5 Must-Have Camera Settings for Concert Photography

Transcription

1 5 Must-Have Camera Settings for Concert Photography

2 Gogol Bordello 1. APERTURE Use fast lenses and shoot them wide open. You ll hear this quote a lot from concert photographers. Due to the low light situation on stage, it s crucial to set your aperture to the smallest f/number on your lens e.g. f1.8 or f2.8. This allows the most possible light to hit the sensor and is one of the must-have concert photography settings. For beginners on a budget, I highly recommend the 50mm f1.8, which is a no-brainer (available for both Nikon and Canon). Nikon D700 f2.8 1/250sec ISO 6400

3 2. SHUTTER SPEED Have you ever been to a concert where the artist was hyperactively jumping from one side of the stage to the other? To freeze movements like these, you have to use a fast shutter speed. In general, I set my shutter speed to 1/200 sec or faster. Otherwise, you ll run the risk of getting blurred photos. If you re shooting singer/songwriters who are sitting on a chair and barely moving, you can try longer shutter speeds, such as 1/60 sec. Some people prefer motion in their photos, but my personal photography style entails me wanting to freeze the action and so I choose a fast shutter speed as one of my camera settings. Apocalyptica Nikon D700 f2.2 1/400sec ISO 1600

4 3. ISO ISO, or film speed, refers to the sensitivity of analog film. These days, the term is used to quantify the sensitivity of your digital sensor. The higher the ISO setting, the less light is needed for a proper exposure, but the more noise you ll encounter in your photos. Depending on the capabilities of your camera, an ISO setting of is a good starting point for concert photography. Fink Nikon D800 f2.8 1/125sec ISO 6400

5 Atari Teenage Riot Nikon D700 f1.8 1/2500sec ISO APERTURE PRIORITY VS. MANUAL MODE When I started out as concert photographer, I used the Aperture priority mode (Av). This mode allows you to set the aperture and your camera will automatically set the shutter speed to get the correct exposure. In the beginning, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Standing in front of the stage is a great experience, but you might find you have too much to think about. So, I would suggest starting out in Av mode and, once you feel more comfortable with the situation, change to manual mode, which will give you more freedom to set your exposure. Both options work great and I know a lot of music photographers who only use one of these two settings.

6 5. BURST MODE The last setting I choose is the burst mode. The situation in font of the stage is really challenging for your camera. It s a low-light situation and fast movements are not the easiest things to deal with, so therefore you ll need to take lots of photos during the concert. Using the camera s burst mode allows you to take 3-4 frames over a short time period, which increases the probability of getting the shot. Slash Nikon D700 f2.8 1/400sec ISO 400

7 YOU WANT TO REACH THE NEXT LEVEL? GRAB MY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE AND GET STARTED IN CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY! >>> CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO <<<

8 With these 5 camera settings in mind, you ll be able to get awesome results from your camera. These pages cover the main points for all kinds of low-light stage photography and can be achieved by any DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera with an ISO setting of at least 1600 and a fast lens e.g. 50mm f1.8. Do you want to know more about how to become a Rockstar Photographer and live your passion in THE coolest field of photography? If your answer is YES, then keep an eye out for my upcoming s. I started How to Become a Rockstar Photographer with only one aim in mind - to share my experience and tactics that work, and to help you kick start your concert photography career, whether you re a hobbyist, a semi-pro or you re just starting out (and you don t even need professional photography training!). Feel free to contact me! If you have any questions, comments or you want to send your feedback to my project, drop me a line: office@matthiashombauer.com Rock on! Matthias Copyright 2016 Matthias Hombauer. All rights reserved.