Shooting gigs, in my opinion, is the second hardest form of photography, the first being landscapes. As a photographer, in a mosh pit of excited fans, you have to struggle with low variable lighting, band members moving all over the stage and fans pushing you around. On top of that most large bands will prohibit the photographer from using flash so it's important, even if you're shooting smaller bands, to practice this rule so that when Iron Maiden eventually gives you the call you know what to do. This article will thus explore the techniques I have picked up shooting live performances where I have banned myself from using the flash.
Capture the Motion
Getting the right shutter speed is probably the most important aspect of shooting a gig as it will control how much motion you capture. If you want it sharp and crisp, whack that shutter speed up to 1/800 and compensate with a higher ISO and wider aperture, this way you'll freeze most of the stage movement. Sometimes, however, it can be nicer to capture some motion in the shot, be it a drummer's arm of hand of a guitarist being slightly blurred; in this case I recommend shooting at around 1/160 which will let more light in the camera and thus give more room to play with aperture and ISO.
The Vigil – 1/400 f/2.2 ISO12800
Shoot with a wide aperture
The key to taking photos in bad lighting without a flash is to open wide the aperture. I mainly shoot with a 50mm f/1.4 which lets in plenty of light and is something I would recommend to anyone wanting to shoot a few gigs. The extra light offered by shooting as wide an f/1.4 is much needed at a gig. However, focusing the shot on a moving subject can become very tricky, I'd recommend shooting at around f/3.2; this way enough light enters the camera without too shallow a focus pane making the shots hard to capture. The other great thing about shooting wide is the isolation offered by the shallow depth of field; it'll make the photos pop and stand apart from the photographers that like everything to be in sharp and in focus.
Feed the Rhino – 1/200 f/3.2 ISO1600
Knock that ISO right up
Don't be scared of the articles that say noise is bad, at a gig, especially a metal gig, a high ISO is a life-saver when flash is prohibited. My technique for shooting a gig involves me locking down the shutter speed and aperture and letting the camera control the ISO for correct exposure. Noise at these sorts of performances is expected and is somewhat encouraged as it adds a gritty feel to the shot. A high ISO becomes your best friend when it means you can close down the aperture slightly or increase the shutter speed to get that perfectly exposed shot.
Shoot the atmosphere
The most exciting part of not using flash is capturing the atmosphere of the gig. A flash would just destroy most ambience that is felt and thus, I feel, not using a flash gives a much more accurate and memorable photograph of the night that the fans and band will likely prefer. This is where you should remember to not just capture close ups of the member of the bands but the feeling of the whole performance. Take a few steps back, or quite a few, and capture the whole stage, this will give a feeling of the overall performance that band member and close-ups cannot always capture.
While She Sleeps – 1/1600 f/4 ISO12800
Be prepared
I always have a few things prepared at gigs, firstly my settings. I always start with 1/120 f/3.2 with auto ISO and will then change settings accordingly depending on lighting. Using the same settings each time for the first few shots gives a feeling for the lighting and the stage ambience and will hopefully prompt a few ideas of what to capture as the gig unfolds. Always carry a few business cards with you, it is inevitable that the band, a fan or another photographer will ask for your details and in the noise of a gig, shouting out your URL just won't suffice. Remember to always take earplugs, which may sound like your parents talking, but to get the right shot standing right in front of a speaker for a good number of hours is not unsurprising and won't be a pleasant experience the next morning. Finally, and what I often forget, get a bottle of water from the bar if you can, it gets hot upfront and you won't want to lose your place because you need a drink.
Conclusion
Shooting gigs is hard work, but at the same time is one of the most satisfying forms of photography. If you follow a few of these tips your gig should go smoothly and you'll hopefully get some keepers – I often shoot around 300 photos per band and keep about 15 of the them so be prepared, and don't be surprised, to shoot a lot of bad photos before you get the shot you want.
About the Author
Will Barnes is a 24 year old UK based photographer with a keen interest in portraiture work. His work spans from those he meets in the streets to those in their workplace, and he manages to capture both the detail and the character of his subjects. Check out Will’s work on his website and Facebook.
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