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07/24/2005 03:40:29 PM · #126 |
As mentioned, I shot a gig yesterday, an all day festival in the local Yorkshire town of Barnsley, not exactly renowned for it's music. It actually turned out to be a great day with some great music. Tom Hingley headlined who used to be the singer with the 'Inspiral Carpets' and although I wasn't really a huge fan at the time, the songs really brought back my youth, they were songs that were hard to get away from! Everybody was happy for me to get on the stage, and I must emphasise that this is something that everyone here should do whenever possible. Don't be over-aggresive about this, but you should definitely not be timid either. I put my Sigma 12-24mm lens to good use as well... a super-wide angle can work very well with rock music but you can't be shy... you have to get VERY close at 12mm to get a performer to fill the frame. The results are worth it though.
These were taken with my 12-24mm:
    
  
and some of my other shots:
    
  
I'm still struggling without a 70-200mm f2.8, many of these were taken with my Sigma 105mm macro, but the af is SLOW! I'll hopefully try and get hold of a 2nd hand Sigma this week. No flash was used on any of these shots, the beauty of a 12mm focal length with Image Stabilising (love my Minolta!) is that you can use LONG shutter speeds. |
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07/24/2005 03:43:14 PM · #127 |
Keep the venues coming in folks!
BTW, you can see all the photos I took yesterday here: //www.EyesOpen.co.uk/BOMFest2005
Have a look, see what you think works and what isn't quite as good. You should always look at photography with the aim of pinching any ideas that you think would work well. And looking out for things to avoid! |
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07/24/2005 07:18:48 PM · #128 |
thanks bob. Great photos! Looks like a fun day. There are a few 70-200mm on ebay at the moment. I am sure you had a look. I am still waiting for a bargain on that 50mm 1.8.
I have been reading a photography book and I have loads of questions. I will start with an easy one. I normally shoot in RAW mode. Do I still need to adjust the contrast to -2. And do I need to mess with the exposure, I have it on auto at the moment I think. I was wondering if I should put it under and boost it when convert if I needed to. Also I read something like you can set your camera up to take 3 shots at a time one under what you have your cam set on, one that is what you set it on, and one just over what you set it on. I can't remember off the top of my head what it is called. Just worried about loosing detail if I underexpose and have to bump up the exposure or the levels. |
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07/25/2005 06:14:26 AM · #129 |
Originally posted by Anni:
thanks bob. Great photos! Looks like a fun day. There are a few 70-200mm on ebay at the moment. I am sure you had a look. I am still waiting for a bargain on that 50mm 1.8.
I have been reading a photography book and I have loads of questions. I will start with an easy one. I normally shoot in RAW mode. Do I still need to adjust the contrast to -2. And do I need to mess with the exposure, I have it on auto at the moment I think. I was wondering if I should put it under and boost it when convert if I needed to. Also I read something like you can set your camera up to take 3 shots at a time one under what you have your cam set on, one that is what you set it on, and one just over what you set it on. I can't remember off the top of my head what it is called. Just worried about loosing detail if I underexpose and have to bump up the exposure or the levels. |
If you're shooting in RAW, you won't need to adjust your contrast. However, if you're saving in-camera as RAW+JPEG then you'll need that setting for your jpegs. Personally, I take so many photos during a gig that I'd need loads of 1Gb memory cards and would need to change them regularly, so I use jpeg. And I'm not sure what you mean by auto exposure... I really hope you're not letting your camera choose all your exposure settings, I would choose either manual or aperture priority. Some people choose shutter priority at 1/125. As the lucky owner of a D70, you have the luxury of a proper spot-meter that you can use with aperture/shutter priority. Meter off the skin-tones and then compose your shot accordingly. On my Minolta, I would point the camera at the skin-tones, press the exposure lock button with my thumb and then recompose, I don't know how you would do this with your D70. Don't do it by half-pressing the shutter, that's for finding your focus. So you have to be pretty quick with all the elements that make up your shot...
1: Find a mid-tone, face tones are good for this. Make sure you're on spot metering (sorry Canon owners, especially 300D users who can't select modes). Hit exposure lock.
2: Find the point you want to be in focus. 99% of the time this is the eyes. It's important they are razor sharp, in low-light at wide apertures with long focal lengths we're going to have very shallow dof. Half press the shutter down for focus lock.
3: RECOMPOSE! Don't even think about pushing the shutter all the way until your subject is on the edge of the frame looking in! You can break this rule only after it's automatic to compose your shots this way.
If you're a 300D owner, I would use fully manual and experiment like crazy. You can keep checking your LCD after you've taken shots and check your histograms. Is everyone now okay with histograms? Don't worry if they're a little underexposed, it's overexposure you need to watch out for.
You can use BRACKETING (automatic 3 shots at a time with different exposures), but I heavily recommend you don't. Without a flash, most people here will just need to shoot at 1/125 with the widest available aperture. No bracketing needed!
Don't worry too much about all the theory though, I find the best way of learning is by DOING. Get out there, try bracketing for a short while to see how it works. Try aperture priority. Try shutter priority. Try manual. Try matrix metering. Try spot metering. Try everything and see what works for you. Although I did read books and websites for advice, I don't trust anybody's final word on anything and I like to see what works best for me. You should all be the same! Nonetheless, it's good to get advice from people with experience, my experience comes from trying everything. That's the beauty of digital, no wasted film. Composition is what you should all be really working on though. A bad exposure won't ruin a shot but bad composition will kill it outright. Be inventive, there is no 'right' way for photography, and if people find it you'll see very boring photos. Try overexposed shots with loads of blur for atmosphere, try underexposed shots where all you see is the face. Experiment with lens flare. Don't be afraid to take risks. |
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07/25/2005 06:40:44 AM · #130 |
AAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!
We drove around the Alps yesterday and on the way back stopped off in Luzern to grab something to eat, to my suprise there was a music festival on (Iggy Pop being the headline), although we were very late there was a band still on stage and I reached for my camera being very happy that I would be able to add some pics to this thread. I got the backpack off started reaching for my camera but alas our friends 4 year old needed his MacDonalds (to be fair it was very late and he had not eaten), I was about to protest but it had been a long day so going with the flow was the only option, I had a quick burger to be polite then made my excuses and rushed back to the band - too late! I'd lost my gig photos to a FishMac.
I know this is cardinal sin and I can only offer my apologies with the assurance that it's been a lesson well learned, never let the second slip by!
Although, I did find a fire dancer and tried to take a few rushed shots of her, I'll have a look tonight to see if I managed to get anything worth seeing.
Darren
P.S. Great photos (as usual) Bob, I was a mad Carpets fan in my youth, got loads of their old/rare stuff on vinyl, until they went mainstream and lost so much of what made them special, what's Tom's stuff like now?
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07/25/2005 04:03:36 PM · #131 |
bob,
was looking at more of your photos from bomfest...all are great..but what's up with the pregnant girl drinking a vodka ice and a smoking a ciggy...sure that bomfest was not in carlisle...:)
wow some great stuff, really really great stuff. love the ones of lyca sleep and tom!
edit: colda! What can I say. it happens to the best of us. Exspecialy when there is hungry children involved..I feel your pain. My 2 year old adores Mcdonalds.
Message edited by author 2005-07-25 16:05:19. |
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07/25/2005 05:02:50 PM · #132 |
Originally posted by colda:
AAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!
We drove around the Alps yesterday and on the way back stopped off in Luzern to grab something to eat, to my suprise there was a music festival on (Iggy Pop being the headline), although we were very late there was a band still on stage and I reached for my camera being very happy that I would be able to add some pics to this thread. I got the backpack off started reaching for my camera but alas our friends 4 year old needed his MacDonalds (to be fair it was very late and he had not eaten), I was about to protest but it had been a long day so going with the flow was the only option, I had a quick burger to be polite then made my excuses and rushed back to the band - too late! I'd lost my gig photos to a FishMac.
I know this is cardinal sin and I can only offer my apologies with the assurance that it's been a lesson well learned, never let the second slip by!
Although, I did find a fire dancer and tried to take a few rushed shots of her, I'll have a look tonight to see if I managed to get anything worth seeing.
Darren
P.S. Great photos (as usual) Bob, I was a mad Carpets fan in my youth, got loads of their old/rare stuff on vinyl, until they went mainstream and lost so much of what made them special, what's Tom's stuff like now? |
Don't worry about it, I'd have done the same thing in your situation. A hungry kid has to come first! However, a huge part of being a good gig photographer is being able to grab audience shots that reflect the atmosphere of the event. Everybody should follow the candid thread for advice on this. When you supply photos for publications (which I hope you'll all get to before too long), you need to have loads of candid photos of the audience as well as photos of the performers.
Here are a few of the candid and general atmosphere shots I took at Glastonbury this year... if you want to be a gig photographer you need to look out for shots such as these!
    
  
    
    
  
I can't really say what Tom's stuff is like now as it's not really my thing, but I had a good buzz being on stage with them!
Message edited by author 2005-07-26 06:06:13. |
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07/25/2005 05:06:41 PM · #133 |
Originally posted by Anni:
bob,
was looking at more of your photos from bomfest...all are great..but what's up with the pregnant girl drinking a vodka ice and a smoking a ciggy...sure that bomfest was not in carlisle...:)
wow some great stuff, really really great stuff. love the ones of lyca sleep and tom!
edit: colda! What can I say. it happens to the best of us. Exspecialy when there is hungry children involved..I feel your pain. My 2 year old adores Mcdonalds. |
Ah, you mean this shot: 
I only realised the impact of this shot afterwards, I didn't quite realise what I was taking a photo of when my finger pressed the shutter. Shocking, isn't it?
Thanks for looking :-) |
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07/25/2005 06:07:22 PM · #134 |
oh my stunning pics again bob...I think a few of these would make excellent prints. The lovers with the wellies on standing in the mud is fantastic! I would hang it on my wall if it were in black and white! And I love the dinner lady with a ciggy! SOOOO british! Is that a joint in the fariy's hand or just a rollie?? Either way it made me laugh I will post a few from a thing I went to with my son. He is the tiger. I have loads more from this event that I will put up another time, but I have recently had to reload windows so they are on a cd somewhere.
Message edited by author 2005-07-25 18:23:33. |
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07/25/2005 07:07:12 PM · #135 |
Originally posted by BobsterLobster:
Hope you don't mind me being a bit harsh with these, we've talked about many of the following issues already.
DON'T USE FLASH NEAR THE CAMERA POINTED DIRECTLY AT THE PERFORMERS. I can't say this enough times. Blank2 and blank3 have very obvious shadows thrown by the flash. No pro would ever take a photo with shadows like that. Either use a diffuser or bounce the flash. I bounce the flash.
HAVE YOUR PERFORMERS LOOKING INTO YOUR FRAME, NOT OUT OF IT. You will instantly transform your photography with this tip. Blank3 is a particularly bad culprit that could have been excellent if he was tight against the right of the frame with plenty of negative space.
Think about the balance of your composition. This is something that you need to 'feel'. For me, blank4 is unbalanced and a little right-heavy. Blank1 feels left-heavy. Compositionally, blank7 is the most balanced, but I want everybody to keep out-of-the-camera crops. If the microphone didn't cut across the neck/headstock this would be a very strong photo, but I'm curious about what you cropped out.
My main criticism about the photos is that they're Same Old, Same Old. They're the way most people would compose shots if they were there. Get on the floor and try some unusual angles. Stand on a speaker and look down on the performers. Get behind the drummer and shoot the backs of the performers with the audience. Lie down beneath the guitarist. Get stuck in! Don't just shoot what the average audience member is going to see. I'll post some examples of this soon from a gig I shot this weekend. |
Thanks Bob for the critique and no I don't mind, its good :)
I didn't use the flash directly on any of the shots, I always used bounced flash, mostly from the ceiling and some of the side walls..
I noticed the shadow on blank2 only after your comment and I have been trying to think what happened. Looking at it more closely, I feel the light is from the right of me ( I feel around around 2ft to my right ).. I don't remember if I got too close to the wall (or any other reflective object which created this effect )
I will post the original image for blank7 once I get back home...
Also what should I be prepared with for this kind of festival ?
//www.fremontfestival.net/musicSchedule.htm |
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07/26/2005 10:39:28 AM · #136 |
the original for blank7. I had cropped it before processing, so this is directly from RAW..
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07/26/2005 10:42:50 AM · #137 |
Bob,
Can you also post the ISO settings and Aperture, shutter speed information in your photos ? They are amazing and it would be a good reference for us to know the settings ...also the lens used ?
thanks,
gaurawa
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07/26/2005 10:47:25 AM · #138 |
Hey Bob
I got an upgrade, the Minolta 7HI, and now I can adjust settings and all that jazz :-)
Shutter priority definatly works well for me, I was playing around in the basement with the lights off. But I guess setting a very wide aperture and seeing what shutter works would do the trick in manual, what kind of aperature do you recommend?
Message edited by author 2005-07-26 10:47:47. |
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07/26/2005 11:57:04 PM · #139 |
Removed with apology....
Message edited by author 2005-07-27 09:33:05. |
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07/27/2005 07:33:29 AM · #140 |
Thanks :-)
Message edited by author 2005-07-27 10:50:16. |
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07/27/2005 03:12:20 PM · #141 |
Hey all. Just wanted to give you an update about my venue. I was upfront with the manager and told him I had no experience in gig photography, but I was trying to get some experience in that field to put together a decent portfolio. I told them that any images they wanted from a show in their venue they could use in their promotion materials for free. I also said that since I have experience in portraiture that I would do some of the bands that were playing there that didn't have any promo pics for the club to use to promote the gigs. I may be a bit harsh but if the bands want to use those pics I'd would prob charge. Anyway the manager told me that all I had to do was call in advance and I am on the guest list for anything I want.. Very excited about it. Doing my first Gig on sat Planet of Women.
xx
Anni |
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07/27/2005 06:07:20 PM · #142 |
Thanks Anni,
I love your reportage shots, I particularly like Bringitonweb. I think a local paper/magazine would be happy to go with those. Take note everybody, make sure you all get similar crowd shots at outdoor gigs. Don't forget to include your audience wherever possible at any gig. You'll make your photos much more marketable.
The last two look way oversharpened to me though.
Congrats on your news with your venue, and I'm very jealous of your Saturday gig, it should be really good to photograph. Ask them if you can get on stage with them! Well done to you for getting in there.
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07/27/2005 06:09:27 PM · #143 |
Originally posted by gaurawa:
Thanks Bob for the critique and no I don't mind, its good :)
I didn't use the flash directly on any of the shots, I always used bounced flash, mostly from the ceiling and some of the side walls..
I noticed the shadow on blank2 only after your comment and I have been trying to think what happened. Looking at it more closely, I feel the light is from the right of me ( I feel around around 2ft to my right ).. I don't remember if I got too close to the wall (or any other reflective object which created this effect )
I will post the original image for blank7 once I get back home...
Also what should I be prepared with for this kind of festival ?
//www.fremontfestival.net/musicSchedule.htm |
Sorry for assuming you used direct flash, carry on experimenting with bouncing the flash while letting in plenty of ambient light.
As far as the festival goes, I can't really tell you much more than the website shows but I would be quite interested in the stuff with the firemen, could be quite photogenic and it would probably make for the photos that local press would be most interested in. |
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07/27/2005 06:12:00 PM · #144 |
Originally posted by Joey Lawrence:
Hey Bob
I got an upgrade, the Minolta 7HI, and now I can adjust settings and all that jazz :-)
Shutter priority definatly works well for me, I was playing around in the basement with the lights off. But I guess setting a very wide aperture and seeing what shutter works would do the trick in manual, what kind of aperature do you recommend? |
I saw all about that in the other thread, isn't DPC wonderful?!
When shooting gig photography, there is only one aperture to use and that is wide open. I might stop down by a couple of stops when I use flash but not by much. Remember, your aim (as with portrait photography) is to simplify your composition and focus attention on your subject by blurring the background. Good luck with your new camera... I'll look up some of the reviews when I have time so I can give you some advice on how to use it. |
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07/27/2005 06:15:45 PM · #145 |
Okay guys, good luck with your gigs this weekend.
I'm off to a music festival tomorrow morning (via Getty Images in London for a meeting with the editor, I got my contract this morning... woohooo!), and I won't be back until Monday. I'll be busy catching up when I get back, so please be patient in the meantime.
If you haven't chosen and posted your chosen venue, please get cracking with that and let me know.
We've had someone drop out due to lack of time available, so we'll be welcoming a new member soon. Have a good weekend!
Message edited by author 2005-07-27 18:16:19. |
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07/27/2005 06:28:37 PM · #146 |
| Thanks for the tips Bob and of course good luck this weekend man! |
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07/27/2005 06:28:47 PM · #147 |
Originally posted by gaurawa:
Bob,
Can you also post the ISO settings and Aperture, shutter speed information in your photos ? They are amazing and it would be a good reference for us to know the settings ...also the lens used ?
thanks,
gaurawa |
Oops, almost missed this one.
Sorry, but I just don't have the time to add all the details to my photos... at the moment I just stick them all in a zip file and upload the whole lot at once. I really have to make an effort to keep up with this thread as it is. If you ask me about specific photos though, I can let you know the settings for those individual shots. |
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07/27/2005 07:10:24 PM · #148 |
| good luck to everyone this weekend looking forward to seeing the pics! |
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07/27/2005 09:16:25 PM · #149 |
Hello,
It looks like I'm a bit behind in the group, so I'll try to put everything I should in here.
Equipment:
Well, I've got a 300D that I would prefer to use, but I only use it at the Velvet Underground (I'll explain when I get to venues), so it would be best to say that right now, I'm shooting with my HP Photosmart 735. However, I recently (yesterday) purchased a Canon Powershot A85 off of eBay, and that will become my primary camera for concert photography due to its full manual mode.
Venues:
The Masquerade (//www.masq.com)
The Roxy Theatre
The Velvet Underground
Philips Arena
The Arena At Gwinnett Center
Earthlink Live
Hi-Fi Buys Ampitheatre
Now, you're probably wondering why I don't take my Rebel with me anywhere but the VU. The reason is that I go to concerts primarily for the music. The photography is more of a sidethought at shows - a sidethought that I enjoy immensely. At any venue other than the VU, I'd be moshing and I'd be afraid the Rebel would be hurt. A smaller camera, though, I can fit in my pocket and snap pictures in the pit.
Now, I haven't been to a show in a while, but I've got several coming up:
8/3 - Warped Tour
8/5 - Finch
8/10 - blindside / Showbread
8/19 - System Of A Down / The Mars Volta
8/23 - Green Day / Jimmy Eat World
8/25 - Acceptance / The Receiving End Of Sirens / Cartel
And that's only August. That's about average for every month. Music is my passion, so I go to lots of shows.
Anyway, you can see some of my shots (with my Rebel) in my portfolio, and there are more here.
I'll get back to you after Warped, I'm leaving for Texas tomorrow and won't be back before the 3rd. Hope I didn't miss anything. Thanks again to BobsterLobster for inviting me to the group. :)
-Brad |
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07/28/2005 03:39:51 AM · #150 |
| Welcome to the group, I'll update the lists when I get back! |
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