hey guys,
gotta say this site is really really cool..I was looking for show recordings, but came across this post. I'm a band photographer out of the Philly, PA area. I'm still using a 28-80 3.5-5.6/f lens and a 50mm 1.7/f lens more than anything else.
A few tips for shooting with NO FLASH:
1-The closer you can get to the stage, the better shots you will get with any lens. The closer you are, the more light you'll have, and the more richness in color too.
2-IF you can up your ISO (film speed) to 1600 on your digital camera, go for it. I shoot mostly film, but I use 1600 speed more than anything else.
3-As long as you have a steady hand while taking the shot, you can go as low as 1/30th of a second, and not have any motion blur..but that depends on what the artist is doing on stage at that time, and it can lead to some very cool shots....the one I attached was taken with no flash at 1/30th of a second.
4- If you're shooting in manual mode, overcompensate for the light. Your camera reads the light based on everything it sees through the lens in most cases. For example, if your camera says that the correct exposure is 1/90th, go down to 1/45 or 1/30..there's a very good shot that it's metering off of a bright light, and the musician will end up being a very dark blob.
Not sure when I'll be on here again, but if anyone has any photo questions, send me an email.. blackoutpictures@hotmail.com
or IM me: spplaxboy
Good luck!
-Drew