Incubus - Boston Avalon: Critique Please

[buddyboy101]

Hey folks, this is the first show I shot with my new 50mm f/1.8 lens! Incubus played in Boston this past Tuesday at the Avalon. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!

-Frank

1.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/377497952_a909db6172.jpg

2.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/377496479_71a3965003.jpg

3.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/377496955_e1c1a2e889.jpg

4.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/377497593_f324f46322.jpg

5.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/377497582_319b1414d1.jpg

6.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/377497574_aa8b47ec73.jpg

7.)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/377497948_265c90861e.jpg


Thanks for checking these out!

The whole set can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12372218@N00/sets/72157594514005234/

[jhacker]

How did you get in with your camera!? These look really nice and sharp - but they're mostly the same picture. Diversify!

[buddyboy101]

Hey thanks for the response! I had a photo pass b/c I wrote a review. I just focused on Brandon for the review, but yea they're kinda similar

[narlus]

i probably like #3 the best. agreed w/ the comment about diversification.

jhacker, avalon typically does let you in w/ a camera (the official policy i've read and been told is that they defer to the band's wishes on photography), but they can be a bit unpredictable (do a search for me using 'black keys' as a search string).

[René Damkot]

#2 (and 6) are way overexposed.
Rest is nice, but a bit more variation would have been nicer.
#1 Pity about the lighting), 3 and 5 (even if it's overexposed a bit) are the best IMO.

A few tips:
Read the FAQ.
Get to know your camera, and how it meters in these circumstances.
Give the portrait orientation a try ;)
Get the subject out of the center of the VF!
Crop some of those images if it makes 'em better. (In this case IMO that means: Crop all)
Also take a few 'overview' shots.
Don't only take images of one band member.
Keep posting!

[buddyboy101]

what's metering all about? how does it apply to concert photos?

what's portrait orientation?

i checked out the faq and it's pretty handy

Thanks!

[narlus]

hey Frank, we met @ the twilight singers show a while ago.

portrait orientation is when you turn yr camera 90s, so the long edge of the image is vertical rather than horizontal.

metering is how your camera decides what shutter and aperture to set..otherwise known as the exposure...underexposed pics are dark, whereas overexposed photos are too bright, and could have detail lost in 'blown channels'. what you deem important in your picture is usually what you want to meter off of, and spot meter (3% of the viewfinder, so it's very specific) is great at this. your camera may or may not have this function.

[Eyelikedurt]

Firstly - im jealous as hell!!

Secondly, i really like the shots. I think, as has been mentioned earlier, that some compositional alterations would have helped, however the shots are mostly sharp and capture Brandon well.

Nice one!

[buddyboy101]

Hey Tim, how's it going! I followed your advice, and I like the results. Thanks for the explanation, as always, you are very helpful.

Thanks for the comments eyelikedurt

[Grey56]

I like #3 the best, but I agree with the others - it should be cropped. I wanted to go to this show but ended up working late at my "real" job.

Where will these be published?

Cheers!
Jennifer

[buddyboy101]

howdy!

i don't think they're being published anywhere, but they're online here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12372218@N00/sets/72157594514005234/

[Croasdail]

Technically there are fine by me. Artistically, they are a little flat - they lack context or drama. They either need to be tighter to really focus on the emotions of the performer, or looser so there is some context to the shot. You were just kinda in the middle there. Like mentioned before, portrait orientation may also help in the future. You got the basics working, now you just need to work on creating an image with more framing and context. Of course these are just my opinions - there are many ways to experience a concert.

[taygull]

I think you've gotten some good advice here.

I didn't read all the post but if you were doing a review of this band based on these images what would your review say?

My point is I've heard the name of this band but really know nothing about them, if pictures are worth a thousand words then your series needs to say something about the artist. Your images allthough a few are good tell me nothing about this artist. Just like you use adjectives in your writing you do this in photography will the "little" things in the image.

A good example would be this shot of Vince Gill. You can see in this image it says many things about Vince. You can read something into the gig that it was somewhat formal because of the way he is dressed, you get a since of the music because of the acoustic guitar and the upright bass. What speaks to me and I would suspect most Vince Gill fans is you know you are listening to one of Vince's great ballads just by looking at the expression of the bass player.

Learn to use your camera like a writer uses his words. The goal is for your image to say more than the text.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m16/taygull/vRM8P1123.jpg

[Croasdail]

Taygull - great advice. I don't do much performance stuff, mostly sports. One of the things I am working on is disassociating myself from what I experienced. I would often get shots that I loved simply because I knew the context of them, I was there. Kind of the "oh yeah - this part was cool". But you need to assume the viewer knows nothing about what happened, sports or performances. So if the picture doesn't fill in some of the details for ya, it doesn't tell the story. And that is really what your after, is in a still frame being able to convey the emotion and feeling of what went on. You seem to have the technical part working for you, now work on seeing the event through distant eyes. What does that fraction of a seconds worth of information tell ya about what it was like to be there.

[bmoguy]

Learn to use your camera like a writer uses his words. The goal is for your image to say more than the text.


Great advice. This post would make a good addition to the FAQ.

[Chio]

*swoon* :P Nice shots. I pretty much agree with the previous posts.

I'm seeing Incubus in April in Glasgow - wondering whether to take my camera..

[seemaya]

i pretty much agree with comments above,
cheers on getting out there and getting some nice captures.


@taygull...great advice! i took a screenshot of your words
which i have NEVER done on any forum. very well put
and words to shoot by. thanks.

[earplugsrequired]

Hmmmm.... Being that I just saw Incubus two nights in a row in Washington DC, these really lack the energy that was present at the show. Incubus has cool lighting too which really isn't shown here. This was the first tour I actually didn't shoot. It was a hanging out night instead.