First time taking pictures of live music, C/C please!

First time shooting live music (these guys are The Bustamoovalators), but nice that it was outdoors since my lens isn't the fastest. Shot these with the 70-200 f/4L. Let me know what you think, all comments really appreciated.

All pictures link to larger versions.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …ankyn/291602321​3/sizes/l/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …ankyn/291686258​8/sizes/l/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …ankyn/291684236​6/sizes/l/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …ankyn/291684486​6/sizes/l/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …ankyn/291599232​1/sizes/l/

They all look good to me. The one complaint I have is on the first one the mic is right in front of his face. When shooting a single person, I always try to get where the mic is off to the side.

But I"m still just learning this stuff myself. The exposures and color look good to me.

The exposures and color balance all seem to be dead on.

Did you say "first time?" Outstanding. Keep doing whatever you are doing.

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EOS 3 (35mm film), EOS 40D, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, 70-200 f/4L, TAMRON SP AF17-50mm f/2.8
I Share my EOS 40D Experience Here

Thanks for the comments you guys. Anyone else?

As was already stated, the color and the exposure look really great. The main comments I have are more in regards to composition.

In the first shot, you have too much space there. Very good use of the rule of thirds, but I'd crop that one in a bit...take most of that wasted space out of the top and trim a little off both sides (but do try to keep the rule of thirds in mind as you do...try to keep the same perspective if you can). I also have to agree with acchildress in regards to the mic placement. If the guy had of been singing into the mic that would have been different, but with this "pose" the mic and stand are just a distraction.

In the second shot with the sax player....kind of bad timing there. With the guy's open mouth it looks like he may have just swallowed his mouth piece or sucked in a bug or something! LOL! Note for future reference....horn players...always catch them blowing (into) their instruments .

In the third shot that's the close up of the Tele...I really like that shot, but I find the mic stand (and the mic cable) there on the edge of the shot to be a little "intrusive". I really like the detail in the grain of the instrument's body...very nice detail there. You might be able to crop/clone out the distractions, but for future reference try to pay closer attention to other things in the shot that may be a bit distracting.

I find the fourth shot to be a little awkward personally. It's a very good attempt at using the rule of thirds but I think it might have worked better taken at a different angle (maybe from the other side of the stage).

The last shot is by far my favorite. Again here I think the shot could stand a little bit of a crop. There's a little bit of a blur down in the bottom left hand corner...looks like the edge of a speaker or monitor or something and again I think there's too much "space" above the guy's head. Also the microphone growing out of the guy's left shoulder is a bit distracting too...I'd clone that out completely.

Beyond that, for a first time out with this sort of thing I think you did very well. The only other comment I would really make here is that in the future, try to look for shots that convey a bit more "emotion". It could just be the way these guys play, but I find their facial expressions to be a bit static....almost as though they're rehearsing in front of a bunch of crickets instead of actually "playing to a crowd". Next time try to get the shots where the players are "grimacing musically" .

Okies....I hope this helps!
Jim

Wow, Walczak, thanks for all of the feedback!