Rock 'n Roll Band Photography

[brettwmd]

Hello everyone. First off, I'd like to thank all who participate in this forum for all of the valuable information that I've been able to make use of as a "lurker" here for the past ~6 months.

Recently, I've been shooting my friends band at various clubs in the Washington, DC area. It's small time and usually the lighting is limited to a few red and blue colored spotlights in an otherwise dark room. The band members are happy to have me shoot with flash but I find that the results don't reflect the atmosphere as I would like. I've tried shooting without flash with limited success in the more brightly lit venues, but still am having to use ASA 800 or higher.

Since the flash has been washing out the colored lights I was wondering if putting some sort of red or blue gel or filter over the flash would help? I really am at a loss here.

I've been handholding to date, and will be bringing the tripod next week to get some motion shots without the flash. Was even thinking about using the "stroboscopic" feature on the flash and see what happens.

Anyone have any suggestions or advice on getting some more interesting shots/effects?

The equipment I have at my disposal:
- 10D
- 28-135mm IS 3.5/5.6
- 75-300mm IS 4/5.6
- 550EX
- Flash Bracket
- Tripod

Thanks in advance,
Brett W.

[robertwgross]

I don't think you will necessarily get perfect results with either a "straight flash" or with a "no flash" exposure, and you will have to experiment.

First of all, explore the various flash modes on the 10D. You should be able to do a long shutter to expose the background with ambient light (if any) and then use a fill flash to expose just the front man (if any).

---Bob Gross---

[JamieAU]

Band photography can be fairly challenging, the biggest problem I've found is light. If you're not looking for huge prints then I'd say boost your ISO upto 1600 or even 3200 and if you do want to clean it up then use a package like Neat Image but the grainy look isn't too bad for band shots, I think everyone has come to accept it as being the norm.

If you get a lot of movement on the stage give your 2nd curtain flash but underxpose the shots and you will get some pretty trippy light trails. If its a friends band then you might be able to move places you normally can't, check out behind the stage to see what it looks like from there, move into the crowd and try and take a few photos from behind them, silhouetted people lit by stage lighting can look pretty cool.

And most of all let me know where I can see your shots when you're done!

[DaveG]

brettwmd wrote:
Hello everyone. First off, I'd like to thank all who participate in this forum for all of the valuable information that I've been able to make use of as a "lurker" here for the past ~6 months.

Recently, I've been shooting my friends band at various clubs in the Washington, DC area. It's small time and usually the lighting is limited to a few red and blue colored spotlights in an otherwise dark room. The band members are happy to have me shoot with flash but I find that the results don't reflect the atmosphere as I would like. I've tried shooting without flash with limited success in the more brightly lit venues, but still am having to use ASA 800 or higher.

Since the flash has been washing out the colored lights I was wondering if putting some sort of red or blue gel or filter over the flash would help? I really am at a loss here.

I've been handholding to date, and will be bringing the tripod next week to get some motion shots without the flash. Was even thinking about using the "stroboscopic" feature on the flash and see what happens.

Anyone have any suggestions or advice on getting some more interesting shots/effects?

The equipment I have at my disposal:
- 10D
- 28-135mm IS 3.5/5.6
- 75-300mm IS 4/5.6
- 550EX
- Flash Bracket
- Tripod

Thanks in advance,
Brett W.

If you can get a Canon 420EX flash and a light stand (or someone to hold the flash) you can do some wireless TTL flash work with this set up. You could put a coloured gel over the 420's flash tube and get a funky look that way. Or you could turn off the main flash tube of the 550 and just get dramatic short lighting from the 420.

The main things are that you are getting indirect lighting; you have enough of it so that you can freeze the action without zapping the ISO up to 3200; and at your own discretion you can vary the depth of field.

[mjordan]

You need to get at least one faster lens too. A 85mm 1.8 or 50mm1.8 would help a bit. Also, the 10D has excellent 1600 capability and I've seen some pretty good 3200 as well. And if you have a hand meter, you might consider hand metering several areas or even pre-metering those areas with the 10D and then shooting in manual. That way you will get less shots where the camera was confused between a patch of light and the shadow area.

Mike

[DAMphyne]

Brett,
I'd suggest getting a faster lens, maybe the 50mm,1.8.
You're right about loosing the "mood" when you use the flash. I try to get the band to set up lights to help get the light I need, also, use the M setting, most times you can get a good light reading if you take a measure on the members faces and let the rest fall where it may.
I shoot a lot of low light stuff, ISO 1600, wide open@1/30sec. The 1.8 lens is dirt cheap, and if you are working with the band, you should be able to get close enough for individual shots.
Check out the pics on my site, the entertainment section.

[agit-prop]

I did a fair bit of live event photography in dark clubs. 2nd surtain sync is a great suggestion, as you retain a lot of the ambience but still get the action freezing properties of the flash. You may want to shoot with a monopod.

[RichardtheSane]

I do a bit of gig photography at my local rock club from time to time, and I never use flash (But after reading this thread I'll have a play with 2nd curtain :) ). It can totally kill the mood even used just a little. I agree with damphyne and mjordan about the need for a faster lens, I have just ordered a 100mm F2.8 macro with the intention of using it for concert shots as well as macro.
Have a look at may gallery for the last gig I did http://www.richardlindley.co.uk/gallery/show.php?gallery=rock%20concert - that was all done handheld and between 1/20th and 1/125th at about F4. Because of camera shake I found it better to shoot RAW, under expose the image (to get the faster shutter speed) then bring the exposure back up using Capture 1 DSLR. I get some nice grain in the shots that way too, much like the grain I would get shooting film.
I would avoid a tripod, purely because of the limitations it would impose on your images - and if you set up in the wrong place it could spoil the show for some of the audience. A monopod gives you much more scope o move around quickly.
Just my experience though... :D

[Longwatcher]

This is one occasion when I recommend the 50/1.4 over the 50/1.8, that little bit of extra aperture can make a huge difference in this setting. But if you can't afford the 50/1.4, the 50/1.8 will be a close second. I got good results a few months back the last time I did a rock concert.

In low light aperture is everything. (except depth of field and taking the picture in the first place :)

Just my experience and opinion,

[teddynet]

I've always found there to be enough light at concerts but it's never in the right place, the players are usually in shadow or have just their head picked out in a spotlight. Fill-in flash is definitely the answer if you're allowed to use it but try getting in close so the flash only has to light the player and not the whole scene, that way the stage lights won't look washed out.

For this shot I set the camera on manual and the flash on auto at 2 stops less.

http://www.teddynet.mcmail.com/paul.jpg

Look at the shadow on his left arm, that's how dark the rest of him would have been without the flash, but making him lighter [without the flash] would have ruined the background lights.

If these guys are friends can you get any influence over the lighting?

Rich.

[brettwmd]

Thanks to all who've responded thus far. I've been struggling with the faster lense solution for sometime now. I'm stuck between getting several fixed length (50mm, 85mm, 100mm, etc.) 1.8 lenses and going for the 70-200L IS 2.8 which would obviously be more flexible. I'll keep wrestling with that descision.

So far you've offered some great ideas that I think I will try next time out. Monopod - great! 2nd curtain flash - definitely! Wireless 2nd flash - been thinking about that one for a while! I'd like to mount a 550 up there with the rest of the spotlights and trigger it without firing my camera mounted 550. Some washout of colored lights will occur though. Maybe I'll put a red or blue gel on it to see what happens. I'm not a big fan of ISO noise but will probably try more shots without flash at ASA800, which isn't so bad and try to get some drummer motion shots, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't have any control over any other lighting as the band simply uses what the venue has to offer, they just bring the sound stuff. BTW, I was at one club with lots of red lights and my flash starting going nuts when I got near one of 'em. It WASN'T set for slave mode either! Weird.

Brett W.

[kahfluie]

I take photos of bands in concert and yeah lighting can suck sometimes. I never use flash as I want the original colors there as I saw them. For some reason flash tends to do something to the original colors.

I typically use the TV setting and use a shutter of 60 - sometimes 90. I let the aperture fall where it may for these photos. Naturally if I work manually, I have the aperture open as far as possible.

As far as lenses go, I use the Canon 50mm F1.8, as well as a Promaster 28 - 200 f3.6-5.2 (?), and Canon 73-300 f 3.8-5.?) Sorry dont rememebr F #'s off hand.

Feel free to click on my link below... there is a group called FFH that I took photos recently using the 10D.

Here's a sample:

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=1254164&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1