concert photography

[sugazo]

so there is going to be a free concert held outdoors on my campus this saturday, and id like to get some shots in. problem is, ive never done a concert before--but from what i gather, i need to shoot high iso, no flash, and shoot wide open. ill definately bring my 80-200 and 50, should i bring my 24 as well? it seems to me that 24 might be too wide since i probably wont be able to get extremely close.

in the past, all my handheld nightshots at iso 1600 have been sub-par. i could get decent results, but just could not bear the noise at that iso... any suggestions? iso 800 whenever possible?

also, should i shoot in M or Av? i've read that i probably wont want to shoot at 1.4, since DoF is too shallow. should i set myself at around 2.8 and hunt till the lighting allows me to shoot at 1/60-125, or just set it in manual?

and if you guys were wondering... pepper and slightly stoopid are playing, and the headlining band is surprise . thanks for your support guys.

[SuzyView]

Depending on where you are sitting, don't bring it. You don't want a lot of equipment at a concert. I find that I am always looking through the viewfinder and not enjoying the concert. No flash is a killer, but you can experiment. Do both manual and Av. I usually take around 40-50 shots and then enjoy the concert. If you have a monopod, that is not intrusive. I put the monopod in front of me between my knees for support and then I shoot away. Make sure they allow it, but my monopod just looks like a short stick. If you can't bring that in, just brace yourself well. I assume you're either on the ground or in a lawn chair. Good luck. It's always fun to be at college and watch a concert with your friends for free.

[rlhphotos]

Id probably just use the 50 unless they have really bright stage lights...of course thats if you can close enough to only use the 50..last concert I covered had plenty of stage lights and I could use whatever I want.

[Screamer]

Are you just shooting for fun? Is the concert during the day or at night?

[sugazo]

yeah, just for fun. theyre setting up the stage today, and looks like theres a big frame with lots of lights on it. and it looks like everyone will be standing or sitting on the grass. dont have a monopod... but i dont think space will be too much of a problem because the grassy area is the size of at least two football fields

so i guess ill just bring the 80-200, and put the 50 in my pocket, no flash. if anything i can just walk back to my dorm to get the 24 or flash, because its literally one minute away. i read on photo.net to set Tv to around 1/125 and just switch to that when lighting is good and consistent.

concert starts at 730pm, till whenever. idk if there will still be daylight, because lately it stays bright untill around 730, and then all of a sudden everything is pitch black by 8.