When is it too dark to shoot the concert?

Or is it ever?

I can't post the pics yet, but last night I shot a show where I had to boost the 7D to the full 12800 just to get 1/100 - 1/200 @ f/2.8 just so that I could get a decent shot. I was not allowed to use flash.

To add insult to injury the lead singer was black and LOVED to dance around. I had to wait 'till he was standing still to do anything which didn't produce very many choice moments. Pretty much the entire shoot was converted to black and white so that I could filter the dense colors to my advantage.

Yeah, woe is me and all that.

I wondered a couple of times throughout the show if I was just wasting my time and I can't help but wonder if others here have walked away from a show because the lighting was just too bad.

I do have to say, though, that if I was still using my 20D I wouldn't have been able to get anything last night.

That's when you put away the camera and enjoy the music.

use a faster lens

eg. f/1.4

As Palladium says, use a faster lens and one preferably with IS. An f/1.4 will gain you about 2-stops over your current f/2.8 (or two shutter speeds).

The IS is not an instant fix and won't help at all if the subject is jumping around, but it will allow you to use slower shutter speeds when the subject is motionless or less energetic. Most IS lenses gain you 2-3 stops so that would be the equivalent of shooting at 1/50 second at least (starting from 1/200).

Also shoot RAW if you are not doing that already. Again, not a perfect fix but if your images are a bit underexposed having a RAW file will enable you to recover 1-2 stops before noise starts building up. And if all else fails, simply enjoy the show as 90c4. Not everything can be effectively photographed with the tools at hand - that's when it's time to relax and simply "see" what's going on. - Stu

this shot is at least 4.5 stops of light less than what you described:

f/1.4
1/40th
ISO 25600

sapearl wrote in post #11265427
As Palladium says, use a faster lens and one preferably with IS. An f/1.4 will gain you about 2-stops over your current f/2.8 (or two shutter speeds).

The IS is not an instant fix and won't help at all if the subject is jumping around, but it will allow you to use slower shutter speeds when the subject is motionless or less energetic. Most IS lenses gain you 2-3 stops so that would be the equivalent of shooting at 1/50 second at least (starting from 1/200).

Also shoot RAW if you are not doing that already. Again, not a perfect fix but if your images are a bit underexposed having a RAW file will enable you to recover 1-2 stops before noise starts building up. And if all else fails, simply enjoy the show as 90c4. Not everything can be effectively photographed with the tools at hand - that's when it's time to relax and simply "see" what's going on. - Stu

Yeah, I'm all about RAW. Unfortunately my fastest prime is my nifty fifty and he's got a few issues of his own and is not suitable for concert photography (though if you have enough time he is very sharp).

And, yeah, IS would give me more hand holding at lower speeds but wouldn't really give much of an advantage to moving subjects at those speeds. You still end up with the more boring static shots (which, yeah, depending upon the artist you may only get those anyway). I tend to gravitate towards more energetic bands so not being able to get 1/125 typically means not getting much usable.

Like you and 90c4 said. Pack it up and order a beer

narlus wrote in post #11267509
this shot is at least 4.5 stops of light less than what you described:

f/1.4
1/40th
ISO 25600

Yeah, that would be about when I'd pack it in. Unless it was Patrick Stewart & Keanu Reeves playing a Black Sabbath revival set. A guy can dream, right?

Oh, and, I like yer stuff.

Bummer that you were not allowed to use flash. I've been wanting to invest in the new ETTL Pocket Wizards so that I can use off-camera flash in light-starved situations like that. I know someone who does that and his results are impressive. An off-camera flash with gels can look a lot like stage lighting.

That's not a bad idea. I've just gotten started here doing concerts again so maybe once I get to know some of the venue folks a bit better I can try requesting that.

Thanks for the idea!

Most concert shots suffer from use of flash, and often flash is not allowed as it distracts the artist(s). I usually shoot shows with a 70-200 2.8 L and a 24 1.4 L...See some of my shooting at www.viewpointglobal.co​m in the concerts section. If you find the settings right for you to shoot it's never dark enough...except when all the lights are off

Gipetto wrote in post #11319599
That's not a bad idea. I've just gotten started here doing concerts again so maybe once I get to know some of the venue folks a bit better I can try requesting that.

Thanks for the idea!

You're welcome. Another thing you can do is get good lighting via diplomatic skills. You befriend the lighting technician and request that he or she crank up the lights. You must never come across as a self-important photographer telling the lighting person how to do their job. Instead, it's like asking for a favor and being grateful. I usually say something like, "You're a photographer's best friend if you can give me some great lighting." It also helps if the performer has asked you to be there and is in on the lighting request. Then if they comply, you always always thank them. Here's a shot I was able to do at ISO 1600 with my 20D. It's at the Waiting Room in Omaha, NE that has sometimes had such bad lighting that I've on other times resorted to deliberately underexposing and readjusting in Photoshop. 1600 is a huge luxury. Here's the shot:

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

jparniawski wrote in post #11319684
Most concert shots suffer from use of flash, and often flash is not allowed as it distracts the artist(s). I usually shoot shows with a 70-200 2.8 L and a 24 1.4 L...See some of my shooting at www.viewpointglobal.co​m in the concerts section. If you find the settings right for you to shoot it's never dark enough...except when all the lights are off

Depends on the venue. Most concert halls don't allow it, but bars and other small venues usually do. Pop-up flash almost always looks like garbage. External hot-shoe flash is better, and off-camera flash done right works best. And, btw, the negotiating with the light guy technique I talked about in my previous post also works best in small venues. At a big event, they would probably laugh at you. Forget about it at Madison Square Garden, but they would probably have great lighting anyway.

Befriending the lighting guy is a good option too. Thanks for the idea!

narlus wrote in post #11267509
this shot is at least 4.5 stops of light less than what you described:

f/1.4
1/40th
ISO 25600

great shot - who is that? what lens?

thanks!

that's the guitar player from a band called Soundpool, based out of NYC. shot w/ the canon 35 f/1.4