First time concert shoot at HoB tomorrow. Any last min advice?

[Reptile Bob]

Hello,

My gf used to work at a music magazine and scored me a press pass for a Bad Religion concert at the House of Blues, Anaheim. The main question I have is which lens I should use while I'm in the pit. My choices are a 50mm 1.8, 24-105 4IS, 100 2.8macro, or a 70-200 2.8IS. I assume that being so close, my only real choice is between the 24-105 and the 50. I'd like the zoom, but I'm not sure if its fast enough.

I have a 5D, so do you recommend the ISO set to H, or something lower. I also have a 580EX, so should I use that for shots or not, and if so, to just fill in a bit or to try and light the stage?

Also, if anyone has any advice as to where I should try to stand and what angles I should get? Any links would be appreciated too.

I'm fairly familiar with the technical aspects of photography, but haven't had much experience shooting in darker venues with dramatic lighting, or shooting live stage events.

Thanks!

[Suicidenote]

My opinion is:

Go with the 50 1.8, the 24-105 is too slow and the rest you will be too close to use. You probably don't need to go to 3200 iso, 1600 will probably be sufficient. No flash.

I would start shooting in Av mode and switch to M if needed. I live right down the street, so if you can score me a pass I'll go along and assist.

[narlus]

definitely bring the 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens, esp on a 5D. should be fine. don't be afraid of shooting in H if you need the shutter speed (most of my Cat Power shots in the recent thread were taken @ 3200 on a 5D).

if the lights are changing a lot, and fooling your exposure, try using spot on a greg's face in 'normal' lighting and then setting M to those readings. adjust as needed, after chimping.

hope this helps!

[Reptile Bob]

I have a rebel xt as well. I'm thinking I might put the 50 on the rebel and the 70-200 on the 5D and have both cameras down there. I'll have to practice tonight having two cameras around my neck then :P. I'll just have to make sure i have the settings correct on both cameras before the shoot. It seems everyone's advice is to be ready to get shots fast, as there doesn't seem to be any time to play with camera settings on the floor.

Suicidenote: thanks for the tips, but sorry, only have the one pass. :P

[narlus]

that's a good suggestion, to bring two bodies if you have 'em.

i wouldn't worry too much about not using time to change camera settings. a big batch of poorly exposed, and/or out of focus shots is a not nearly as good as two or three nicely executed images.

get there for the opening band(s) and use them to get a feel for it.

[moemoe6434]

Bad Religion's "Suffer" was the first album i bought on CD format, i love the guys and hope you post some photos afterwards.

As for tips, watch your back. They come out hard and fast and the crowd is pumped to see them so look out for flying objects, flying people, buoncers running around behind the barricade, etc.

Personally, i would think the 70mm might be a bit much at a small punk show if you are in th pit. I would favor the 50mm.

[PhotosGuy]

Without seeing the lighting, our advice is limited. Try to shoot guitars from the left side. Music guys like that angle.

70-200 f/4. = f/4, ISO 1600, 1/400 sec.
The Johnny Headband Band

[Reptile Bob]

Originally Posted by PhotosGuy

Without seeing the lighting, our advice is limited. Try to shoot guitars from the left side. Music guys like that angle.

70-200 f/4. = f/4, ISO 1600, 1/400 sec.
The Johnny Headband Band

Thats part of the problem; I'm not sure what the lighting will be, but being an indoor concert, I'm sure it will be the extremes of very dim and very bright. I'm mostly just looking for any tips anyone might have, or if there are any first timer mistakes I should be careful to avoid.

My girlfriend warned me about the flying objects and people from behind. It sounds like it can get a little rough. I'll be sure to post pictures in the performing arts section on Saturday though. It should be fun!

Also, does anyone know if its professional (or allowed) to shoot from the balcony after the first three songs are up?

[Perry Ge]

70-200 is a must. Forget the 24-105, too slow. Bring it only if you think you'll need the wider angle. 70-200 isn't too long on the 5D, I shoot at 200mm sometimes even when I have the freedom to get right up close to the artists.

ISO 3200 (H) is what I shoot all my concert shots at, expose properly and you'll have no problems, especially with a 5D. Shoot RAW, white balance can be difficult in concert lighting. Bring a gray card or white piece of paper and set custom white balance if you can.

I say bring the 50 1.8 as well, but that thing's AF is crap in low light. Dunno about the flash. I don't like using flash at all because usually concert lighting is pretty cool, and I don't wanna kill the mood. They might not let you use it anyway, as Bad Religion is a pretty big band .

I am willing to bet that the 70-200 will be used 90% of the time that night.

As for angles, listen to what Frank said. I also like to hold off the shooting at the beginning of each song, to get a feel for where the moments of emotion and expression come in the songs. It's all about timing.

Good luck, have fun, and I look forward to the pics!

[Burrelly]

I would suggest using the 50mm. It is ideal for working in the pit. I use it 99% of the time when I am shooting gigs.

Take loads and loads of images. You do not have to use them all but the more you take it give you more to work with.

I always shoot in M and adjust to the lighting with the apeture. On the 5d you will get away with 1600 and 3200 with no problems.

Watch the support acts it gives you a rough idea where the lights are and what colour they are. It generally is not the same sequence but they normally use the same lights

[Steve Parr]

I’ve shot at a few HoB’s before (Anaheim included) and, for a “national act” such as this, the lighting’s going to be pretty good.

On my 40D, I’ll set the ISO to 1000, and WB to Tungsten. For the 20D (take two bodies if you can), I use an ISO of 1600 with the same WB setting.

If you’re going to be in the pit, you may find the 70-200mm to be too long. For such instances, I use the 24-70mm. I’m not saying don’t take the 70-200mm, just be prepared for what you might have to contend with. Given what choices you have, I’d go with the 50mm. If you’re able to use two bodies, as others have said, put the 70-200mm on the 5D.

Leave the flash in your bag. First, you probably won’t need it. Second, HoB probably won’t allow it. Third, if they did allow, it would ruin your shots (in my always wildly humble opinion).

As for “positioning” and “angles”, the pit at HoB isn’t exactly an area of great real estate. It’s about 2-1/2 feet wide, and it runs the length of the stage. I generally try to be to the lead singer’s right. More often than not, members of the band will turn in that direction, offering a nice angle for a shot. If you’re dead center, you’ll be dealing with mic stands and “up the nose” shots. Generally speaking, where you’re standing when the curtain goes up is where you’re going to get 90% of your pit shots from.

I don’t believe it’s “unprofessional” to shoot from outside the pit after the first song, unless there’s a “three song” rule. If they only want photos shot during the first three songs, then shooting outside of that time constraint, to me, would be unprofessional. That said, I’ve had credentials which said “FIRST THREE – NO FLASH”, and the band (Styx) gave me permission to shoot the show in its’ entirety.

You’ll find that security at HoB will help you out when you need it. At a Zakk Wylde show in San Diego, I found myself in the middle of a rather worked up crowd, and there was little chance of me fighting my way out of it on my own. Two HoB security guys came through the crowd, grabbed me, and got me out of there. It was like the Secret Service pushing Reagan off the sidewalk. We got to safer ground, and all was well. That said, don’t piss them off. Had I given them reason to not like me, I’m pretty sure they’d have left me to my own devices in the middle of a moshing crowd.

Beyond all of that, though, my biggest tip is this: Act professionally. Security for HoB will part the Red Sea for someone with a credential, and I’ve seen more than one photographer let that go to his head. I’ve seen more than one photographer act as if he’s the most important person in the venue, all else be damned. And I’ve seen more than one photographer ejected for acting that way. Be polite and courteous to the security guys, and they’ll make things a lot easier for you…

[Reptile Bob]

I was just thinking... the 50mm on my rebel, with the 1.4 crop, is equal to the 70-200 at 70mm on the 5D . I wonder if its worth bringing the 50, as it means another body dangling on my neck, more distraction, and something else to get kicked at by the mob. I'd like the extra speed of that lens, but I hear (and have experienced) the focus just isn't as good. I've only used the lens a handful of times, so I'm not nearly as experienced with it. If I bring the extra body, I might just through the 25-105 on so I can get some wide angle shots. If the stage is well lit enough, I should be able to get something at 1/125 F4 or so at high ISO (hopefully). Plus I've seen some nice wide shots that look good dark with dramatic lighting. I guess I'll just bring all three lenses and both bodies and figure it out during the warm up bands.

And thanks for all the great advice everyone. I really appreciate it and am looking forward to posting what I get!

[Steve Parr]

Originally Posted by Reptile Bob

I was just thinking... the 50mm on my rebel, with the 1.4 crop, is equal to the 70-200 at 70mm on the 5D . I wonder if its worth bringing the 50, as it means another body dangling on my neck, more distraction, and something else to get kicked at by the mob. I'd like the extra speed of that lens, but I hear (and have experienced) the focus just isn't as good. I've only used the lens a handful of times, so I'm not nearly as experienced with it. If I bring the extra body, I might just through the 25-105 on so I can get some wide angle shots. If the stage is well lit enough, I should be able to get something at 1/125 F4 or so at high ISO (hopefully). Plus I've seen some nice wide shots that look good dark with dramatic lighting. I guess I'll just bring all three lenses and both bodies and figure it out during the warm up bands.

And thanks for all the great advice everyone. I really appreciate it and am looking forward to posting what I get!

I would be willing to bet that the stage will be lit well enough to use an f/4 lens at an ISO of 1600...

[narlus]

being able to use f/4 @ 1600? i'd need a welding mask.

[freebird]

One thing to think of is focusing. My experience is that focus / recompose up close in low light sometimes your plane of focus will change alot. Like if you focus on the face and recompose for body shot. I like center focus. I go for facial expressions and tight shots mostly. One thing also I learned from this forum is not to cut off the guitar heads and look at whats gonna be in the background of your composition as well.

Good Luck,
Chuck