equipment for gig photography

[willrocks]

Hey there,
I'm pretty new to gig photography and not really sure about the best equipment, I've got the eos 20d, 17-40 f4, and the 580 ex. I think I've made a mistake with buying the zoom, as great as it is, its sometime too wide even when you multiply it by 1.6. What do you think - sell it to get a telephoto zoom or keep it and perhaps get a faster fixed telephoto? any help please. Also what about the flash, its great too though a little harsh - know of any flash set ups that would help - softboxes?

[tim]

Welcome to the site :)

Concert photography? There've been two threads recently on that, I posted a link to a good tutorial, this one (http://www.photo.net/learn/concerts/mirarchi/concer_1.htm).

HTH :)

[RockSlut]

I presume that by "gig photography" you mean live music? If so, here's what I use and plan to use when my budget allows. The general rule of thumb is the faster the better.

I use the:
-Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 is my current lens of choice
-Canon 50mm f/1.8is my backup for when the light is really poor.

The following are on my wishlist
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
- Canon 50mm f/1.4
- Canon 85mm f/1.8
- Canon 135 f/2

In regards to flash, I have (but very rarely use) a Canon 420ex flash which I would like to upgrade to a 580ex when my budget allows. I only shoot with flash as a last resort to prevent going home empty handed (which I have not needed to do since I upgraded to my 20D form the G3.

My personal preference is to shoot without flash. It is less distracting for the performers and the punters and has a tendency to counteract the stage lighting which is a vital part of the magic in rock'n'roll photography.

I also own a monopod, but have not ever found it to be useful (most venues wouldn't allow me to enter with a monopod anyway). I've used my tripod once or twice, but in my opinion it is not really suitable for the conditions you'll ordinarily find yourself in.

Tim's link seems pretty good however I break many of the rules that the author notes and I still get some pretty good photos.

If you're looking for more reading on the subject, I recommend
Concert Photography: How to Shoot and Sell Music-Business Photographs (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0964700913/qid=1113825172/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-4155897-2265752?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) [link to Amazon.com]by Jon Sievert.
You will also find some invaluable reading by searching these forums as there have been numerous discussions on the topic.

I hope that this informaiton helps.

[willrocks]

thank you both, you've given me plenty to be going on with for my concert or live photography needs.