't have this, don't bother and just enjoy the music as the results will be patchy at best unfortunately.

my concert photos are now all taken on a Canon 300D with 50mm f1.4 lens and no flash
have a look at
www.AAAphotos.org
or
www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=386666

davej

if you want to take pictures at gigs you have to be dedicated to it and have good equipment, ie: an slr, fast lenses (meaning very wide aperatures) and use 800/1600iso film or equivalent digital.

Fine advice if you happen to be employed to take photographs of the band.
Try bringing an slr with a fast zoom len into a gig without permission and it will most likely be confiscated.

davej

DotOrg

i totally agree, but my point being is taht good quality pictures of the band are only really possible with that kind of equipment, if you don't have it, you're better off enjoying the music, taking photos of you and your friends enjoying yourselves at the gig and let the pros take the pics of the bands that you'd want to put up on your wall.

In saying that, some gigs in venues like The Village or Whelans or the Temple Bar Music Centre generally don't stop you or take cameras off anybody so you can bring any camera and get good pictures using flash if you stand up near the stage

www.aaaphotos.org

rob1891

if you'd like to do some reading, see more photo.net:

http://www.photo.net/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i

chewy

i totally agree, but my point being is taht good quality pictures of the band are only really possible with that kind of equipment, if you don't have it, you're better off enjoying the music, taking photos of you and your friends enjoying yourselves at the gig and let the pros take the pics of the bands that you'd want to put up on your wall.

i think that really negative and selfish advice just cos you do it professional

as i said you can get good enough resutls if fiddle around and using a digital camera is cheaper cos you don't process yo mistakes

how would one get profesional if they wanted without practicing on the cheap first?

DotOrg

it's not selfish advice at all. I don't do photography professional at all. it's just a big hobby that I doubt will ever be much more than that for me.

I work in a photo lab full time and see hundreds of rolls of films a week from every kind of customer. when i see concert photos, 95% of them are photos, the people will look at once and then put away and never think about again, whereas if they have photos of their friends at the gig, they are normally the kind of photos people get enlarged or copies made etc.

I'm just speaking from my experience of seeing thousands of the general publics photos every week.

chewy

If you don't have this, don't bother /let the pros take the pics of the bands that you'd want to put up on your wall.

hmmmm

well i did say this i gues we agree...

"as yes one thing ever trying turning round taking pics of the crowd ,tis certainly more interesting when talking bout djs..."

but i still wouldn't say don't bother... ?

rascal-wheeee

Originally posted by chewy

how would one get profesional if they wanted without practicing on the cheap first?

I started out in gig photography with film and it was costing me about 15euro to shoot a night and do the final prints myself. True, I could bring this cost down by shopping around.

Point is, I could barely stretch to that 15euro, I made plenty of mistakes, the majority of shots on the roll I wouldn't use, but I gained experience and you'll find find most of the pro's out there today like Page, Perou, Halfi, Leibovitz etc started off in a similar way. Cheap consumer cameras weren't widely available so there was nothing cheap about whath they were doing.

I suppose this is just a long winded way of answering your question. Anyone who wants to get serious about it will have to put in the money and effort, otherwise you'll end up being frustrated. After saying that though, I hate those who overdo it on the spending, particularly the tabloid photographers who I've done bigger gigs with whose pictures seem to all about how much money they've invested in gear rather than any skill. They keep moaning about their 1gb memory cards being full and I just need to bite my tongue. If they were stripped of their 10 grand image stabiliser telephoto lenses, digitals and automatic settings, they'd run crying.

But I still say, if you enjoy bringing your smaller camera into the middle of the crowd and taking shots, then go for it. Who knows, you may get far better shots than some of the guys and gals down in the pit as they're not all in their due to their skill.

Lemming

Words of advice from experience ...

never, ever, EVER bring a digital camera that *LOOKS* like a camera (ie. has a barrel, etc) and not like a little cheapy snaps thing you buy in the supermarket.

It'll get confiscated.

Happened to me with a rather expensive sony dig.camera at Meatloaf in marley park in 2002/3 (the last time he played). Walked through all the security checks. They even checked my camera bag and waved me on. Taking a few snaps before the man himself came on stage, and suddenly I'm confronted with three security staff who'd been directed to me from a guy at the stage with a walkie talkie and binoculars. They demanded I hand over the memory stick. Not my camera so no can do. I agree to delete the images. Then they decide they want the camera. And they weren't going to give it back until I confronted them about it. Basically they were of the opinion that I shouldn't have had the camera there, which rapidly changed when I told them I'd been waved through several security checks under close scrutiny.

Apparently you can put pics up on d'internet from digital cameras. Umm .... "scanner" anyone? .......

Just as well I didn't mention the mpeg feature

But the point is that I spent the entire gig watching that bloke at the side of the stage who had my camerae rather than enjoying myself.

chewy

lucky enough to never have it confiscated they'll allow you keep cheap looking cameras or disposable ones and there not print quality or whatever but i used to have a nikon 950 which is a good digital camera but nothing professional like but the black vinyl? styling made it look professional... thing is these days you can get small cheap looking digital cameras whcih are capable of getting quality pics (if you are) so i guess its harder to tell....

Jim

The mpg feature is great. I've recorded a ridiculos amount of gigs with it.
Only problem is it doesn't take to kindly to bass.

DadaKopf

Originally posted by Lemming
Words of advice from experience ...

never, ever, EVER bring a digital camera that *LOOKS* like a camera (ie. has a barrel, etc) and not like a little cheapy snaps thing you buy in the supermarket.

It'll get confiscated.

Happened to me with a rather expensive sony dig.camera at Meatloaf in marley park in 2002/3 (the last time he played). Walked through all the security checks. They even checked my camera bag and waved me on. Taking a few snaps before the man himself came on stage, and suddenly I'm confronted with three security staff who'd been directed to me from a guy at the stage with a walkie talkie and binoculars. They demanded I hand over the memory stick. Not my camera so no can do. I agree to delete the images. Then they decide they want the camera. And they weren't going to give it back until I confronted them about it. Basically they were of the opinion that I shouldn't have had the camera there, which rapidly changed when I told them I'd been waved through several security checks under close scrutiny.

Apparently you can put pics up on d'internet from digital cameras. Umm .... "scanner" anyone? .......

Just as well I didn't mention the mpeg feature

But the point is that I spent the entire gig watching that bloke at the side of the stage who had my camerae rather than enjoying myself.

As far as I know, no one has legal copyright over the use of their image in photographs taken by other people.

So you should have been able to say: you have no legal entitlement to demand I give you my camera nor to throw me out of the gig for taking photos.

DotOrg

As far as I know, no one has legal copyright over the use of their image in photographs taken by other people.

you might have copyright over the images you take but doesn't give you any right to publish them if you're at a private event which is governed by a licence. Read the back of any ticketmaster ticket and they give themselves the right to throw you out if you bring any camera in.

Jim

Originally posted by DotOrg
you might have copyright over the images you take but doesn't give you any right to publish them if you're at a private event which is governed by a licence. Read the back of any ticketmaster ticket and they give themselves the right to throw you out if you bring any camera in.

Also, where the gig might also have an effect. Certain places might have certain rules regarding photography. Theatres as an example don't allow flash photography.

DotOrg

Certain places might have certain rules regarding photography. Theatres as an example don't allow flash photography.

at most concerts, the photographers in the pit aren't allowed use flash and also only get to stay there for the first 3 songs

comet

Interesting thread. BTW excellent pictures DotOrg I would love to be able to get pictures like that.
I think like other people on the thread I have found out that digital camera is fine for day to day stuff but stick it in low lighting conditions with people moving around on stage and you haven't a hope at ISO400 of getting a good pic. And even if you've got a higher ISO its probably goin to be really noisy and you'll need to do a good bit of post processing work. I am now happy to use my flash close to the stage, I know the pictures aren't great(flash washes any ambient lighting) but they are a momento of being there, your position in the crowd etc. They may not be a poster but they can be wallpaper on your PC and now and then you'll get a cool one.
By the way that Sally O'Sullivan one who takes the pics for the MCD site is she that really cute babe or what?

DotOrg

regards my point about no bothering taking photos of whats on the stage. if you go and ask most photographers who are in the pit for their web address or email so they can mail you a couple of pictures for your own personal use, I know I've done that before so they can enjoy the gig and get some really good photos of the night too. just an idea.

comet

Originally posted by DotOrg
regards my point about no bothering taking photos of whats on the stage. if you go and ask most photographers who are in the pit for their web address or email so they can mail you a couple of pictures for your own personal use, I know I've done that before so they can enjoy the gig and get some really good photos of the night too. just an idea.

I doubt they would, I tried it once and they said they would only if I paid for them.

eclectichoney

I've only got a 3mp digital point and shoot & still find you can get goodish results.

here's a super furry animals pic. iv never had probs bringing my camera into olympia or the point.