blackrimglasses

DIY Photography » Concert Photography: Awesome article here.

I have shot concert photography for a few years now, and here are my tips and some samples of what I’ve done. I have TONS stored away too, which I should scan at some point. So far, I’ve only shot REM or tangential REM bands (Minus 5, Posies, etc).

My equipment:

Canon EOS3 with a 28-70mm L lens and a 50MM portrait lens (1.8f)

Film:

Agfa 3200 black and white film, pushed to 6400ASA
Fuji Sensia 1600 (when they still made it), pushed to 3200ASA then cross-processed
Fuji Astia 800 pushed to 1600, cross processed

Printing/Scanning:

Printing of black and white was on Ilford Satin finish black and white paper, to reduce contrast
Printing of color in the dark room was on semi-gloss Kodak color paper

Scanning is on a Canon FS4000 film scanner at 4000dpi to an uncompressed TIF, resulting in about a 120 megabyte image.

My tips for concert photography:

Understand that I’ve never taken photos with a press pass. With all the bands I take pictures of, I’m friends with them, so typically I’m using an all-access pass and have full reign of the entire back/side stage, audience and front barrier.

What I’ve found that comes in handy is to see the concert a night on the same tour, but without taking photos. You’ll get a better sense of the lighting patterns, and how the setlist effects it. If you can, on the night that you’re taking photos, try to get a copy of the setlist, as that way you can usually predict blocking and lighting of the performers.

Get close! My best photos are of moments and small fixtures rather than entire people. On one tour I photographed, I did the concert footage in black and white, and instead of focusing on performers, focused on elements of the performance itself. Hands, feet, guitars, amps, shadows. I reserved color and full shots for the pre/post concert (and soundcheck).

Don’t shoot digital! You’ll get some shots that are OK, but they are too glossy. The grain, the grit and the grime make for more believable photos, I’ve found.

Some samples and info on how I got them:

September 11, 2003, Las Vegas, NV during Nightswimming - REM of course. Taken on 1600ISO slide film, cross processed and scanned. This is where that laminate comes in handy. I was on my knees, behind the bass cabinet, holding the camera up above my head so it peaked above the cabinet. Technically I was on the stage.

Taken in 2000 in San Diego, before the show. An example of 1) my cross processing technique and 2) why the quiet moments before a show of a performer make a more compelling photograph. This is Peter Buck, of R.E.M. when he was on tour with the Minus 5.

During soundcheck at that Minus 5 show. These are Scott McCaughey’s hands. I used a wide open aperture at 1.8f to get a very very shallow depth of field

Peter Buck, the Knitting Factory in 2000. The first time I met him incidentally. Don’t be afraid to try different angles for full-body shots.

Michael Stipe, 9-11-03. Why knowing the set and lighting is important. Michael during Losing My Religion always sang without the mic stand, which meant he usually moved to the front of the stage. You’ll notice that he’s looking into the camera. My camera lens is big, so he was looking at the crowd and saw me, etc. I think it scared him.