Pacific Division and The Wall @ Temple Bar

[NJRFilms]

I went to shoot Pacific Division who just got signed to Universal but they are part of a bigger whole/quasi 'rap collective' called The Wall. So it turned out there were 10 or so different guys coming on and off stage. I wasn't really prepared for that so I shot through my 4 gig card one song into Pacific Division. I had to do the 'delete something and shoot' dance for the rest of their set which wasn't optimal.

First concert on my new 40D which I am loving. How do you guys quickly switch your autofocus points? It's sort of cumbersome for me and I left it center focus for pretty much the entire show so some faces are a little soft...

1
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/2642959343_ece4d31c08_b.jpg

2
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2642950245_df28c59e0c_b.jpg

3
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2642944845_274730e4be_b.jpg

4
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2642941027_2fdaf7af2d_b.jpg

5
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2643761286_f8ed4efe1d_b.jpg

6
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2642930971_10aa1cb925_b.jpg

7
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2642927629_60eb356b45_b.jpg

[NJRFilms]

8
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2642907365_0f2a33f00b_b.jpg

9
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2643724544_cf7bb4016f_b.jpg

10
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/2643744034_e9894fc6da_b.jpg

11
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2642903529_03f1ce3a39_b.jpg


Full set: http://flickr.com/photos/nicholasjrobinson/sets/72157606018799945/

[René Damkot]

Some nice action.
#10 is the only one that's real off focus wise. Not a bad result IMO.

I see no Exif, so I can only guess the settings, but I see some ambient light in the images.
I think using a bit less flash and a bit slower shutter and / or higher ISO might have given a less "flashed" look.

[NJRFilms]

Some nice action.
#10 is the only one that's real off focus wise. Not a bad result IMO.

I see no Exif, so I can only guess the settings, but I see some ambient light in the images.
I think using a bit less flash and a bit slower shutter and / or higher ISO might have given a less "flashed" look.

Thanks Rene.

Strange the EXIF isn't coming through, Flickr usually doesn't have an issue with that.

F2.8, 1/250th, ISO 800 flash at 1/64th all on a 28-75 2.8

[René Damkot]

It looks like there was a lighting quality issue as well as a lighting quantity issue then :)
If I look at image #10 for instance, it's well exposed by the yellow spot, but if you hadn't used flash, it would probably have been entirely black on this (camera) side... (As can be seen in #5).

Maybe experiment a bit with the FEC setting next time, to get a bit less flash to preserve the "mood" better?

[NJRFilms]

It looks like there was a lighting quality issue as well as a lighting quantity issue then :)
If I look at image #10 for instance, it's well exposed by the yellow spot, but if you hadn't used flash, it would probably have been entirely black on this (camera) side... (As can be seen in #5).

Maybe experiment a bit with the FEC setting next time, to get a bit less flash to preserve the "mood" better?

You are saying that I should have had less flash light and more from the ambient (IE used a slower shutter and perhaps bumped up the ISO?) What's wrong with the fact that if it wasn't for the flash the image would have been dark... isn't that why we love our 580EXs?

[NJRFilms]

Also note i was not bouncing the light, instead I used a diffuser over the flash and set the flash to 1/64th power.

[René Damkot]

You are saying that I should have had less flash light and more from the ambient (IE used a slower shutter and perhaps bumped up the ISO?) What's wrong with the fact that if it wasn't for the flash the image would have been dark... isn't that why we love our 580EXs?

That's what I'm saying, more or less.
I can't exactly see how the bad the lighting in the venue was, but IMO if you have to use flash, then think about the following:


Does the flash add light quality as well as quantity?
Do I use the flash main light or fill?
Why am I using the flash & what can I do to make the light quality better?
Can I bounce the flash?If I use a flash, I usually try to be subtle about it, and use quite a bit of ambient. Flash is mostly fill. I almost never flash straight on. Ideally, you'd have to look close to see whether or not flash is used, but ETTL makes that kinda hard ;)

Here (http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/) is a good read on how to use fill flash. Granted, different environment, but the basics still apply.