Rock gig

DizMatt

DizMatt

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urrrm.... Matt
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I'd love to have a go at gig photography, any tips on getting a foot in the door?
 
just get into a local venue and ask for the opportunity
this was at a well organised gig, and I asked for a photopass from a guitarist in the band (playing for the first time in 32 years or something) that I knew through a friend.
this was unpaid, but some shots will end up in the local paper, the organisers website and the Classic Rock/Team Rock website (for credit) which I don't mind as I did it as a favour for the band too
 
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Great pics and so much better than my rubbish first effort at the weekend.

I was shooting at the max ISO of 1600 on my Fuji bridge camera on manual with the apperture wide open ( best it gets is f2.8 ) but could get nothing like a high enough shutter speed to stop blurring.

Made a schoolboy error which I have only just realised in that I left my new polarising filter on which can't have helped but your pictures look brilliant.
 
I'm the same Tony, though I'm using an old Casio point and shoot from the audience. Shooting in 'hope for the best' mode I've managed to get something over 500 shots of the Stranglers gig in Liverpool last night, down to about six that are worth posting anywhere, and that's only on band-related sites to record the event - I wouldn't dream of posting them on a photography-related site. I talked to a pro about how to get proper access, and he mentioned that in many cases the pros are restricted to the first three songs played, so that wouldn't suit me for a band I specifically wanted to watch. I don't really have any local venues as such - we had one in Crewe a while back, but it closed down for a redevelopment project that never happened.

I must try to figure out how to set it manually for the next one, see if that helps, perhaps not expecting it to focus might give it more time to deal with everything else. Never going to be up to the quality of those at the top of the thread, though.
 
Thats standard practice for pro photographers to be limited to first three songs or first 15 minutes. I've taken pics in both a photo pit and in amongst an audience and if I'm honest i prefer being further back.sometimes using an audience in pics to add atmosphere. But that's just my opinion.
 
droopsnoot said:
I talked to a pro about how to get proper access, and he mentioned that in many cases the pros are restricted to the first three songs played, so that wouldn't suit me for a band I specifically wanted to watch.
Click to expand...

I started to get into Gig/Band photography last year, only at local pubs/clubs etc, as i really enjoyed going to see these bands and thought i'd combine photography with my love of live music.......... the therein lies the problem

If you want to take it seriously you can't really have a drink (maybe one or 2 max), you spend the majority of the time concentrating on what you are doing and waiting for the "perfect moment" that you find that you aren't actually enjoying the band/music as much as you would had you just gone there to have a night out

Also, as i generally go to gigs with my other half, she got more and more annoyed that i kept leaving her on her own while i was shooting

Don't get me wrong, it was a great experience and i got some really nice shots out of it (shot about a dozen gigs in total), but if it's more about the music than the photography, then you might find the photography starts to get in the way of the music

Sorry if i've taken this off topic slightly

Back on topic, looks like you got some great shots Matt, some good stances and expressions, although i'm not too keen on the multiple watermarks etc, but i understand why they are there
 
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