Photographing live band Help!

kirsty3407

kirsty3407

Suspended / Banned
Messages
70
Name
Kirsty
Edit My Images
Yes
hi guys, ive just bought the nikon d7000, upgraded from sony alpha a330.

Im photographing a mates band as their playing the playhouse in bradford, bit of practice more than owt else for me but as the camera is totally new for me and the gig is the 5th april, has anyone got any tips for the dark stage shots of band as their moving around the stage etc? how to get best lighting etc, without causing a blur.

thanks
 
When I've done this I've used a highish ISO (800-1600), wide aperture (f/5), and adequate shutter (1/100s) (and then check the histogram to see how things are turning out).
 
Wow! Words really f5 is really nowhere near wide enough! All depends however on the light. Noone can tell you settings without seeing the light in there.

f2.8 or wider is a wide aperture is likely to be needed though. ISO could be 3200+ and SS yes you need to be at or above 1/100th

Depends how close you are too.
 
I agree wider is better, but clearly depends on what lenses you've got to choose from. Lighting and so on. This was shot at f5/6, but there was good stage lighting.
 
Wide aperture is ok if you're happy with the short depth of field though. Personally I like it for gigs. I use a cheap canon F1.4 prime lens (£50 ish). High ISO agreed, depends on how good your camera can cope with noise, but you can repair with noise ninja or Lightroom. Gig images in B&W even with grain can look awesome.
 
I always heard you need supper fast glass for gigs, but at the O2 last weekend the press were using 500 and 600mm lenses so f4 min.(not allowed in the front stage pit for the headline act)

OK it's a much bigger venue, but does show you don't need to have the very fastest glass.
 
I used to shoot bands at f4 (it was the best my lens could manage.) It is doable.

Anyway... just wanted to add something on the issue of motion blur... of course it's all opinion and the look you're going for but personally I think that sometimes a bit of blur can actually make the shot... so I'd be careful of just thinking that I'd shoot everything at max aperture and shutter speed.
 
acetone said:
I always heard you need supper fast glass for gigs, but at the O2 last weekend the press were using 500 and 600mm lenses so f4 min.(not allowed in the front stage pit for the headline act)

OK it's a much bigger venue, but does show you don't need to have the very fastest glass.
Click to expand...

These places have amazing lighting and modern cameras can shoot at 6400 and higher Iso. It does depend on the kit you have available too
 
woof woof said:
I used to shoot bands at f4 (it was the best my lens could manage.) It is doable.

Anyway... just wanted to add something on the issue of motion blur... of course it's all opinion and the look you're going for but personally I think that sometimes a bit of blur can actually make the shot... so I'd be careful of just thinking that I'd shoot everything at max aperture and shutter speed.
Click to expand...

I agree
 
Maxsdad said:
Wide aperture is ok if you're happy with the short depth of field though. Personally I like it for gigs. I use a cheap canon F1.4 prime lens (£50 ish). High ISO agreed, depends on how good your camera can cope with noise, but you can repair with noise ninja or Lightroom. Gig images in B&W even with grain can look awesome.
Click to expand...

You mean the 50 f1.8. The 1.4 is more expensive.
 
I'm talking the ameteurs, but I agree with Steve; way back when, 400ASA film was about as quick as you could get without going to a specialist photo-shop, and then a roll of 1600 was about as fast as you could get, and four times the price. We shot 400 and if we were very clever/brave/foolish, push process it at maybe 800 or 1600.. and say that we were aiming for the gritty grainy effect!
f3.5 was about as quick as most zoom lenses went, and only people that could get much higher... and often not a lot, maybe f2.. were using fixed prime lenses, normally a standard 50, which could be limiting for framing if they were locked in the press and couldn't move about.
THIS though is key, and one of the nice things about shooting pub-gigs and college bands... especially bad ones who only have half a dozen people watching! You have space to move around and find the different angles!
Couple of my shoots on FB:
2013: Vic Bikers - Punk-Gig
I'd just got my New Nikon, and was invited to the Gig, so thought I'd go play. Luckily it was pretty empty.... it was that week-end we got snowed in, so half the bands and 3/4 the revelers didn't turn up! Set ISO 3200; turned auto-flash off, and for the most part fired on auto to see what I got.
All rather bright and clinical in comparison to what I cought Way-Back When
1993: Girlschool
1992: 'Haze' Aston Uni
Pulled from the Negs archive.. may bey some more as I work my way through them....

ADVICE:-
- Don't Sweat the small stuff. Your there to have fun. So Have fun!
- So is every-one else. Remember them. Live Gig, isn't ALL about 'The Band'... come home with loads of stage shots or tight crops of the band members, may as well have shot them in the studio, or at a practice session where you could have staged specially for camera.... remember the revelers! Capture the atmosphere!

601118_542696352421953_1605523139_n.jpg

Obligingly playing to the camera here, I added a bit of grafitti for added 'tude!

557266_472291579462431_2135739207_n.jpg

Now here's something you don't see very often... the star of the show taking photo's of the fans!

- If you can, get 'in' to it; move around. Find the interest, wherever it is, it wont always be on the stage.
- Spontineity. Its all about grabbing the moment, and they are fleeting. Back to don't sweat the small stuff. You'll need to work fairly fast to grab those moments, so work with your auto-settigs.
- Its LIVE. It's far from a perfect enviroment. Bands always sound better on the Studio album; they will always photo-better in a studio too. If you want perfection, go do it in a studio and mock it up. If your shooting the band live, grab what you can, it wont be perfect, but you call it 'atmosphere'!

Last bit of advice?

EAR-PLUGS!

sounds stupid.... you go to a gig to listen to the band, right? So why stick cotton wool in your lug-oles?

Amps, mi-girl, AMPS.

Best shots always tend to be from JUST in front of the big bass bins, either side of the stage! Or other sonic hot-spots... people tend not to stand in them.... unless they are daft... or are looking for a photo!

So you could be in them quite a lot.:lol:
 
Last edited:
Teflon-Mike said:
Now here's something you don't see very often... the star of the show taking photo's of the fans!

EAR-PLUGS!

sounds stupid.... you go to a gig to listen to the band, right? So why stick cotton wool in your lug-oles?
Click to expand...

In this world of twitter, I have found it to be coming VERY common for the stars to be taking photos of the crowd from the stage.

EAR-PLUGS. :thumbs:
Just as important at the memory card for the camera IMHO.
 
Last edited:
Steve Smith said:
People used to (still do) take band shots with ISO 400 film.


Steve.
Click to expand...

They must be pushing that film and it must be a very well lit arena.
 
Last edited:
I could have shot a few of these at ISO400 as they were in the SECC in Glasgow and the lighting was incredible. But in the ever changing lighting it's great to have the flexibility to change.

DD_2.jpg


DD_4.jpg


DD_6.jpg


DD_7.jpg
 
I think your doing every thing right it just that the lighting available is no where near good enough. You could possibly supplement the available light with a touch of flash but do not let the flash overpower the ambient lights.

The problem with shooting smaller bands is they cannot afford the spectacular lighting that the more famous bands use.
 
Last edited:
Teflon-Mike said:
EAR-PLUGS!

sounds stupid.... you go to a gig to listen to the band, right? So why stick cotton wool in your lug-oles?
Click to expand...

Not cotton wool, actual, proper ear plugs. ER20 plugs will reduce the sound level but maintain the tonal balance so the band will still sound right.

That's if you like the band and want to hear them properly. If you hate them, stuff cotton wool in your ears!!


Steve.
 
Agree on the proper ear plugs. I got some from a music shop and they just took the edge off the sound so it still sounded great but less of the ear ringing afterwards.

Wasn't cheap but but they were very good
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top