Trying my hand in concert photography PT.2: Decent Lighting

[ShauningtoN]

Hey guys, i posted a thread a while ago with my first every attempt at concert photography. The lighting was absolutely **** house so in that regard the pictures were doomed. I shot another gig last night (with the same bands... coincidence?) but this time the lighting and venue was a little better.. C&C Welcome... I'm very new to all this so be gentle hahaha.

1- Will do something about the grain soon...
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/949/img1748.jpg

2-
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/6627/img2075.jpg

3-
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4772/img2166.jpg

4-
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4349/img1864.jpg

5-
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/7629/img1984.jpg

6-
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1687/img2138.jpg

7- (one more for now:])
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/1889/img2081.jpg

[ShauningtoN]

Another
9-
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7923/img2012.jpg

[ShauningtoN]

no one? :(

[Osmium]

For what it's worth, I think they're great. #2 in particular, is superb!

[blackshadow]

I like #s 1 & 4 and #2 is pretty cool even though I'm not a fan of shutter drag photography. I can't say the rest do much for me due to the flash and blur.

To me the lighting doesn't look good at all!

[ShauningtoN]

Ohh the lighting was very poor, i'll admit. I was meaning it was better in terms of wasn't as flat.. I've only ever shot one concert before this one: HERE (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=661456&highlight=shaunington) have a squiz at that lighting...)

So in comparison to the first one, the lighting,while considerably darker, was a little more interesting...

EDIT: Also, yeah onboard flash is a killer....

I just pulled the trigger on a 430EX II... as a 17 year old with very little income it hit the wallet hard... Hopefully from now on I can get some nicer low-light shots with lower power on the flashgun and a little more natural lighting!

[René Damkot]

Pretty good use of flash in #3 and 5.
#1 is okay as well, but a bit clipped ;). I'd just reduce the color noise & leave the luminance noise alone; doesn't bother me in the least.

[The Moose]

DUDE! ADDISON :D Those Kiwis are sick. I shot them a few months ago (http://www.flickr.com/photos/glenn-v/sets/72157615706703027/), caught up with them after the gig and all that.

Who are the other bands in these shots? Trying to figure out if they look familiar.

[dr1ft]

I think the motion blur is interesting.

[JoJo2fast]

what band is the vocalist in the first shot from? he looks familiar.

nice set, id say #1 is my favorite, im not bothered by the grain either.

[ShauningtoN]

Wow! i thought this thread had died, just checked it then!

@ Moose: ADDISON IS SICK! Had a look through your snaps, very nice work :)
They played a great set on the night I was shooting, every time I've seen them they've gone off!

@ Dr1ft, thanks. Was my first opportunity to try that out... Found out later that I was on 2nd curtain instead, so the flash was firing after id moved the camera (and the band members were mostly out of shot...) bummer...

@ JoJo The first band was Breathe Their Last, a local band from Melb, Australia. Can check em out on their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/breathetheirlast

Thanks all for the comments, I've got a few more gigs coming up, will try my best with the YN-460 (manual flash) that im using in the mean time before I go either the 430EX II or Sigma 530 DG =]

More of my pics from the night can be viewed here: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=55778700&albumId=2832121

Its a public profile so you dont have to be a member, also they are all PNG's so dont fear myspaces gay compression. I've got some other shots on there too, feel free to have a browse :)

Shaun

[The Moose]

I wanted to go see them in April, they were playing with House vs Hurricane and I think With Wings as well. That would have been a sweet gig but it was 18+ :(

Which gigs are you going to soon?

[ShauningtoN]

I wanted to go see them in April, they were playing with House vs Hurricane and I think With Wings as well. That would have been a sweet gig but it was 18+ :(

Which gigs are you going to soon?

Ohh so you're U18 too? awesome! and yeah.. i hate 18+ only shows :(

I'm hopefully snapping at the castle on, SOEL and With Wings and others...

Not sure what else is coming up, but I got my tickets for parkway and ABR on monday :eek:

can't wait! I think smuggling in an SLR may be challenging there :P

[The Moose]

Ohh so you're U18 too? awesome! and yeah.. i hate 18+ only shows :(

I'm hopefully snapping at the castle on, SOEL and With Wings and others...

Not sure what else is coming up, but I got my tickets for parkway and ABR on monday :eek:

can't wait! I think smuggling in an SLR may be challenging there :P

Ahh! My cousin is going to that! I want to go so bad :( Is it sold out? If it's not then I think I'm going to buy a ticket VERY soon. The third band that's playing there, Architects, they're pretty good too. I might just enjoy a gig for once if I go :p I went to Push Over (8 hour festival a few months ago, headlined by Parkway but so many other good bands) and I was going to take my camera but I emailed them and they said no DSLR's. I ended up seeing a fair few people with them but it was a sick day.

[ShauningtoN]

Ahh! My cousin is going to that! I want to go so bad :( Is it sold out? If it's not then I think I'm going to buy a ticket VERY soon. The third band that's playing there, Architects, they're pretty good too. I might just enjoy a gig for once if I go :p I went to Push Over (8 hour festival a few months ago, headlined by Parkway but so many other good bands) and I was going to take my camera but I emailed them and they said no DSLR's. I ended up seeing a fair few people with them but it was a sick day.

Ohh dude yeah get a ticket, it's gonna go off.. I think theres still some tix left... Yeah the architects are amazing. I wont be taking my camera to PWD, I saw some crazy girl with an SLR in the pit on december 21st parkway show... Insane...

Ohh wow, I wanted to go to pushover...

Also, I forgot to tell you what the other bands were!

Shot 1 is "Breathe Their Last" (myspace link above)
Shot 2,3,6,7 was Addison
Shot 4,5 and 9 (should be 8... counting fail) is Of Whispers (formerly Suburbia Burns, my mates band: www.myspace.com/ofwhispers)

What gigs you got coming up?

[The Moose]

Ohh dude yeah get a ticket, it's gonna go off.. I think theres still some tix left... Yeah the architects are amazing. I wont be taking my camera to PWD, I saw some crazy girl with an SLR in the pit on december 21st parkway show... Insane...

Ohh wow, I wanted to go to pushover...

Also, I forgot to tell you what the other bands were!

Shot 1 is "Breathe Their Last" (myspace link above)
Shot 2,3,6,7 was Addison
Shot 4,5 and 9 (should be 8... counting fail) is Of Whispers (formerly Suburbia Burns, my mates band: www.myspace.com/ofwhispers)

What gigs you got coming up?

I think I've heard of Breathe Their Last but I've never seen them. I'll have a look when myspace speeds up, it's just gone dead.

Push over was pretty good. Only a couple of bands that I wanted to see overlapped which was good. I can't say I'd take my camera into the pit :lol: When I went to see HVH/Bullet for my Valentine at the Hi-Fi Bar a few months ago, I stood up the back for HVH and then for Bullet I went up to the side and I was pretty much in the security/photographer's pit, I just wasn't allowed to move around but I got some good shots.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/3230743875_cf4bc1a659.jpg

I'm going to The Getaway Plan's first U18's gig at Hi-Fi bar but I'm not sure if I'm more looking forward to seeing them because it's their last tour or Amity Affliction because I haven't seen them before (and because they're awesome :D).

[ShauningtoN]

wow that's a great shot! If you've got myspace add me while you're at it, www.myspace.com/shaunington

Back on topic - how often would you say you use your flash? I've been learning my manual flash but I don't know how practical it will be at gigs...

How do you fund all your awesome gear? haha I've tried to keep everything on the cheap so far, I couldn't afford half the stuff you've got :|

[The Moose]

Added. I don't use myspace for my photography but I've seen so many people who have one like yours through Melbourne bands. And I think I have seen yours before actually :p

I never use my flash. I've never even considered it for gigs. I feel it ruins the mood completely. There has been one time when I probably could/should have used it (small stage, no real stage lights) but I hadn't done it before so I didn't want to risk it.

Haha well my parents originally bought me the 400D and a few months later they paid for the 50. I started working in October and I had enough to buy the 70-200 by January. I had my birthday in December and Christmas as well and somehow, I ended up with $700 just from those two days so that definitely helped me. I bought the 24 used and paid for half of the flash as well. I've earned next to nothing from photography itself so it hasn't paid itself off yet :lol:

[blackshadow]

Shaunington - what venue was the gig?

[ShauningtoN]

Hey Blackshadow, The gig was at the Glen Waverley Community Center on the 15th of May - It was one of the government's 'Freeza' gigs. :)

Good to see some Melbournians on here

[The Moose]

Freeza set up a few good gigs lately. The festival that I shot with Addison was set up through Freeza and a couple of the other bands were pretty good too. The Broderick have a good following, Mammal headlined but A LOT of the crowd had already left (I left halfway through, I don't like Mammal one bit and my batteries died anyway).

[ShauningtoN]

that they have, the addison/of whispers gig was pretty good. Decent turnout and line up was good.

the only one that Ive shot at (freeza gig) was very light on with the photography restrictions which was good - We had our own barrier (a first for the gigs ive been shooting at) and we could go anywhere (back stage etc) without any special arm band or pass... Or atleast I was allowed to... just had camera in hand and had a look around, spoke to the Addison boys for a while, they're a great bunch of blokes

[The Moose]

I had a stage and media pass which was good. I don't think just media would have been as good because I ended up going on the stage a fair few times. I didn't have AAA but most of the bands all stood around with the crowd because it was an alright crowd but still low key.