The Alkaline Trio

Hello people. I'm used to bringing a P&S to concerts because they're light, small, and concealable. Plus, if things get too rough in the pit, I won't worry about it getting wrecked. But this time I braved it and brought my 350D with my 50mm 1.8 to The Alkaline Trio show last Friday. There was also a band called Forty Winks that opened for them. Good stuff. It was my first time shooting with and SLR at an event like this. I set it on Tv at 1/80 and 1/100 during the opening band, then switched to 1/60 at 1600.

Things I learned:

- Shoot with at least 1/100 because any lower won't capture the action as well.
- A high ISO isn't necessary (but it helps) since the bright lights expose the performers well enough
- A zoom lens can help if you're stuck in one spot. A prime is somewhat limiting if you're in the audience.
- Noise ninja works wonders.


Minor PS done to the pics; I relied mostly on Noise Ninja to get rid of the noise because of the high ISO.

Comments and criticism are very welcome. Thanks

Out of the shots you posted I like the last one the best. For me, and this is purely me, I like tight shots without all the extraneous stuff. That being said, yes I know my one shot of Avenged Sevenfold isn't like that. I'm not one to usually get the entire guitar because of that but it's what I like. I do try to get the entire guitar though at times because I have had some shots used in guitar catalogs.

When I used to shoot from the crowd and sometimes still do when cameras are allowed or when there isnt' a barricade, I use a zoom. I have a 70 - 200 2.8 . this definitely allows you to get some closer shots. Also I try to position myself as to not get people's heads in the photos unless it's a shot of a crowd surfer grabbing the hand of the band or something like that.

For Avenged I shot at 800 ISO and they had a lot of light. Keep at it..

I'd say the pictures in general are too dark. I know it's hard not to blow out the highlights, but learn to use partial metering on your camera and shoot in Manual. Get the exposure from the face or brightest skin you can see. Take a shot and check your histogram. If there are no blown highlights keep shooting until the lights change or you move.

The other thing that bugs me is the lights behind them. It is a distraction and draws peoples attention away from what you want them to look at (mainly the performers). Since we assume you can move around try and get it so the body or head of the performer blocks out the light. In the first shot for instance you could have just ducked down a little to put the lights behind them and shot away. You can get some pretty cool effects with the lights behind them as well.

That's all I have for now so keep up the good work. I love Alkaline Trio

thanks for the input i still can't get the hang of metering properly, but hopefully i will soon. i'm going to stick to 800 ISO and a faster shutter speed. i didn't really have the liberty of moving around, but i will try to crouch lower next time from behind the barricade. tomorrow night i'm off to see death cab for cutie.

marathon wrote:
thanks for the input i still can't get the hang of metering properly, but hopefully i will soon. i'm going to stick to 800 ISO and a faster shutter speed. i didn't really have the liberty of moving around, but i will try to crouch lower next time from behind the barricade. tomorrow night i'm off to see death cab for cutie.

The lights like they are positioned will through you off. The thing is you can easily change your ISO as you are shooting. Different songs have different lighting sequences so I have changed my ISO accordingly. If the band is one that doesn't move much and you are in the crowd so you aren't following that 3 song rule, pay attention to the lights and make them work for you instead of against you. Being in the barricade does give me the ability to move around and get those lights to work in my favor..

Also just to show something different. The shot below was shot with technically a point and shoot sony cybershot. It's a 5megapixel camera and the reason I picked this as my point and shoot is that it does go to 800 ISO where most of the point and shoots only go to 400. This was shot F2.4, 320 ISO, 1/30 shutter speed.

I am totally, totally removed from bands of this genre! And I am totally, totally removed from P&S ... just bought a 1D Mark IIN today as I had to send my 1D Mark II back to Canon after 363 days due to what looks like a shutter problem.

I do agree with Exit's critique. If the lights are pretty stable (never at the casino) then chimp while trying different exposure levels until you find something that works. I would also recommend bracketing (I always bracket when shooting Live Entertainment) although I know it is a pain in the ass ... and I guess recommending a tripod is totally out of the question!

Nice Pics... Good Band.
~ Doug