gig giggles

[dbo]

hello everybody.

i am new to the forum but not new to reading from the forum! i decided to stop being a voyeur tonight as i have hit a wall with my gig photography and wondered if anyone out there is a dab hand at live music snapping?

care to share any secrets or impart any advice?

my questions are around lens (my fave at the mo is the olympus 14-42 3.5-5.6, best effect at the wide end)- should i save up and go for an 11-22 2.8-3.5? will it have much of an effect? or should i say £400 worth of effect?

flashwise i use an olympus fl36- am i missing a trick by not having a higher gn flash?

pointers will be very appreciated.

 

[Jamesbuk]

I've done a fair amount of music photography, mainly in very low light conditions..what type of lighting do you normally shoot in? I havent ever needed a flash gun though Ive always been able to use the built in flash. I also use the standard lens that comes with my camera (D80)

My typical set up is..

Aperture - as low as it will go depending on the lens zoom
shutter - I aim for about 1/20th of a second.. gets decent hand blur on the guitar strings then
ISO - normally 200
and I have the flash set to about 1/16th power. Doesnt blind the bands and lights them up enough without killing the light atmosphere.


example of what these settings get me.

 

[Jayst84]

Well, I know diddly squat about Oly kit, so I can't recommend specific bits n pieces. But, if you're willing to spend some money, then I'd suggest getting the fastest glass you can.

If you want a zoom then I'd be looking for something with a constant aperture of at least 2.8. Personally I use a 50mm f1.8 prime for about 85% of the gigs I do.

Of course it depends entirely on the kind of venues that you're shooting, but I find I have to shoot below f2.8 most of the time as it's just so dark.

Re. flash, I never use it but I'm aware that some do, and get great effects from it. If I remember correctly, 'Sakura' (or something similar) on these boards does some great work at gigs using flash. Be careful to get the all clear from the bands / organisers before you go flashing away though.

Might be an idea to post up some of your work, then we can all have a look at what you're trying to achieve.

Oh, and welcome

 

[inaneredstripe]

the little bit of gig work i,ve done has been in venues resembling coal mines. so dark i've had to use my nifty fifty aperture pretty much wide open.
just to get enough light. typicaly ive used about 400 iso.trying to keep above about 1/80th.
flash works, if you can use it. but tends to kill the atmosphere on dark gigs.
ive found built in flash wasnt powefull enough, needing to use my 430.
probably your best bet is gonna be a faster lens.
do Oly do a version of the 50mm f1.8?
heres a couple. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e39/redstripe101/IMG_0263.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e39/redstripe101/IMG_0425.jpg

 

[FruitFlakes]

Spot meter, meter for the highlights, ISO800-1600 (1600 was for when I shot under blacklighting), normally shooting at f/2.8... I get at least 1/100th that way:

 

[samcox89]

I've done quite a few gigs. Get as low aperture as you can (2.8 is spot on, but i've used f/4 and even 5.6) but it all depends on the amount of light available.

ISO set to around 1000 and shutter above 1/60. But it all depends on the lighting conditions.

A few images: