I used to do some gig photography in the days of film, mainly using a manual focus Canon A1 with 80-200 f/4.5 zoom (mainly at the wider end and wide open) and Kodak Ektar 1000 ISO colour print film. I also used exposure compensation to underexpose by 1 stop to prevent the camera's meter trying to make things look like daylight (you can now check this by seeing how the shots look on your DLR's screen!).
While this often limited me to 1/125 second (just enough to reduce camera shake and provide acceptably sharp images) and restricted my shooting to times when the stage lighting was bright enough, it gave good enough results. I never used flash, as I felt it stripped the atmosphere from the shots and could annoy the performers - in fact, many would specify no flash photography.
These days, with modern DSLRs handling low light so much better than the 1000 or 1600 ISO film I was restricted to (plus the benefits of 'instant' auto-focus) getting good photos should be very much easier.
As a
starting point, I'd forget about using a 50mm f/1.8 lens wide open and take something like a 24-105 f/4 IS instead, if it's a small venue and you have such a lens. Switch the image stabilisation on and set the shutter speed to 1/125 (or a bit higher if you can), and let the camera set the aperture and ISO. I doubt you'll go over 6,400 ISO doing that, particularly if you time your shots for moments of brighter stage lighting (unless the place is a candlelit dungeon!). This should produce more than acceptable results from a 6D II in terms of 'noise'.
As for composition and ideas, watch for microphone stands and stage kit 'growing' out of band member's heads or shoulders or obscuring their faces, and perhaps try to get some shots of the drummer; drummers often get ignored as grabbing a clutter-free action shot of a drummer isn't as easy as taking photos of the singer or guitarists! The drummer may appreciate that, which could get you on the right side of the band if you send them a few photos.
If you do send them (or the venue) some photos then make it
abundantly clear whether or not they can use them free of charge for publicity, etc. I think it's unfair to send photos like that without such information, then subsequently try to claim copyright infringement and demand money for them if they get used by the band or venue - this won't do you any favours with either of them! If your photo subsequently turns up on a poster, press article, T-shirt or album cover then you'll know where you all stand - and this can happen!
A word of caution on personal safety, etiquette, etc. Don't get in the way of the audience, they've paid to see the band not you! Watch yourself when you leave the venue too, some less than honest people may be there and have been watching you waving an expensive camera around. A gig photographer I knew was followed by such people, who mugged him of his camera kit when he stopped at a petrol station in his car shortly after leaving the gig! So keep your wits about you and as low a profile as possible, travel light and don't take a big fancy camera bag and loads of kit with you - lenses can disappear out of jacket pockets too! Also, watch out for drunken idiots throwing beer around, a beer bath isn't good for cameras - so it may be better to get your shots early before things get rowdy.
Hope the above suggestions help and best of luck.
I’ve thought about flash but I don’t want to distract the band
