Live Performance Photography: Anybody Else

[DwightMcCann]

This week I started converting from Nikon/Fujifilm to Canon by purchasing a 1D Mark II, 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200 lenses and some other stuff. I have been shooting for about 35 years with Nikon ... the cause of the change is a separate long story. By a miracle which is a second long story not included here I have very recently an agreement to photograph live performances, mostly singers with an emphasis on country music that has included Randy Travis and Clay Walker as well as The Moody Blues, for professional pay rates. The venue is about a 1000-2000 person auditorium with state of the art lighting. Other events that I have and will be photographing a few times a year include televised poker tournaments and boxing matches. Prior to, and continuing, this agreement I have been shooting new country music talent in two local venues for the past 18 months as an introduction to this area of photography. I am an ancient (59) computer programmer for a large university on the West coast. This latest turn of events is turning my hobby into a side business. I am looking to find others whose primary photography is in this area to share techniques, contacts, tips and tricks, etc. I'm open to being pointed to other forums and/or display/criticism sites or even more appropriate forums on this website. Thanks in Advance for any help.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Hi Dwight! :)

Welcome to the forum :)

As you suspected,. your thread is more appropriate here where we discuss different aspects of phtography,. so I moved it from "people" in the hopes of attracting more of the answers and discussion you are looking for. (don't sweat it,. it just takes a while to figure out what goes where ;) )

[cactusclay]

Hi Dwight, welcome and congrats on the new toys.

[DwightMcCann]

Yes, well, I haven't even unpacked all the new stuff yet ... damn day job! I will be photographing "Rose Royce" (of 'Car Wash' fame) tonight and it will be with my Fuji S2 and Nikkor lenses. I'm hoping to shoot a few frames with the M2 this weekend and figure out how to download them from the camera.

I didn't mention before, but I also try to photograph the women's tennis team here at school. This year I haven't done much due to severe budget cutbacks leaving more work for fewer people combined with a quadruple coronary bypass on 12/15/04 ... I am hardly an "old geezer" as I play tennis and bicycle and have a three year old daughter who keeps me jumping.

So, still waiting to see if anyone else here does this sort of thing.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Some recent threads on "this sort of thing" ;)

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58904
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58728

[Tdragone]

Dwight; which version of the 70-200 did you pick up?

I have the F4 L version and it is okay; but it looks like you will probably be doing a lot of night work and I'm curious if you got the F 2.8...