A few years ago, concert photography was pretty much off-limits for amateur photographers—unless you knew the band. Nowadays, it seems that most venues have given up on banning cameras.
Indeed, they probably realized that to do things right, they should search people for cell phones and smartphones, which can both record and take pictures, as well as confiscate tiny point-and-shoot cameras.
In the last few years, I was able to get in with my DSLR and a couple of lenses. At the Metallica concert, I was asked to leave the DSLR at the door because it looked too professional, but they had no problems with the point-and-shoot camera I also brought! Other venues either didn’t look at my bag or didn’t care. Suits me. It allowed me to experiment with concert photography.
This is what I learned about concert photography so far.
Don’t rely on a flash
I know it’s very tempting to flash, but it’s the same as for night pictures, it won’t be much help. The flash will bounce off the closest thing (usually someone in front of you) and the background will be pitch black. Not to mention firing the flash repetitively can be seriously annoying for people who just want to enjoy the show. Because you are dealing with low-light conditions, the best way of to use a slow shutter speed. But chances are you won’t have a tripod with you, and the slower the shutter the more camera shake you will have. It’s all about balancing the two. Either way, dark shots can also be interesting.
Bump the ISO
The higher the ISO the more sensitive the sensor is to the light. However, the higher the ISO, the more “grainy” the picture will be—this is called “noise.” I can usually get away with a little bit of noise, sometimes it actually adds to the picture. You can bump your ISO to 800 and even 1600 to capture as much light as possible.
Aim for steady shots but embrace motion blur
Even with a fast shutter, there will likely be some motion blur. You can hardly ask for the band to pause or for the players to stop playing! Embrace it and make it meaningful.
Anticipate and participate
To take good shots, you have to be in the mood and enjoy yourself. If you know what’s going to happen, you can anticipate and capture the moment. For instance, when Billie Joe Armstrong grabbed a toy gun, I was looking forward to seeing what he had in mind and took this funny picture. Anticipate the end of a song and capture its last few seconds, when the singer encourages the audience to sing along. Shoot the leader singer under the spotlight. On a side note, I always pay attention to the lighting during shows because I want to take advantage of white/yellow light (usually the brightest and the best for pictures).
Don’t forget atmosphere shots
Some of the best pictures I took at concerts weren’t pictures of the band, but rather pictures of the audience. Among my favourites are a shot of a couple wearing the devil’s horns at the ACDC concert and an excited crowd. I also have a rainy picture that reminds me of how bad the weather was at the Radiohead concert in Montreal, where we stood in the mud for hours.
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Your concert shots are quite good. I would like to try taking concert photos with my good camera (Canon SX20) but because of my chair there is usually an attendant peering over my shoulder.
These sound like good tips. I’ve taken lots of photographs during concerts and I have a lot to learn. I’m thinking that I’m going to have to take more control over the camera rather than just putting it on auto and hoping for the best.
Very good advice… I want you as my next teacher.
Do you organize a masterclass in Canada !
Then I have a good excuse to go there ! 🙂
Hi Zhu,
I have been enjoying theis series. It fits at this time, because I am starting to learn how to use one of D’s lenses on our Nikon.
Iam at a stage where I want something more of my photography. I will be going for a daytrip the last week of September,to see friends in Picardie.Good photo ops! Bises
My camera is bad at ISO 1600. The most I would use is 800. So if I were shoot concert, I probably need to invest in 70-200 f2.8.
those are all really good concert tips. i take awful concert pics, mostly because i buy the chep seats that are too far away.
you’re right. a flash is completely useless.
i can offer one piece of advice: if there is an aisle, feel free to walk up near the stage to get your picture. the worse that will happen is somebody (security or event seating) will stop you from going there. but that has never happened to me during a concert.
one time at a boston redsox baseball game, i explained i wanted to get closer for a photo, and they let me go right to the backstop.
most people are nice about letting me do it.
i like your idea about photographing the people around you too. the shot you got of the stadium is really beautiful, zhu.
Nowadays, banning cameras is like banning people from the concert. Almost every gadget created and used by man today have cameras built into them.
@Bill Miller – But you will find attendants may not mind! I don’t usually hide when I take pictures and no one ever told me anything. Worse case scenario, they tell you not to flash, which you shouldn’t do anyway 😉
@Yogi – Knowing your camera is a must indeed. You save so much time!
@Sidney – 😆 I wish! I’d love to join a class actually.
@barbara – Definitely take advantage of all the photo-op and experiment what works for you, that’s my best advice!
@khengsiong – Really? I rarely go that high, but my camera is fine.
@Seraphine – The aisle tip is a great one. And you are absolutely right, most of time, they will let you take a couple of shots, as long as you don’t look crazy or drunk 🙂
@Beth Thompson, Infaheat – I totally agree!