Tips for Concert Photography

Kent Sangster.  Please visit his site at www.kentsangster.com

Introduction

Concerts are among the most difficult situations a photographer will find themselves in.  There are constant changes in light.  And we're not talking a about just light intensity, we're talking about the color of light as well.  Not only do the different light sources (LED, halogen, fluorescent, etc.) cause different color casts, but quite often stages will deliberately throw different colors on the stage for lighting effects.  Plus, the light we do get is dark, inconsistent, and the performers are always moving, making it near impossible to keep a fast enough shutter speed to get a sharp image.  So how can we get good concert shots?


Tip 1 - Shoot in Manual Mode

It is a mode that is feared by many.  But it is almost a necessity while shooting concerts.  When the camera is metering for a scene, it will average out exposure across everything on stage, including the black background, the bright lights, the reflections off of instruments, the visual effects that are going on around the performers....  Most of the time, the camera's metering works fairly well, or at least well enough.  But when you are dealing with the constantly changing lighting conditions, the camera will get confused.  Ever picture will have a different exposure, even though all that matters is the performers themselves.  Chances are, if all that is lit on stage is the performer, and the background is black, then the camera will try to over-expose the performer's face.  If you simply try to compensate by using "exposure compensation" then you may get a few good shots, but changing your angle or changes in light during the performance will mess up your settings again.

The only way to prevent slight changes of lighting in the scene from changing your exposure is by using manual mode.  This way, you make the decisions, not the camera.  Once you get the exposure dialed in, you can shoot all night!  Just occasionally check your LCD screen and histogram to make sure your exposure hasn't changed, and adjust accordingly.


Tip 2 - Arrive Early and Meter!

Arriving early is a no-brainer.  But it is what you spend that time doing before the concert that matters.

Try to meet with the lighting technician when you arrive.  Ask him what special effects are planned for the concert, and see if you can get him to dim the house lights and set the stage lights to what he expects to set them to during the concert.  Then, if you have an incident light meter, get on stage and take a reading.  Otherwise, ask a stage hand to stand on stage and take a few test shots to figure out what your exposure will need to be set at as a starting point.  This will make let you start getting great shots right from the start, instead of wasting the first several shots trying to get a good exposure.


Tip 3 - Shoot Raw!

Shooting RAW (as opposed to JPEG) gives you a lot more of a chance to salvage a poorly exposed shot.  So if you need to pull a stop of exposure out of the picture in post, you can!  Plus, white balance is something you don't even have to worry about, since you have 100% control of white balance in post with a RAW file, unlike JPEG where you can only perform minor adjustments.  JPEGs throw away the majority of data before it even reaches your memory card, so what you capture when you press the shutter button is pretty much what you are stuck with.


Tip 4 - Use Silent Shutter Mode

Many of the DSLRs available today have a "Silent Shutter" mode.  Effectively, what this does is slow down the speed of the mirror.  Instead of slamming the mirror up as fast as possible, releasing the shutter, and then slamming the mirror back down (which does make a loud noise), the slower moving mirror makes the entire action much quieter.  The downside however, is there is more shutter lag (takes longer between pressing the shutter button and capturing the picture) and you have a much slower rapid-fire (the 5D Mark 3 goes from 6 frames/second to 3 frames/second in silent mode).

Depending on the concert and venue, this may not matter.  For example, with a rock or hip hop concert where there are a lot of screaming fans, or in a bar, it probably doesn't matter as much.  But in a concert where things can get quiet, or in a venue that has world class accoustics, the sounds of a mirror flapping around can be very distracting and annoying for the audience.


Tip 5 - How Fast Can Your Shutter Go?

This is where your technical skill comes in.  As discussed previously, lighting is going to be a challenge.  It will be hard to get enough light to properly expose.  But at the same time, everyone is moving around on stage and you need to keep a fast shutter speed.  How can you do this?

This is very dependant on your camera (high ISO performance), your lens (aperture), and your skill (capturing sharp images with a slow shutter on a moving subject).  Ideally, you want as fast of a shutter speed as your gear can handle, so that the moving performers will be sharp.  Yes, this is difficult, but this is where having a high technical knowledge and skill comes in handy!  Know the exposure triangle, and know your gear.  After that, practice makes perfect!


Tip 6 - How Slow Can Your Shutter Go?

Contrary to Tip 5, capturing percussionists while dragging your shutter can lead to very interesting effects.  In most cases, you want to freeze motion.  However with drums, a fast moving drum stick can give a completely different feel to the picture.

So when shooting a drum kit, give dragging the shutter a try.


Tip 7 - Focus Stacking

Chances are, when you are shooting in dark environments, you will be forced to use very wide aperture, probably around f/2.8.  Of course, when shooting that wide, you will have a hard time getting more than one person in focus, since the focus plain will be so narrow.  A way to combat this to quickly focus on multiple people and capture them each in focus, and then stack the pictures in post.  It takes a lot of practice to be able to get multiple pictures that can be stacked, while changing your focal point, all while things are changing in the scene, but if you can get this to work out (even once!) then it will make a big difference in the shot.


Tip 8 - Shoot Everyone

Depending on the size of the band you are shooting, try to get at least a few good pictures of everyone on stage.  Everyone on stage is as important as the next, and each of those performers may come back looking for a picture of themselves performing.  You never know what exposure may come up from having a shot of them in your portfolio!


Conclusion

If anyone gets the opportunity to shoot a concert, they should jump on it.  It is one of the best ways to challenge your skills.  If you can pull off a concert, you will likely do well in most any situation.

What's in my bag?

Introduction

It seems customary for bloggers to, eventually, make a post about their gear.  What do they use, when do they use it, and why they chose it over other gear. Well I figured I would do the same, and possibly do a follow up in a year or two to see how things have changed.

Now before I get started, here is the standard disclaimer:  I must make it clear that it is not the gear, but the photographer that makes the difference.  It has been said that 99% of the gear out there is better than 99% of photographers, so unless you are in the top 1% (and even if you are) you don't need the best.  This is simply what I have chosen to use.


Body

My current camera of choice is the Canon 5D Mark 3.  In my opinion, this is the best body available today.  Sure the Canon 1Dx costs $2000 more and has more sheer brain power, and the Nikon D800 has almost twice as many pixels on the sensor, but in terms of the features that actually matter (to me) the quality of the image, and the ergonomics of it, it is the perfect body.  Its 61 focus points (vs. 9 on the Rebels and 11 on the 6D), dual card slots, and exceptional dynamic range make it ideal for everything I use it for.  And of course, the full 35mm sensor gives endless silky smooth bokeh.

What is it missing?

There are a few things that I miss.  The 6 frames/sec in burst mode, although still pretty quick, isn't as fast as the 8 fps I got on my old 7D.  And it is nowhere near the 14 frames/sec on the 1DX.  Having the extra speed is very helpful when shooting sports, otherwise it really doesn't matter.

I also wish it the exposure metering wasn't always based on the center of the frame.  The 1DX can meter based on the focus point, even if the focus point is near a corner.

And the third thing I wish it had was an Ethernet jack.  Ethernet reaches a lot farther than USB does, and is much faster and reliable than transferring wirelessly when shooting tethered.


Zoom Lenses

Zoom lenses are great for when you don't know what you're walking into.  Although you sacrifice a bit on quality, you gain a great deal in convenience, allowing you to change the focal length at the blink of an eye.

Canon 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye - A very unique lens.  This is both a circular fisheye (at 8mm) providing a full 180 degrees field of view, and a linear full frame fisheye (at 15mm).  It is two lenses in one!  This is great for artistic shots, but can easily be overused.  This one needs to be use sparingly and carefully, but if used right, it can give an eye catching effect.

Canon 24-105mm f/4L - This is my walk-around lens.  It is my slowest lens, not giving a very nice depth of field and often requiring a flash to use indoors, but for walking around a party and quickly going from a wide angle lens to a medium telephoto lens, and everything in between, is a great convenience.  Plus, being an L-series lens, it is weather resistant, which is a big advantage for shooting on a beach or on a not so sunny day.

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II  - The ultimate sports photographers lens.  Excellent quality, excellent bokeh, lightening fast focusing, great in low light.  If you shoot sports, you need this lens.  It is also a great lens for portraits (if you have enough room, you'll be standing a long ways away from your model) and family shoots when standing back and letting the kids take a break and just be silly.


Prime Lenses

Most of what I shoot is done with prime lenses.  You don't have the luxury of being able to simply twist the lens and crop in on your subject, but when doing portraits, you do have the luxury of being able to quickly zoom with your feet.  WALK up to your subject.  The prime lenses are typically much faster, considerably fewer imperfections, and a higher quality light capture device.

Canon 35mm f/1.4L - Given that my current studio doesn't have a lot of depth to the room, this is my favourite lens for portrait work.  Plus, it could be one of Canon's best build quality lenses!  It is wide, but it has corrective elements to prevent the deformation you get with most wide angle lenses.  The image quality produced by this lens is about as good as it gets, and the bokeh is silky smooth.

Canon 50mm f/1.4 - This is my least favourite lens that I currently own, and is also the only non-L lens (other than the Lensbaby) that I own.  The "nifty fifty" is a lens everyone should own, since the image it captures is exactly the same perspective as what we see in real life.  But, for the same reason, it gives a very boring shot.  You have to work harder with this lens to make the picture interesting than you do with other focal length lenses.  So even though it is a lens that is almost a requirement to own, I rarely ever use it.

Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS - Obviously, this is what I use for macro photography, and for that it is excellent.  However, I also use it, along with my 35mm, for close-up portrait work and head-shots.  It is incredibly sharp (almost too sharp, but there is always softening in post), and the bokeh is beautiful.  This is the most versatile lens I carry.

Lensbaby Composer - This is a cheap selective focus lens, intended for getting artistic shots.  Everything about it is manual.  The aperture is adjusted by putting in different sized aperture disks using magnets, and the focus is completely manual as well.  Given the price, this lens is a great way to learn techniques, but in practice, you can get the same result (possibly better) using Photoshop in post, using a much sharper lens.  Like the other 50mm, this lens rarely makes it into my bag.


Lens Modifiers

Although having a relatively extensive collection of lenses covers a wide range of  uses, there are times when I want to extend the intended use without having to carry around (or pay for) additional lenses.

Canon 2x Extender III - This lens multiplier will turn the 70-200 f/2.8 into a 140-400mm f/5.6.  Great for wildlife, and sports from far away (especially outdoors, since it looses 2 stops of light, making it much slower).  I will also use it on my macro lens to increase the macro magnification.  If you are interested in how this works, please see a previous blog post about increasing magnification on a macro lens.

Promaster Extension Tubes - Extension tubes are nothing more than spacers to hold the lens farther away from the camera.  This changes the working distance between the camera and the subject, allowing a closer minimum focusing distance.  If you are interested in how this works, please see a previous blog post about increasing magnification on a macro lens.


Lens Filters

If the lighting conditions don't let you get the results you are looking for, then filters help modify the light for a better overall result.

Circular Polarizer - Great for landscape shots.  They really get the sky to pop!

ND8 Neutral Density Filter - Neutral density filters are like sunglasses for your lens!  If you need to cut out the light, which allows you to either use a wider aperture, or a slower shutter speed, an ND filter will let you do that.  The ND8 filter cuts out 3 stops of light.

10 Stop Neutral Density Filter - This filter serves the same purpose as the ND8, but is black.  Instead of just cutting 3 stops of light, it cuts out 10 stops (lets in 1/1024 of the original light).  It is designed for taking pictures of the inside of ovens, but I will use it to get a 10 minute exposure in bright sunlight, or I will stack it with the ND8 to get 13 stops of light filtration (lets in 1/8192 of the original light) to photograph the solar eclipses.


Flashes

Natural light is beautiful and flattering when used properly, but there are times when you need an extra kiss of light.

Canon 580EX II - This is my main flash.  It is powerful, full featured, will act as both a master and slave, supports high speed sync, and has a built in reflector card.

2 x Canon 320EX - These flashes are much smaller than the big 580EX powerhouse, and will only work as slaves, but still support wireless ETTL.  I occasionally use these flashes for low powered fill flash or hair light, or for light experimentation.

Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter - This device has the same master flash functionality as the 580EX flashes, except that it isn't an actual flash.  It allows for off-camera flash triggering, and fully supports ETTL and multiple flash groups, but doesn't throw any light on the subject.

2 x Elinchrom 400 Watt Strobes - These are my main studio strobes.  Perfect for portraiture in a small studio.


Light Modifiers

Flash and strobe light can be harsh.  Even when using natural light, you may have the need to modify it in some way.

2 x 24" Elinchrom Softboxes - These are the perfect size softboxes for my small studio.  Since they are always very close to the subject, the light is diffused enough to provide beauty light, without requiring a whole lot of power to light the scene.

30" Convertible Umbrella - Whether using this to reflect or shoot-through, this umbrella will easily light my entire studio with a single flash, for those times when this is what I'm going for.

38" Lastolite Silver/White Reflector - Reflectors are a huge part of lighting.  They can be used to capture available light and reflect it back into the subject's face to fill in the shadowy areas like the eye sockets, under the chin, or below the nose.  They can also be used for reducing the harshness of daylight, and as a last resort, you can throw them on the ground and let your subject sit or lay on them to stay off the wet grass.  Super light, super compact, and extra useful.

106" Projector Screen - My studio doubles as a movie theatre.  When in studio mode, the projector screen on the side wall makes an excellent reflector.  Also, the theatre has great audio for playing music during the shoot ... you know, to set the mood.


Tripods

Tripods are vital for any long exposure work, and even to rest your arms when using a heavy lens.

Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 & Manfrotto 498CR2 Ballhead - This is my workhorse tripod.  Very tall, very sturdy, great vibration reduction, and excellent configuration options. Being carbon, it is light enough to carry around, but the design does not sacrifice strength.  It get tall enough that I need to stand on a chair, and will even go flat enough that it will hold the camera right against the ground.  Excellent configuration.

Benro C-069 R8 Travel Angel Carbon Tripod & B-00 Ballhead - One of the lightest tripods I have ever picked up.  Separated into 5 sections, and weighting as much as a feather, this tripod will easily slide into a bag and be forgotten about.  Strong enough for a light lens and moderate length shutters, it is great for hiking down a long trail to a waterfall shoot, or taking on trips to Hawaii where you are already pushing the limit of your luggage weight restrictions.


Other Accessories that go in the bag

Other notable items I carry around ...

Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver - This device serves three purposes.  1) It tags the GPS location and compass direction in the metadata of each picture.  2) It records your walking path during the shoot.  3) It synchronizes the clock in the camera using an atomic clock, ensuring that the capture time for the pictures are accurate.  When doing on-location shoots, this is a great tool to have, because not only is each picture that is being delivered to the client tagged with the exact location the picture was taken, I can also give them a map of where we walked to in the park.  This gives an extra element of value to the package that is being delivered.  However, for obvious security reasons, I never use the device while at or near home, and I always strip out the GPS details before posting images on-line.

Eye-Fi Pro X2 - This card is a nifty device that lets me immediately transfer JPEGs that were captured on my camera to my phone, where I can instantly text, email, or upload to any social networking site.  Just a note: Eye-Fi recently released a new version of the card called Mobi, claiming that it is the first to allow direct-to-phone transfers.  Although it is easier to set up, this is all the Mobi can do.  The older X2 can do this, plus a lot more.  The only advantage the Mobi has is ease-of-use, otherwise it is very limited relative to the older version.

Canon RC-1 Wireless Shutter Release - Just a basic wireless remote for hands-off shutter release triggering.

2 x LED Flash Lights - Used for light painting at night.  Open the shutter, paint in the scene with the flash lights, close the shutter.  Lots of interesting effects to be had here.

Blanket, wet wipes, clothes, water, etc - When on a family shoot in the park, you never know what you will run into that you want to have the subject sit on, or if the kids get their hands dirty, or a runny nose ... it is always good to be prepared!


Camera Bags

Depending on the event, I have two camera bags I will use.

Think Tank Streetwalker Pro - This is the perfect size for a pro camera and the lenses and accessories I typically take with me on a photo walk.  It is big, but not too big.  Tripod mount on the outside, a rain cover that tucks away, and is very well built.

Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW - When I was looking for a camera/laptop bag, I had a problem.  They were all designed for 15" screens or smaller.  My laptops are always 17" screens and very thick.  My current laptop is an ASUS G75V with dual hard drives, 16GB of RAM, i7 processor, dedicated nVidia graphics card, and a huge cooling system.  The laptop is not small, so I needed something big.  This bag is huge.  Not only does it hold everything you'll ever need for your camera, but it also has a laptop compartment that fits my massive laptop.  And, it is designed to still be used as carry-on luggage!


Conclusion

That's about it!  Other than a few small items that aren't worth mentioning, these are the items that are either in my bag, or are a big part of my studio.

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