New to this

[rachelpattison]

Hi there I have decide to get into gig photography my first gig is soon, The equipment i have got is canon 350d sigma 24-70 f2.8, tamron 55-200 4-5.6, canon 18-55 f3.5-5.6 and a sunpak 888 flash. I have also been asked to do some stills. could someone pleas help any tips would be apreciated.

[narlus]

use yr fastest lens, and maybe experiment w/ off-camera flash at a lower output setting. i'm not a fan of direct flash for gigs. anticipating stoppage of movement in a performer is a good suggestion which has been pitched here, and will help in getting sharp images. the 50mm f/1.8 is my workhorse for these kinds of shoots; it gets some flak but for $80 it's hard to argue with, i think. eventually i may upgrade to the 1.4 but not at this stage.

[kmb]

Hi there I have decide to get into gig photography my first gig is soon, The equipment i have got is canon 350d sigma 24-70 f2.8, tamron 55-200 4-5.6, canon 18-55 f3.5-5.6 and a sunpak 888 flash. I have also been asked to do some stills. could someone pleas help any tips would be apreciated.
Hi, and welcome to POTN Forums :)

Some pointers (I presume the gig will be in "normal" indoor concert light conditions):
- Forget the Tamron. Too slow for the focal length.
- I'd say forget the flash also. Or, if you really need to use it, really try to get all the help possible (sorry, I have no experience in flash concert photography). Just blating away with flash will create dull pictures. Flash removes mood (although there are two exceptions: shutter dragging [1] or if you make black and white photos [2])
- Shoot most of the concert with the sigma (because it's fast), and if you are too close to the stage and can't move away, you might want to try the kit lens at 18mm for wide shots. Unless you know what you're doing, shoot wide open (aperture priority) at all times.
- Assume you'll be shooting at ISO1600. Only if you think you're getting constantly sharp shots and have shutter speed to spare, you might consider ISO800.

[1] Advice on shutter dragging + what it is: http://www.photo.net/learn/concerts/mirarchi/concer_4.htm
[2] An excellent B&W gallery (some flash is used), my friend pointed this out: http://www.fullsteamrecords.com/hikidisko/ - note that this style definitely won't work for all artists.

Could you tell us a bit about the artist you're going to photograph? Musical style? And what's the venue like?

[DwightMcCann]

Welcome to POTN. Depending on the venue there is a wide variety of advice to be gleaned here. I would suggest that you look through the previous postings. There are many newbies as well as very experienced concert shooters here and most all are willing to ask questions and answer them. There are a wide variety of techniques that are discussed, sometimes religiously, such as "shutter drag". It does take a long time to find and read these threads but it is well worth the effort. If you are laid up in the hospital and are looking for a tome to read you can go to my Q&A that is linked from my .sig, but that is mostly about shooting in a venue with great lighting.

So, show pictures, ask questions. be assertive (but not aggressive) at the venue and pay attention to what you are doing so that you can benefit from each experience.

[Steve Parr]

Just some thoughts:

1) Your Sigma f/2.8 is the only lens you have which will really be useful in a live music setting. Look at the possibility of adding something of the f/1.8 variety, such as the Canon 85mm f/1.8.

2) Do not use flash. Nothing will destroy the mood created by stage lighting faster than a flash. Some here have used it, with varying degrees of success, but I still recommend not using it if you can get away with it. The 350D should do well in the noise vs. ISO department; bump up the ISO.

3) For stills (I'm assuming the "band in front of a brick wall" or "band standing on the railroad tracks" type of promo shot), avoid brick walls and railroad tracks. Both are overdone. Some of my clients want it, but I always try to have alternate suggestions ready.

4) Prepare yourself to be frustrated. Prepare yourself to spend hours shooting to end up with only a few keepers. This kind of photography is pretty challenging. It's no walk in the park. After all, there's much better lighting in the park.

5) Lastly, invest some time in reading some of Dwight's posts on the subject...

[rachelpattison]

Thanks for the advice, thats great. And all the welcomes this seems a really friendly helpful forum. I'm planning not to use the flash if possible, I'm just worried about the lighting at the venue as I don't think it will be that good. All the advice I read seems to be saying don't use flash yet a quite a few gigs I've been to recently photographiers have been using them, I'd prefer to shoot without though.

The band are a metal group, five young guys, very active. The venue is quite small and as I say the lighting isn't great.

Just hope I can get a least a few shots to come out!
Rachel