Three Song Rule...

[narlus]

the best bet is to be aligned w/ a reputable media outlet.

but screw Dave Mathews....he's got a copyright grab. no reason for that fat cat to be doing that sort of thing.

[tk1138]

Talking to the venue several days in advance has worked for me. Always be ready to show some examples of your work. Showing you have a wide audience can be make/brake for some venues. Act professionally on the gig so they'll want to have you back.

[tk1138]

Oh, and what I'm seeing is usually a "No flash on the talent for the first 20 minutes of their set". After that it's all fair game - I usually set a timer on my phone when I see the switch. I'm sure it's to let the talent settle in and get comfortable before they get bombarded with flashes.

[narlus]

Originally Posted by tk1138

Talking to the venue several days in advance has worked for me. Always be ready to show some examples of your work. Showing you have a wide audience can be make/brake for some venues. Act professionally on the gig so they'll want to have you back.

who is 'they'? most of the times the passes are approved by the press agent for the band, not the venue.

Originally Posted by tk1138

Oh, and what I'm seeing is usually a "No flash on the talent for the first 20 minutes of their set". After that it's all fair game - I usually set a timer on my phone when I see the switch. I'm sure it's to let the talent settle in and get comfortable before they get bombarded with flashes.

where did you learn of this totally bogus 20 minutes til blinding flash rule?

[tk1138]

Originally Posted by narlus

who is 'they'? most of the times the passes are approved by the press agent for the band, not the venue.



where did you learn of this totally bogus 20 minutes til blinding flash rule?

Maybe shooting bars/clubs is different, or maybe it's just a local thing, but the (limited) shows I've shot have been through the venue.

Bogus or not, the 20 minute rule is on the wavier for the club I shoot at the most: Beta.

[elrey2375]

The only reason I've ever heard is they don't want any pics after they get sweaty, but it's not always the first three songs. When I shot Bon Iver it was songs 3-5, so who really knows why they do it.

[elrey2375]

Originally Posted by tk1138

Maybe shooting bars/clubs is different, or maybe it's just a local thing, but the (limited) shows I've shot have been through the venue.

Bogus or not, the 20 minute rule is on the wavier for the club I shoot at the most: Beta.

I'm with Narlus, I've never shot any mid-level to top artist or band who allowed flash at any point.

[RichSoansPhotos]

Originally Posted by Pekka

It's standard because the band performs for the audience and they do not want photographers running back and forth in front of them for two hours, distracting the feeling. Three songs is usually about 10-15 minutes. Also, the musicians look "fresh" from the start (no sweat). It's basically an artistic decision.

If you get some other info, like "shoot all you want", from the band then you may do it.

Correct, plus some fans are likely to complain that they don't want to see photographers in the pits because they have paid for the gig, while photographers haven't

[moemoe6434]

For most bands, if you can't get a good shot in the first 3 songs you really don't belong there to begin with. Even with the 3 songs limit, I grow tired of looking at photos of musicians that all look the same.

Plus, if you are also reviewing the show, you cannot appropriately review the show when you spent the whole time watching it through your viewfinder.

[RichSoansPhotos]

Originally Posted by moemoe6434

For most bands, if you can't get a good shot in the first 3 songs you really don't belong there to begin with. Even with the 3 songs limit, I grow tired of looking at photos of musicians that all look the same.

Plus, if you are also reviewing the show, you cannot appropriately review the show when you spent the whole time watching it through your viewfinder.

Correct. But if given the chance again to be in the pit for the whole set, I'll probably do another whole set, so long as I don't get to review.

[narlus]

i'll play devil's advocate...

Originally Posted by moemoe6434

For most bands, if you can't get a good shot in the first 3 songs you really don't belong there to begin with. Even with the 3 songs limit, I grow tired of looking at photos of musicians that all look the same.

but can you get 15-20 good shots, esp if the lighting is total crap for one song and/or one of the other songs is short? for print publication you only need one image, but for web the galleries are larger.

Originally Posted by moemoe6434

Plus, if you are also reviewing the show, you cannot appropriately review the show when you spent the whole time watching it through your viewfinder.

i can certainly do this. i don't even bother taking notes anymore...my memory is still pretty good.

read through some of these (Big Takeover, Prefixmag) and let me know what shows were ones I shot only 3 songs and which I shot the whole show.


well, it'll be easy to deduce certain shows that were just 1st three, but anyway i think you get my point.

[elrey2375]

Originally Posted by narlus

i'll play devil's advocate...



but can you get 15-20 good shots, esp if the lighting is total crap for one song and/or one of the other songs is short? for print publication you only need one image, but for web the galleries are larger.




i can certainly do this. i don't even bother taking notes anymore...my memory is still pretty good.

read through some of these (Big Takeover, Prefixmag) and let me know what shows were ones I shot only 3 songs and which I shot the whole show.


well, it'll be easy to deduce certain shows that were just 1st three, but anyway i think you get my point.

That comes out to about 1 good shot a minute, which at 6 shots a second with Mark III, is 360 shots (to make the argument) We should be able to get 1 good shot a minute, lighting regardless, but that's just my opinion.

[narlus]

three songs = 15-20 minutes? not typically.


but yeah...15-20 varied shots...different focal lengths, performers, moments. etc.


i'm pretty confident i can meet the rate of one good shot per minute.


one could just auto-bracket and machine gun away and get usable shots. but i try for a bit more than that.

[supernova74]

Deal with the 3 song rule and get on with it. If your good enough, youll get the shots you need in 3 songs.

[moemoe6434]

Originally Posted by narlus

i'll play devil's advocate...



but can you get 15-20 good shots, esp if the lighting is total crap for one song and/or one of the other songs is short? for print publication you only need one image, but for web the galleries are larger.

There was only one assignement that I was not able to deliver suitable photos for. The review acknowledged the shooting limitations and the review was still great. The band's publicist actually appologized for that particular night's setting.

Originally Posted by narlus

i can certainly do this. i don't even bother taking notes anymore...my memory is still pretty good.

read through some of these (Big Takeover, Prefixmag) and let me know what shows were ones I shot only 3 songs and which I shot the whole show.


well, it'll be easy to deduce certain shows that were just 1st three, but anyway i think you get my point.

Sure, anyone CAN do this... My stance is that you cannot fully appreciate the music, the crowd's intensity, and the intrinsic elements that others do while at the show when you are concentrating on getting a great photo throughout the whole show.

Anyone can make a boiler plate review, you can pretty much make one without actually going to the show and pulling up the setlist online.

I know you are just playing devil's advocate, but you and I have been doing this long enough to know what you can get away with and what works best.