my first ever concert shoot!

[VladDracule]

hello all these are a few shots i took last night of a buddy of mines band.

This is my first time using my homemade diffuser and only 2nd time ever using a flash...let me know what you think!

1)
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/Band1.jpg

2
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/Band2.jpg

3
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/Band3.jpg

4
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/Band4.jpg

5
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/Band5.jpg

[algee]

Very cool pics! Homemade diffuser did a pretty good job!

[bangpoltak]

they let you use flash?

[JoJo2fast]

they let you use flash?

Most venues do, at least in my area. They've already got crazy lighting so a flash isn't gonna distract them. I've talked to a lot of bands and they dont even notice the flash half the time.

[DocMike]

Most venues do, at least in my area. They've already got crazy lighting so a flash isn't gonna distract them. I've talked to a lot of bands and they dont even notice the flash half the time.

Sometimes this is determined by the band, too, if the venue has no rules about it.

[VladDracule]

the venue had no rules at all about it, the band didnt care because they wanted the pictures to come out as good as possible, im a friend of the drummers.

All this discussion and not a single criticism on my pictures! good or bad!

[bangpoltak]

You got some good photos up there. I like the expression of the bassist and the guitarist (#4). Seems like they really enjoy it. But the photos are "too clear" for me, almost like they were shot in a photo studio. What's the camera set up did you use?

[VladDracule]

i was using 40D + 28-135 lens wide open...iso was at...800? i believe

430 exII flash with the homemade diffuser posted on here made out of fun foam

[canadatv]

With your gear, I would recommend shooting at ISO1600, manual mode, wide open, and bring the shutter down to about 1/60th. That way much more ambient light will show up and you'll lose a lot of the flash "look". You may get some slight motion blur, but if you keep your IS on it shouldn't be too bad. Your nifty fifty lens would be a good choice as well.

[VladDracule]

nifty fifty would have been way to long for this shoot. the stage is very small and the audience can stand right infront of it so my main location for shooting was on stage

[docfav]

So let's have some pics of the homemade diffuser as well!!

[babuszka]

Great pics!

[René Damkot]

I guess "no flash" was impossible?

In that case, I'd have preferred less harsh flash: More bounced instead of direct, slower shutterspeed. Also, the camera does ISO 3200. Use it!

These are killed by direct flash: "Bat in a cave look."

[VladDracule]

I guess "no flash" was impossible?

In that case, I'd have preferred less harsh flash: More bounced instead of direct, slower shutterspeed. Also, the camera does ISO 3200. Use it!

These are killed by direct flash: "Bat in a cave look."

i decided to black out the background because of stage clutter. for example right behind the singers head in the first shot is a drum set sitting on an elevated platform waiting for the next band

[narlus]

These are killed by direct flash: "Bat in a cave look."

well you are talking to Vlad Dracule after all

:lol:

[The Moose]

Personally I don't like head on flash. It gets rid of the mood. Bounced with a bit of negative FEC might look better (in theory, you'd have to try it out to see if it works well).

[VladDracule]

heres an example from the same night/location different band.

I just felt the stage was sooo cluttered i would be better off blacking out the background

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/bandshoot001.jpg

after seeing that do you still feel like it was a bad choice?

[ilantis]

I would also like to see some pics (or a link to an article if applicable) of that diffuser. :)

[René Damkot]

I just felt the stage was sooo cluttered i would be better off blacking out the background

Got a point there :lol:
Looks like a loading dock or magazine :shock:

[jonnyworden]

I'd suggest using your 50mm at all small venues and don't use flash, keep your appeture wide at 1.8 and use a sutable high Iso speed, maybe 800 max, then you can shoot at 1/125 at most. Put you white balance onto incandesent then you keep all the ambient light.

Your pictures are good but alot of the lighting is lost.

Jonny

[DwightMcCann]

Compared with my first concert shots, with flash, these are stellar, so don't take these purists complaints about the flashness too much to heart! There is a thread floating around in here where I and a few others posted our early work ... mine is by far the worst and you would feel proud of what you have done if you saw it. I'm not saying that you shouldn't experiment going forward, but really, these are fine and most hobby bands would be very happy to have them on their MySpace page.

[VladDracule]

sorry for the lack of replies on the diffuser requests.

heres the link http://super.nova.org/DPR/DIY01/

i use the modified version of it using the phone. all the materials you need is a white sheet of foam, black sheet of foam, some cross stitching matrix, and valcro. you dont even really need to read the directions just look at the dimensions on the diagrams, cut, staple, glue valcro...win!

Thanks alot for the replies guys, next time im there ill try it out with higher iso to try to keep the background visible

and my 50 mm is unusable due to focus issues at the moment

[veddderman123]

heres an example from the same night/location different band.

I just felt the stage was sooo cluttered i would be better off blacking out the background

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e395/VladDracule/bandshoot001.jpg

after seeing that do you still feel like it was a bad choice?


Is that at the Launch Pad in Albuquerque???

[VladDracule]

Is that at the Launch Pad in Albuquerque???

damn, your good, thats exactly where it was, all these photos were from the launchpad

[veddderman123]

Originally Posted by veddderman123 http://photography-on-the.net/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7392986#post7392986)
Is that at the Launch Pad in Albuquerque???
damn, your good, thats exactly where it was, all these photos were from the launchpad


hahahahaha I even amazed myself on that one. I'd regonize that place anywhere, mostly because the ladder and the stickers on the poles. I assume you are from Albq. I'm from Rio Rancho but I play in a band so I'm often out and about downtown albq.

[SNSagency]

If the band had a crazy light show your use of flash has negated its effect.
If allowed I'll use flash at gigs, but only as a fill if there's no fron lighting, i.e all the lighting is behind the band.
All your shots look very static, this is what happens when using on camera flash, totally kills the atmosphere.

J

[olson_24]

Yeah, lose the flash and they were AWESOME!!

[VladDracule]

If the band had a crazy light show your use of flash has negated its effect.
If allowed I'll use flash at gigs, but only as a fill if there's no fron lighting, i.e all the lighting is behind the band.
All your shots look very static, this is what happens when using on camera flash, totally kills the atmosphere.

J

the lighting in this place is nothing, all it is is a few colored lights, they dont move they dont do anything fancy, so there wasnt much of a need to capture that