Gig Photography

Doug

Doug

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Doug
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Hi Guys,

I am taking pictures at a gig Thursday night and I wanted abit of advice on what settings to use to create the following effect:

3 (+/-) second exposure with a flash going off at the start in order to freeze the performer but have the background filled with some colour.

I am using a D300 and I have never even popped the flash up before as this is the first time shooting something like this!
 
Put it in manual with a 3ish second exposure, and turn your flash on.

3 seconds is a heck of a long time though, you'll probably find that the detail from the flash is blurred out again from so much movement.

Play around with the settings, depending on the lighting situation, but anything from 1/50th and longer will give some movement if they're bouncing around a bit.
 
I usually shoot put it at about 1/8 of a second, and then fiddle with the f. number until it looks right, usually about f/10 :)

Set the flash to rear curtain. If it's anything like the D80 you hold the flash button in, scroll with the exposure wheelything until it says REAR in the lil screen.

Hope that's helpful...
 
So when setting the shutter speed to something like 1/50 and having the flash on, the flash will auto fire at the start?

Its not something that I have ever looked at in detail so tonight will be one of those STEEP learning curves :lol:

I will have my 50mm 1.8 today *fingers crossed* so will be playing with that as well.
 
As someone who has shot quite a few bands ( I am assuming that is the type of gig you mean?) I am wondering why you feel the need to use flash? If its a professional band at an Academy or similar, they will not let you use flash. But personally I find flash a) distracts the performers and audience and b) takes away any ambience of the performance.

You can get equally accurate shots using a high ISO - I have managed up to 1600 using a D80- and opening your lens up as far as it will go, and focusing accurately. Shoot continous and in bursts of three or four shots at a time. Take as many shots as you can. Over a whole gig I can take up to 200 (shoot Raw as well) shots of which about 10-20 can be deemed usable.

Hope the advice helps and good luck and enjoy the experience.

John
 
snaphappy1952 said:
...

You can get equally accurate shots using a high ISO - I have managed up to 1600 using a D80- and opening your lens up as far as it will go, and focusing accurately...
Click to expand...

Of course you can. But flash isn't for when it's too dark to shoot with ambient, it's for effect, just like shooting without flash is.. depends what look you want. If you know how to use your flash, there's no reason for it to detract from the ambience.
 
Jayst84 said:
Of course you can. But flash isn't for when it's too dark to shoot with ambient, it's for effect, just like shooting without flash is.. depends what look you want. If you know how to use your flash, there's no reason for it to detract from the ambience.
Click to expand...

I am sure you can - but as most gigs are under stage lighting - a flash going off doesnt half annoy performers and audience alike. Especially if you are taking a lot of shots. I meant the ambience of the event as much as the "ambience"of the shot. Flash also tends to overpower any stage lighting as well.

If the gig is in a pub type setting and its your mates band after some publicity/website shots then using flash is a bit easier and less intrusive. But any venue with a stage and photo pit - (in my experience)will not allow flash. Mind that doesnt bstop everone in the audience with a compact and/or camera phone flashing away like mad!!:)

Cheers

John
 
I agree, flash isn't the first thing I'd try to use at a gig

however, what kind of gig? type of music? range from the band, press pass in the pit? etc

i've used flash off a wall behind me before to add some light but I've also seen toggers reach onto a small stage and flash directly up at at a musician randomly. thought that was really rude!
 
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