Gig Photography

ffaf1986

ffaf1986

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arron
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hey

well ive got my first lot of gig photography coming up for a band called zebrahead and a guy called mc lars managed to get a photography pass for each gig some how:D.

but now im wondering what else do i need i bought a few bits for my 40d a battery grip lots of spare batteries, flash gun and a sigma wide angle lens **** i love :thumbs:. any more bits people think i might need? ive got around £350 left to spend

ive done a few local band shoots before so ive got some presets set up allready but was wondering if it is worth me shooting in raw? ive been told i have to pick up my pass on the door is it worth me getting there earlier and testing a few shots out before the bands start maybe when there etting up the lights?

also bit of a strange one really but were am i allowed to go with the pass as ive never had one to a big gig before

cheers for any help

Arron
 
Hey Arron,

A lot of what you ask will be dependent on the venue, usually a pass will get you into the pit in front of the stage, in front of any barriers at the front of the crowd, many smaller venues won't have any barriers though and you just need to push through the crowd, if it's an AAA pass you will get backstage, dressing room etc, but that would only be if you were working for the band.

I would check the venue rules as well, most don't allow flash and will only allow photography during the first 3 songs, again though, smaller venues may not have these restrictions.

Probably not a lot of use in getting in early to practice as the lights used during the show will be different from the ambient lights, even the lighting for the support may well be different from the headliners.

What is the maximum aperture of your wide angle lens? You're £350 would buy you a 85mm f1.8 or a 50mm f1.8 (maybe both), they are both lenses that I have used for gigs and would recommend.

Dave
 
Pretty much everything you need is in this thread.

With a photo pass, your allowed in the pit for the first three songs (if the rules are different, you'll be told at the door/by the security) and then you either have to exit the venue or put your camera away if you stay in the crowd (depends on your venue).

I'd recommend getting a 50mm 1.8 or even better, the 1.4 if you are happy to spend the rest of your money on it.
 
Hi Aaron,
I remember my first gig well!!!!

I will agree with the above post.
the lighting for the actual show will be different to the 'sound check' lighting. so early shots will be next to useless!
I recently did a gig for an artist for his press shots, and had the privilege of shooting the soundcheck, and adjusting the lights myself for maximum effect.
When the gig actually started, on of the in-house techies actually completely changed the settings for the show!!!!!

ensure you have a wide lens, 24-70 / 28-75 etc, but will be fine as long as they are f2.8.
50mm f1.8 is a great lens, and also use a 70-200 f 2.8 as well for some great close ups!!

Check out some gig shots on my website, and give me a shout if you need anything else!

Good Luck!
Cheers
J
www.justinmoirphotography.co.uk
 
Hi Arron!

Hope you enjoy the gig - I love shooting music events.
Couple of things..

Flash - not every band/venue allows flash photography as some bands don't like it. Check with the venue/band manager beforehand to make sure.
Otherwise, stick with high ISO (I usually shoot 1250-1600) and large apeture (17-50 f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8 are my weapons of choice)

You also shouldn't need a lot of battery power touch wood. I've shot 3 bands in a row, taking about 200 shots of each (the first 3 songs only rule has applied to every gig I've been to) and haven't got through more than half a battery
 
I have shot a few 'Major' artists, and they only give you the first 2 songs, other bands i have shot allowed the whole gig from the pit - AND flash!!!

Most box offices will inform you of the criteria when you collect your pass.
Always double check with Pit Security as well just to make sure, they won't be slow in telling you your time 'Has Expired'!!!!

J
 
zebrahead are pretty cool, saw them years ago supporting real big fish... really good.

fast glass, tape down your built in flash so it doesn't pop up accidentally, wide aperture, good pose for shooting, be nice to security, earplugs :)
 
the_doctor199 said:
That's one I wouldn't really go for myself, if the lighting is *****, pulling up your pop-up slightly to fire a little bit of light at them is handy, the security will never notice :thumbs:
Click to expand...

if that's a risk you want to take, go for it ;) probably won't make the venue lampies or the tour manager happy though, regardless of how many emo girls are shooting with pop up flash just the other side of the barrier...

Personally the lens hoods I use etc make built in flash pretty pointless anyway... can always pull off the tape if it's really a cave...
 
My best advice is shoot manual. With bigger lighting setups it is easy for the camera metering system to get fooled. If you don't feel confident with that aperture priority is the way to go.

Make sure you have f2.8 glass. Primes are great but I find that a decent f2.8 zoom is much more usable in the 3 song limit unless this lighting is really terrible which is where the 1.8 comes in.

Also don't machine gun your shots. Compose, relax and get the angle, rather than spray and pray. 3 songs is plenty of time. Just relax and try not to get nervous.

Read the Doctors tutorial, be nice to security and lastly be nice with other photographers in the pit. You may have a few people shooting. Don't hog one position, get in, get your shots, move to allow someone else there shot.

Good luck and look forward to seeing the shots.
 
ding76uk said:
Ronan Keating will have a huge lighting budget compared to the 2 bands in question. Usually unless you are shooting big name acts I would argue it is essential personally.

I know I would not be without 2.8 glass as I can always go down to F4 etc. but if the light is not great (a lot more likely) you are pretty much screwed without it.
Click to expand...

I guess. Ronan Keating was static with fixed lighting basically.

I used a 2.8 70-200 for X Factor though - they're incredibly strict and the lighting is erratic.
 
ding76uk said:
Had a friend who shot that. Said it was a total nightmare! The guy who was meant to escort them to and from the pit completely messed it up and he only got to shoot half the acts, and some for only half a song. Anyone would think they were all famous :lol:
Click to expand...

The X Factor? We had some guy with an aggression problem. He told us that we'd all get to take pictures during the third Joe song (no pyros) and then told all the togs to leave before. All the photographers were taking pictures from the side of the stage when not allowed in front (in his eyes breaching the agreement, sort of). At least he let us plug in our laptops.... :lol:
 
I was shooting The Chieftans and Ry Cooder gig in January, the reason the majority of the togs were there was for Ry Cooder. As he wasn't coming on till later in the set, it was songs 3,4 and 5 we were allowed.

Trouble was, the songs were mostly collaborations and the line where a song finished and another started wasn't always obvious, cue the security ushering us all out before Ry had taken the stage. 10 angry photographers running round to the press office, we all got back in to see him though!

Dave
 
MC Lars is a nice guy, normally mills around with the crowd after hes done so if you can collar him and talk to him nicely and the venue lets you, you might be able to get some shots of him with fans.

May even get you a drink, hes nice like that :)
 
hey guys heres some of the shots from last night had a lot of problems with focusing alot of my images were blurred i was shooting in manual on iso 1250 what other settings should i use as im doing another gig on friday

i also found shooting in b&w was better

heres a couple of the shots havent got access to photoshop at the moment grr

orange
IMG_3808.jpg


mc lars
IMG_3907.jpg


zebrahead
IMG_4108.jpg


any feedback would be great

cheers
arron
 
Lowest possible on your lens I'd say.
 
ffaf1986 said:
i also found shooting in b&w was better
Click to expand...

You did process these to B&W not shoot in cam B&W?

Lighting can be like that sometimes, red is the notorious one. Something to consider though, how many images do you see in mags in B&W?

As Doc says, 160th f2.8. I usually start at 1600 and go down from there. Horses for courses, you will soon find where you feel comfortable starting.

Make sure you shoot in RAW, you can tweak colours so much more and with a bit of patience can come up with something a lot better than the image straight from cam.

Make sure your cam is set to one shot focus. This may help the focus. Use centre point and reframe. Back button focusing may help as well. Focusing can be a pain to get right. Just keep at it. As I said before, relax take time to frame and focus in cam before you press the shutter. 3 songs is plenty of time. Just relax and enjoy yourself. For 3 songs you have the best seat in the house!
 
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