Concert picture lessons

[hoonah*]

Well...I want to be ready in advance...now that the fall tour dates are announced(Ok...maybe I am just excited and looking for excuses...). I got very few pics in April and they all turned out awful.

I have a Kodak(Easyshare)DX7630.

[Corrine]

Rule number one: Turn your flash off. The flash is distracting, and if you are close enough, blinding to the artists. It may even keep you from getting good pictures if you are farther away. I was at a Newsboys concert once. There was a woman behind me with a camera. She was snapping away with the flash on. We were in about the middle of the audience, so kinda far from the stage, way too far for her flash to do any good. But she did do a good job of blinding me with it, even though she was behind me. I can almost guarrantee she ended up with a lot of pictures of the backs of the heads of the people in the audience and not much else. If you are farther than the third row, the flash will pretty much only illuminate the people around you, and irritate them in the process. If you are closer than the third row, the flash will help your pictures, but as I said, distract the artists. Personally, I don't like the way my pictures look when I use the flash. (Yes, I do experiment with it from time to time.) I think they have more depth and interest without the flash. So turn it off and experiment a bit!

Try to use the stage lights instead. Set your camera on the Sports setting (some cameras call it action setting). That works pretty well for most cameras, and it's easier to remember than putting it on manual and messing with the other things, if you camera has a manual setting.

Try to take your pictures when the lights are bright on the stage. If you've been to more than one concert, or studied the pictures in the concert forums, you can figure out which songs will be the best to take pictures. But you don't really have to worry about it. Pretty much, the lights are high on rock songs, low on worship songs. (And you shouldn't be taking pictures during worship songs anyway, you should be worshiping. ;) )

Download the free Opanda EXIF reader from here (http://www.opanda.com/en/iexif/index.html). Then you can look through the concert forum, and right click on pictures to view the EXIF information. This will allow you to see how other people set up their cameras to take both the good and the not so good pictures.

If you can set your ISO, set it to about 400, lower if you can get away with it. If you set it higher, you run the risk of having a lot of noise in your pictures (what we used to call "grainy" in print photography, where it looks like sand has been sprinkled over your picture.) If you use an automatic setting, you will find that sometimes, you can even use an ISO of 100. It depends on the stage lighting.

When I first got my Digital Rebel, I set it on aperature priority, (AV on digital cameras) and set it at the lowest aperature I had, which was 2.8. (Don't worry if you have no idea what I'm talking about at this point. Some digital cameras don't have these settings.) I figured that would let in the most light, and I'd get great pictures. Problem was, much of the time, it let in too much light. I had a lot of pictures that looked like this, too bright, with the subject's face washed out.

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If you have an EXIF reader, you can also see that I cranked up the ISO as high as it would go to 1600. I thought that was the problem, so I experimented with a lower and lower ISO. The pictures got darker, but no better, and the faces were still washed out.

One day, I looked in the concert forum at some of kiwimobro's pictures. He said that he set his camera on the shutter priority (TV on digital cameras), on 1/60. So I tried that. Made such an awesome difference! (I'm forever in his debt.)

The other thing I like to do is to set my camera so that I can take several shots in a row. I hold down the shutter button and capture three shots in a row. That way, I can pick the best of the three from that moment. Sometimes, you get a sort of flip book sequence of shots that's pretty neat, like this.
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[Corrine]

Here are some pictures I've shot, and the EXIF information, so you can see what I did and how they turned out.

First, this is why I don't like flash shots. The subjects appear flat. They cast a shadow (look around Tai). The flash lights up background things you really don't want to see. You lose the ambiance, the depth, the feeling of the photograph when you use the flash.

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[Corrine]

Here is a shot where I used the Action Setting (or Sports Setting.)

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[Corrine]

An example of using the shutter pirority setting.

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[Corrine]

Bari just reminded me (she's on the phone) of one other principal of good concert picture taking. Take lots and lots of pictures. If you take 400 pictures, even if you have terrible luck with them, you will still get about 50 good ones. :)

[Mr.Elwood]

Sorry…
RULE #1: No Interchangeable Lenses (Pro style cameras)…;) :p

[cebrina33]

Just to let you know how LITTLE I know.... I don't get most of what Corrine posted, except turn off the flash, sports mode, and take lots of pics!! :rolleyes: ;)

[StevenV]

Sorry…
RULE #1: No Interchangeable Lenses (Pro style cameras)…;) :p
booo hissss :mad:

are you saing that's a rule imposed by the band or promoter at all 3D concerts? it's normally a promoter- or venue-declaired rule, and often varies from venue to venue, show to show, security guard to security guard.

[Sam!]

Some of what she said is only applicable to SLR cameras, so don't worry.
Which part?

[JanetRN]

Just to let you know how LITTLE I know.... I don't get most of what Corrine posted, except turn off the flash, sports mode, and take lots of pics!! :rolleyes: ;)



ROTFL glad I'm not the only one...who feels like the only one!:D

[The Unknown Gomer]

Some of what she said is only applicable to SLR cameras, so don't worry.
Which part?I was going to ask the same thing. I don't have an SLR (specifically didn't want one), and I don't think there was anything Corrine mentioned that I've not fiddled with on mine at some point or another. :)

[bassgirl192]

Bari just reminded me (she's on the phone) of one other principal of good concert picture taking. Take lots and lots of pictures. If you take 400 pictures, even if you have terrible luck with them, you will still get about 50 good ones. :)

i completely agree with that one! i went to a DCI show (drum corps international) and took about 140 pictures of 6 marching bands. about 50 of them had print quality.

no flashies! they are annoying and a distraction. and that's all i have to say about that...;)

side note---i actually used the fireworks mode at a concert once and it turned out well (i have a canon powershot). although, i can't find the pictures to show them...:mad: *grr*

[TheGirlFromOz]

Corrine, Thank you soooo much for that information!!! :D

[Sam!]

My Olympus and my wife's Canon both have the ability to manually set aperture, shutter and iso. My Olympus only goes up to 400 ISO, but i think her Canon might go higher.

[Sam!]

There is a wide range of point and shoot cameras, for sure.

[The Unknown Gomer]

In my experience, shutter priority, aperature priority, and high ISO sensitivity numbers aren't settings used in your "normal" point 'n shoot digital cameras.Are you saying my Nikon is "Abby Normal"? :p ;) (Sorry, seen Young Frankenstein WAY too many times... :D )

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Igor, would you mind telling me whose brain I did put in?
Igor: And you won't be angry?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: I will NOT be angry.
Igor: Abby someone.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby someone. Abby who?
Igor: Abby Normal.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby Normal?
Igor: I'm almost sure that was the name.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA?

But seriously folks... :) Given that my last camera, an older Sony that stored pics on floppy disk, had hardly ANY manual options on it at all, I specifically looked for one that had a pretty wide range of manual adjustability when I bought my new one, and the Nikon has it, anywhere from fully automatic idiot mode (which while I almost never use that, does sometimes know best) to a fully manual shutter speed and aperture setting, along with something like 12 preset scene options, like the sport, low light, macro, etc.

I pretty much run through most of them during the Third Day shows, except for idiot mode, since that one likes to pop out the flash even though it's essentially useless in a concert situation like that (in this case, THIS idiot knows best :p ), and full manual mode (don't like to waste the time trying to tweak both A and S speeds during a show). But depending on the lighting situation, sometimes Aperture Priority works, sometimes Shutter priority, a safe bet most times is either Programmable Auto (quasi-idiot mode, for those who like to tinker a LITTLE, while letting the camera still call most of the shots) or the Sports preset.

And I take the ISO (which on mine only goes up to 400 :( ) off of automatic for concerts, since it seems to like to default to ISO 50, which really throws off the rest of my exposures. I usually leave it set at 200, slightly more versatile than 50 or 100, but not as grainy as 400.

Best feature - completely useless at concerts, but the reason I bought the Nikon instead of one of the Panasonics with a slightly better zoom - time exposures of up to 10 minutes, something else that most "normal" point and shoots didn't have while I was comparison shopping. Great for my astronomy shots. :)

[silverose]

I have no idea about much of what you are talking about. So I guess it's time to dig out the manual for my camera. It's new and I've played with it some but it looks like I still have a lot to learn. I have a Caonon Powe Shot A620.:)

[kiwimobro]

I've only had the opportunity to enjoy two Third Day shows in the last year and a bit ... and before those I hadn't photographed any bands for years (but photographed PLENTY of other subjects.)

At Parachute '05 I was shooting film on my Nikon F4, set to manual. I love being in control of my cameras, but would not recommend shooting manual at a concert unless you are really familiar with your equipment.

In San Jose this year I shot with a little Canon point and shoot (not sure of the model.) I had borrowed it for the show and never used it before. It was rather odd shooting with a much smaller camera than I am used to, but it did an OK job (kinda.)

I set it to shutter priority (as Corrine mentioned earlier) so that I had control over the shutter speed. Shooting in concert lighting is pretty tough and the camera will work overtime trying to figure out what on earth the light is doing. Often, if it's set to Program (full idiot mode) it will choose a shutter speed that's too slow. From what others say the 'sport' typs modes are a good option - I guess they auto set to a higher shutter speed. Try to avoid shutter speeds lower than 1/60 of a second (60).

Most 'bad' concert pix are a result of camera shake and/or subject movement. Having control over the shutter speed helps avoid this problem. If you choose a higher ISO rating (400 is good, higher than that you will loose quality,) and set it rather than let the camera choose, this will help in achieving a higher shutter speed and good exposure. If you are blessed, as Corrine is, with a nice wide lens, enjoy the difference that makes (although I know not many have that luxury and that Corrine is just showing off :p ;) )

Other techniques for reducing blurring caused by movement:
- stop dancing while you're taking pictures :)
- move away form the person next to you who is dancing
- hold you elbows to your sides
- breathe out and shoot the picture before breathing in (but don't pause too long!)
- hold the camera with both hands and just press the shutter as gently as possable
- try and predict when the band member you are shooting might hold still for a split second (and time it to the delay between pushing the shutter button and the camera responding! :rolleyes: )

If your camera has a 'spot' meter option switch to this and try some shots with the subject in the center of the frame (or wherever the metering range is.) This will tell the camera to only read from the subject and not the background. Concert shots are hard for the camera's light meter to handle due to the high contrast i.e. lights on Mac and a black background!

Otherwise just shoot some at the beginning of the show on different settings and different lighting conditions and see what works. If you can't get shots when the lights are low, enjoy the song without photos!


Hope this helps!

I have recently bought a Nikon D200, my first digital SLR. Now I need to get myself along to another 3D show! The speed and flexibility of this camera is just amazing - 10.2 megapixels, shooting at 5 frames a second with a burst of 22 frames on RAW (and 37 frames on .jpg!) The metering and flash system is just awesome. With the amount of control I have with my SB800 flash I would certainly love to test it with concert lighting - to fill in those dark areas but still keep the atmosphere of the ambient light.

[StevenV]

I have recently bought a Nikon D200, my first digital SLR. Now I need to get myself along to another 3D show! Check back through this thread...
Sorry…
RULE #1: No Interchangeable Lenses (Pro style cameras)

:( :mad: Arrrrg!

[Corrine]

side note---i actually used the fireworks mode at a concert once and it turned out well (i have a canon powershot). although, i can't find the pictures to show them...:mad: *grr*
I always wondered if that would work. :p

[The Unknown Gomer]

I always wondered if that would work. :pI've got a "fireworks" setting on mine, but never thought to use that, thinking it would use too long of an exposure. I DID try it out during the fireworks show at Ft. Mill after the 3D show there, and it was taking 4 second exposures :eek:. Maybe it compensates for the additional light on stage (vs mostly black sky in the fireworks shots) by taking shorter exposures. I'll have to try that next month... :)

[bassgirl192]

I've got a "fireworks" setting on mine, but never thought to use that, thinking it would use too long of an exposure. I DID try it out during the fireworks show at Ft. Mill after the 3D show there, and it was taking 4 second exposures :eek:. Maybe it compensates for the additional light on stage (vs mostly black sky in the fireworks shots) by taking shorter exposures. I'll have to try that next month... :)

i took it at a concert where i was sitting down and really didn't think about how long the exposure was. (*really nice seats at a winter jam concert. didn't need to stand up to see or anything!!*) so i really don't know how it would work if you were down in front standing up and getting jostled around.

[p-GLOverflow]

Corrine, you said you have a digital rebel... isn't that a "professional" camera? How were you able to use it at concerts? Just wondering...
heart,
Amy

p.s. Since you are wise in the way of cameras, would you have any advice for me? Please see my "I've outgrown my old skin --er, camera" thread, if you will.:) Thanks!

[scbyd23]

Corrine, you said you have a digital rebel... isn't that a "professional" camera? How were you able to use it at concerts? Just wondering...
heart,
Amy

p.s. Since you are wise in the way of cameras, would you have any advice for me? Please see my "I've outgrown my old skin --er, camera" thread, if you will.:) Thanks!


I can answer that one for her I believe....It all really depends on the venue and the people working security there. Some venues will say no camears with detachable lens where as others dont really care.

[Corrine]

I can answer that one for her I believe....It all really depends on the venue and the people working security there. Some venues will say no camears with detachable lens where as others dont really care.
Yes, that's right. It depends on the venue. So far, I've been very blessed not to have been asked to put it away. (Thank You, God. :) )

[Mr.Elwood]

Yes, that's right. It depends on the venue. So far, I've been very blessed not to have been asked to put it away. (Thank You, God. :) )
It must be the criminal look I give them.. the one were they know my pictures will end up on the CCM black market picture circuit...:rolleyes:

:p

[Corrine]

It must be the criminal look I give them.. the one were they know my pictures will end up on the CCM black market picture circuit...:rolleyes:

:p
I think it's because you have that big camera bag, and those huge Canon lenses. You just look like a guy trying to make a dishonest buck. ;) :p

[bassgirl192]

I can answer that one for her I believe....It all really depends on the venue and the people working security there. Some venues will say no camears with detachable lens where as others dont really care.

one i went to just had the rule no lenses over 6 inches. you could change lenses all you wanted to, but they couldn't be over that length. otherwise you had to have a photographer pass.

[Mr.Elwood]

I think it's because you have that big camera bag, and those huge Canon lenses. You just look like a guy trying to make a dishonest buck. ;) :p
Well, I am always looking for the next “bidder” to pay for something on e-Bay that they can get for themselves if they step away from the computer.

What do you think is fair?? $10? $20? for a crisp, facial, shot of Mac?

:D :p :D

[TheGirlFromOz]

I desperately need some tips on how to take good photos. I don’t know if there’s something wrong with my camera (I've only had it a couple of months), but heaps of photos I recently took turned out blurry. I had it on sport and without the flash, and there was plenty of light on the stage when I took them, but for some reason I don’t think it would focus itself properly. This was particularly true when I zoomed in. I believe I waited until after it finished zooming to try to focus it and then take the pic… but still… they turned out blurry. Even when I was outside in normal conditions many of them turned out dodgy. The camera works fine every other time. I don’t know what I did wrong. :( :confused:

[kiwimobro]

I desperately need some tips on how to take good photos. I don’t know if there’s something wrong with my camera (I've only had it a couple of months), but heaps of photos I recently took turned out blurry. I had it on sport and without the flash, and there was plenty of light on the stage when I took them, but for some reason I don’t think it would focus itself properly. This was particularly true when I zoomed in. I believe I waited until after it finished zooming to try to focus it and then take the pic… but still… they turned out blurry. Even when I was outside in normal conditions many of them turned out dodgy. The camera works fine every other time. I don’t know what I did wrong. :( :confused:
Could be a whole bunch of different reasons -focus, subject movement, or camera movement are the three most likely. If you post a few pictures I'll probably be able to tell as each problem causes a different looking blurring

[Corrine]

I thought I'd sticky this thread to make it easier to find, now that the fall tour has begun. :)

[danbos]

How do I stop this from happening? Do I just need a better camera? or is there something I can do?

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[scbyd23]

How do I stop this from happening? Do I just need a better camera? or is there something I can do?

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First thing is I would kill the flash on the camera. The only thing it is doing in that picture is illuminating the peoples heads in front of you. Part of the problem of the blurryness also looks like it is due to camera shake. It just comes from being bumped around in a crowd or unsteady hand. Really the only way to alleviate this with your current camera is to use a tripod to shoot which is just totally not optional at concerts or try and make yourself a human tripod. Basically make sure your feet are spread shoulder widths apart and pull your elbows in toward the sides of your chest.

[Corrine]

Do what Lori said, and if your camera has a sports setting, I'd put it on that.

[Raylon]

Hmmm.... I'm surprised that no one bother asking me about concert photos.:(

[kiwimobro]

Hmmm.... I'm surprised that no one bother asking me about concert photos.:(
Post away Big Brother ! :)

[Raylon]

Of all the types of photography ever invented, I would claim that live concert photography is up there among the most difficult ones. You have five thousand fans behind you, and there is a band in front of you. Nobody stands still. In fact, even the notion of standing still ruins the idea of a good music photo. The bouncers hate you, because you are in their way. The crowd is jealous of you. Crowdsurfers will kick you in the head (Switchfoot). The band thinks you’re annoying. The lighting is never bright enough, and changes so frequently that you’re mix up even in the few moments that it is.

And nonetheless, concert photography is one of my all-time favourite pasttimes. It’s hard. It’s unrewarding. But it’s deeply gratifying on a personal lever. It’s about capturing the mood. Capturing the looks. Capturing something the audience is feeling.

Of course, it’s also something I know something about - I’ve done my share of concerts…

So, how can you take photos at a concert successfully? First of all, remember the “standard” rules for most concerts:


No flash photography
First 3 songs only
What the security guys say is Gospel


The first two rules are a blessing and a curse rolled into one. No flash photography is a nightmare at many venues, but it is often better to take photos without. You don’t get the “feel” of the gig without the stage lighting. The “first 3 songs” rule is a bugger - most bands look the most energetic towards the end of their set. On the other hand, it means that you have a very clear time limit: You’ve got 10 minutes (or so) to get the photos you need. If you screw it up, well, you’re unlucky. But there is no saving film, you obviously have to make the best of the time you have.

Personally, I have done all all my concert photos with a Canon Elan II (film) or Nikon D100. Don’t even bother trying with a compact camera - you’ll look like an idiot, and the photos will come out rubbish.

My lenses of choice are a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which is great for getting in close, Nikon 35mm f/1.4 fish-eye lens for wide. Film, Canon 90-300mm f/2.8. Notice 2.8 lens, go for brightness all the way. If you can’t afford zoom glass that is bright enough, then get a 50mm f/1.8 lens. it is normally the cheapest piece of glass you can find, and focussing is a pain, but you need all the light you can get when doing this type of photography.

Are you still with be?

First of all, select an ISO value on your camera that is as low as you can get away with. ISO 200 will give you far better photos than ISO 800, but if all your photos turn out blurry because of lack of light, then you would have been better off with ISO 800 after all.

Second, observe. Concert lighting move in patterns, and you need to try and snap the photo of once the lighting is exactly right.

Always shoot in fully manual. It’ll be too dark for your auto focus, and the rapidly changing lights mean that your light meter is worthless. You need to be good, but your instincts will save you. If you can’t “feel” how a photo is going to turn out before you look at your digital display at the back of the camera, perhaps you aren’t ready for concert photography quite yet. There’s no shame in that - just keep practicing.

Take a lot of photos. Personally, I throw away 99% of my concert photos. In fact, some times, I come home without any really good photos - it isn’t always your fault. The lighting can be particularly tricky, etc. And you can’t plan for any of it - you have to roll with the punches.

Change your vantage point. You can walk all the way back and forth in front of the stage. Do it. If you are in your face enough, chances are that the lead singer will show off for the camera a little - they may even look at your cam for a fraction of a second. That is your cue. Get the photo.

Finally, get as close as you can. I guess this is mostly a personal thing, but I prefer photos where I get really close. Action portraits, if you will: photos taken of an artist at work.

Hopefully this helps and answers question you may have. You can see more of my work at www.MySpace.com/RaylonsPhoto (http://www.myspace.com/raylonsphoto)

[Corrine]

Good tips, Raylon. Much of what you said pertains to the professional photographer with a press pass. The rest of us can take pictures throughout the entire concert, not just the first three songs. I'm very glad of that, for the reason you stated. The first three songs aren't usually the most interesting to shoot.

Just so you all know, Third Day doesn't mind if fans use their flash, although as we've stated, your pictures will be better without it.

Take a lot of photos. Personally, I throw away 99% of my concert photos. In fact, some times, I come home without any really good photos - it isn’t always your fault. The lighting can be particularly tricky, etc. And you can’t plan for any of it - you have to roll with the punches.[/URL]

This is the best piece of concert picture taking advice anyone can give, and digital photography has made it feasible. Take 400 shots, and you will be pretty much guaranteed of getting 50 you really like.

The band thinks you’re annoying.

Please don't worry that this is true of fans taking pictures. Most bands, like Third Day, love for you to take as many pictures as you'd like. Raylon is more talking about the pros that are wandering around them taking pictures.


Always shoot in fully manual. It’ll be too dark for your auto focus, and the rapidly changing lights mean that your light meter is worthless. You need to be good, but your instincts will save you. If you can’t “feel” how a photo is going to turn out before you look at your digital display at the back of the camera, perhaps you aren’t ready for concert photography quite yet. There’s no shame in that - just keep practicing.

I'd say this is a bit intimidating for most fans with point and shoot cameras. I've taken many great shots with my camera set on the sports setting. I don't think I've ever had my camera totally on manual. If I were a professional photographer, then I'd agree with you, and with most all of what you've said here. But this thread is more to help hobbyists from those with their first dSLR (like me) to those who have just realized that their camera has settings other than on and off. We aren't professionals (yet ;) ). We just want to take decent shots of Third Day on the stage.

Raylon, please visit this thread from time to time. We need you and Kevin, as pros, to help us become better photographers. :)

[Corrine]

Raylon, I love your watermark that is the filmstrip with your name on it. I think that is more effective than the little name in the corner that can be too easily cropped off. Of course, I don't want to mar my pictures with a noticable watermark. I want one that you may not even notice so much, but it's still there. I'm bringing this up because I found a blog online today that has many of my pictures on it. I hate it when people post my pictures as if they were their own! But I'm too lazy to add a watermark when I'm posting 25 pictures. Is there an easy way to do this in Photoshop Elements?

[kiwimobro]

I've not used Elements so am not sure if it has 'Actions' or the 'Batch' function. Let me know if it does and I'll explain how to create an action and run it as a batch.

[danbos]

Hey Raylon, I don't know much about cameras. I've been wondering for a while what that ISO setting actually does. Could you explain it to me?

[scbyd23]

Hey Raylon, I don't know much about cameras. I've been wondering for a while what that ISO setting actually does. Could you explain it to me?

ISO is a measurement of film speed and its sensitivity to light. The lower the film speed (say 100) requires more light(good for outdoor photography). This is what makes concert photography shooting difficult. The higher the ISO of the film the grainier the pcitures turn out but the shot does require much exposure to the light. (ie low light situations) The lower the ISO the more light you would need to make the image come out.

[danbos]

I see. OK thanks, I'll have to play around with that.

[Mr.Elwood]

Raylon, I love your watermark that is the filmstrip with your name on it. I think that is more effective than the little name in the corner that can be too easily cropped off. Of course, I don't want to mar my pictures with a noticable watermark. I want one that you may not even notice so much, but it's still there. I'm bringing this up because I found a blog online today that has many of my pictures on it. I hate it when people post my pictures as if they were their own! But I'm too lazy to add a watermark when I'm posting 25 pictures. Is there an easy way to do this in Photoshop Elements?
Ditto for me on that one. I would love to put a good watermark on my pictures. I just don't own a full version of any software, and the ones I came up with to "overlay" in adobe-elements look stupid.

[The Unknown Gomer]

Hate to sound like a broken record here, but my old perpetually recommended - installed on every computer I've ever used - favorite freebie program Irfanview will do something like that. Just go under Batch Conversion, Set Advanced Options, Add Overlay Text. It'll let you make all sorts of tweaks in font, size, location, etc.

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Not that I actually know HOW to get it to do all that correctly. All of the above settings gave me THIS (please excuse the lousy photo, it was just the first one I ran across that was actually mine, and it's just a screen cap), and that was after four tries to even get it all on the photo. :rolleyes: :p

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Maybe it's not what y'all are looking for, but just thought I'd throw that out there as an option. :)

[Corrine]

I don't have that on my computer, Karen.

Kevin, on the Photoshop Elements, this is what the Batch control looks like. It's only for resizing and/or renaming pics. So when I do a watermark, I cut and paste it on all of them. It's a pain.

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FYI: In digital photography, the graininess is called "noise". So if you ever hear someone talking about how noisey a photo is, they mean it's grainy. And like Lori said, this is from using a higher ISO. But if it's a choice between a decent shot that's noisey, or nothing, I'll take noisey. ;)

[Mr.Elwood]

How do I stop this from happening? Do I just need a better camera? or is there something I can do?

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Just an FYI:

If you own a smaller digital camera with 6X optical and are not in the front couple rows you probably will be using your digital zoom. No matter how good you are at taking pictures there will be "noise" (pixilation like the picture posted). Looking closely at the picture it looks still and I don't see much fade around any objects that indicate you moved. What I do see is you having to use digital zoom. The only way to combat that is higher optical zoom and Image Stabilization by Canon.

I could be wrong.. but that's what I see on it.(let me check the picture)

Checking XIF shows you had normal-auto (not good for concerts) and digital-zoom at 4X, so I think you can go to sports-mode and try not to use digital zoom.

Try to remember that the digital camera is different from digital zoom. A digital camera will capture what you shoot just as good as film and store it digitally on the disk. On the other hand, using digital zoom will digitally "estimate" your shot worse and worse the more you use it and then transfer that to the digital processor. I can get a great, crisp, picture with the same camera just by zooming out a little and staying in the optical zoom range and away from the digital. The picture won’t be as close, but I can zoom in the picture on Photoshop at a later date because the image is much clearer..

Anyway… that’s my to cents.. sorry if it was repetitive.

[danbos]

OK, thanks. I was using the digital zoom on that, because I wasn't in the first couple rows. Would a higher resolution help with that too or not?

[Corrine]

Try to remember that the digital camera is different from digital zoom. A digital camera will capture what you shoot just as good as film and store it digitally on the disk. On the other hand, using digital zoom will digitally "estimate" your shot worse and worse the more you use it and then transfer that to the digital processor. I can get a great, crisp, picture with the same camera just by zooming out a little and staying in the optical zoom range and away from the digital. The picture won’t be as close, but I can zoom in the picture on Photoshop at a later date because the image is much clearer..
Excellent, excellent information, Rob! I can't believe that in all this discussion no one has mentioned this. Digital zoom is useless. Don't use it. Just turn it off. Optical zoom is good. Do as Rob suggested. Only go to the end of your optical zoom, then when you get home, you can zoom in to different parts of the picture by cropping it in your photo editing program. Here is an explanation of what the optical and digital zooms do. (http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Digital_Imaging/Digital_zoom_01.htm)

[kiwimobro]

I don't have that on my computer, Karen.

Kevin, on the Photoshop Elements, this is what the Batch control looks like. It's only for resizing and/or renaming pics. So when I do a watermark, I cut and paste it on all of them. It's a pain.

75302

FYI: In digital photography, the graininess is called "noise". So if you ever hear someone talking about how noisey a photo is, they mean it's grainy. And like Lori said, this is from using a higher ISO. But if it's a choice between a decent shot that's noisey, or nothing, I'll take noisey. ;)
OK. It looks like you will not be able to achieve the kind of action/batch I was going to suggest.

Do check out the program Karen suggested. It is a great wee freebee and very powerful. I got my mum to download it the other day so I could walk her though how to resize the large pix she's getting off her new camera. Irfanview is less than a 1mb download and appears very flexible. I've not run batch commands with it, but the way Karen describes would work well.

I'm not sure if on Irfanview you can create 'actions' as I love to do with Photoshop, where you can record a series of commands and then later apply them individually or as a batch command. This way you can make a standard watermark image and later add it to single images or whole folders.

[Corrine]

So in Photoshop, I could do a batch command to resize and add the watermark all at once? Cool!

[Raylon]

Adobe Photoshop CS2 do wonders !!!

I can't live without it.

[The Unknown Gomer]

Do check out the program Karen suggested. It is a great wee freebee and very powerful.Thank you. At last someone to back me up about this program. :) Yes it's small, yes it's free, no it doesn't have all the Photoshop features (which is good, since Photoshop confuses the heck out of me :rolleyes: ), but it DOES do a lot, from resizing, to color correction, to some basic effects, to this text overlay thing. It's great for quickly scanning through all the photos in a subdirectory, including my QT movie clips from the Nikon.

There's stuff in there that I've still never touched and I've been using it for years. I'm still amazed that the guy who keeps updating it hasn't started charging for it yet. :)

[kiwimobro]

Photoshop totally rocks as far as I'm concerened, but I realise that it's not everyone's cup of tea ... or within many people's budgets. It is so versatile and can be taylored to make workflow so much faster. I'm just now discovering a few great plugins that really enhance and balance colour incredibly.

On the other hand I am a great fan of free software and really love it that there's clever people out there that produce programs like Irfanview and I love the whole open source thing that's happening with software.

[mercyGurl]

Question...for concert lighting...

So David Crowder Band's lights are wonderful for photography. They're clear and crisp and very well defined. There's a lot of contrast in them. But in my Third Day pictures, a lot of times the lights are gray and there isn't a lot of definition or contrast. They tend to have what I refer to as "light pollution". They end up being ok because I go into PSP and do a little overlay layer or mess with the curves a bit (Curves are my friend), but even so I'd like my pictures to come out with nice contrast...without being over-saturated.

Any advice?? I normally put my camera on "Priority" mode...Auto rarely looks right, and I don't have a sports setting...

Using my Canon Powershot S2 IS

[mercyGurl]

Has no one answered because they don't know what I'm talking about or because no one has seen it?

[scbyd23]

Has no one answered because they don't know what I'm talking about or because no one has seen it?


Im not for sure exactly what you are talking about Sarah. Think You could post a before and after picture?

[mercyGurl]

Im not for sure exactly what you are talking about Sarah. Think You could post a before and after picture?


Well ok. The only examples I have using my camera are outside, which seems to be different conditions and since it's not full concert lights it's a bit different, but here's an example of a picture that turned out well, lighting wise. All I did was re-size it.
75407


As you can see, Mac is not over-saturated, but the black in the background is black. There's good contrast between him and the background.

Here's an example of a bad picture:
75408

Tai's skin is washed-out and over-saturated at the same time, with a lot of highlight burn going on. Worst of all, there's a "grayness" about the whole picture, with not a lot of contrast between him and the background. It doesn't look black.

I only picked that picture because it would have been a good one had the lights not been bad (ignore the noise, that'll always be an issue). I know part of the problem is obviously the way the lights are shining, but I tend to get more of the second one and less of the first. What am I doing wrong?

Does that help? I can find more examples if you want.

[Raylon]

It's very simple and I have talked to Tai about Third Day stage setting. David Crowder's Band was all lit up from left to right on stage. Then when Third Day came out, they only used a spot light on Mac, and lower the lights on the rest of the band. Wherever You Are show is much different than the Wire show. When they did Wire, in 2004, more lights was used. You may see them with your own eyes, but the camera see it different, especially if you have it on program. The program on your camera is only ready the hottest (brightest) light that you point your frame (camera)to. That's why you have to set your camera on manual and use a 2.8 lens to let more light into your camera. By the way, Tai's response was that he like playing in the low lights. The first song and when they do "Come Together" is a good time to photograph, since the stage will be all lit-up. Hopefully this answers your question Sarah.

Peace †

[Les_Is_More]

Since all you here are showing and talking about pictures taken at 3D concerts, photography must have been allowed? Because at all the concerts I've gone to they always say "NO photography or video taping" or something along those lines. Even though alot of people seem to be taking pictures there. Is it like that at the concerts you all go to? Because I've always wanted to take a bunch of pictures but they say "NO". Does everyone just break the "rule" or something? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Good lessons though.

[Mr.Elwood]

I’m rarely allowed to officially use the Canon D20 or D30 (full size cameras.) but I’ve never had a problem with the smaller “pocket” cameras.

It up to the venue, so it’s always different. I always bring them and when told not to use them I put them away. I might not be the most polite about it when it was never posted and no one responded to my inquiries, and they confront me while I in the middle of taking pictures, but I still honor the request.

I’ve never been asked to put away my Canon 2IS or 3ISs so far.

[mercyGurl]

Well I just used that picture of Mac as an example, but I have other pictures of other members of the band that look that good too...

[kiwimobro]

Has no one answered because they don't know what I'm talking about or because no one has seen it?
OK, so I have some time to answer your tricky little question now (well, at least give it a shot!)

I'm sure this is a problem that many people have shooting concerts where the lighting is varied. As Raylon has already posted, concert photography is very challenging - the lighting being one of the most challenging aspects. Raylon's also metioned one of the key issues with cameras and lighting - they read the light ... not the dark. Your camera's light meter will read the reflected light off the subect and, if it gives you a wrong reading, your camera will be set to let in too much or too little light. Too much in Sarah's photo example of Tai for sure!

Now comes the tough bit ... trying to give a good, brief tutorial on how to get your camera to the right setting. Not easy considering the variables - them being 1. tons of people using tons of different camera models! 2. concert lighting that is constantly changing 3. musicians who just won't stay still (not that we really want them to! :) )

OK, basically you need to set your camera so the subject is exposed correctly - this means getting a light reading off the subject, not the background (this is especially important if there's a good deal of contrast between the subject and the background as there is in both Sarah's examples.) Probably the easiest way to do this with a point and shoot type of camera is to use your zoom to come right in close to one of the guys (as close as you can get, don't worry about composition) and set your camera to whatever it tells you. In theory this will work so long as you don't have a large area of background or a bright light shining into the lens as that would confuse the camera's light meter. Try it a few times if you can on different guys cos if Brad's got a white shirt on it will give a different readin than if Mark's wearing a dark jacket - or if you catch a reflection off Tai's bass scratch plate it will totally throw it. What you are aiming for is a reading off something like Mac's red shirt (in Sarah's first pic) that is kind mid way - not too light and not too dark.

Having set your camera, take a bunch of shots and then review them (gotta love digital for this feature!) Basically the lights don't vary that much during a show. There'll be some songs where they're up, some mid way and some spot. Once you're happy with the setting leave it alone and just shoot when the lights are up - with a point and shoot camera this is about the only time you'll really get good sharp shots.

Hope this helps. Just smack me if it doesn't. :p

I could right a disclaimer as long as this post about all the trip ups and snags that would debunk what I've just written, but I won't ... just get out there and have fun taking pictures.

[Corrine]

Good advice, Kevin, and I hear that from professionals a lot, but when I'm at a Third Day show, there is so much going on that I can't remember all of that, let alone take pictures, compare them, and set my camera accordingly. By the time I did that, they've moved out of that lighting and into the next. :p Isn't there something easier you can suggest?

Sarah, the Exif info doesn't tell me what your ISO is set to. When I first got my Rebel, my pictures looked like that, because I was opening it up all the way to get in the most light. I turned it down, and my pictures got better.

The Exif info says that your metering was set to Pattern. Kevin, if she set it to Spot metering, wouldn't that work better for her?

I think it's weird that that Canon S2 doesn't have a sports or action setting, but it has:

• Custom
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Night Scene
• My Colors
• Stitch Assist
• Foliage
• Snow
• Beach
• Fireworks
• Indoor
• Night Snapshot

[kiwimobro]

Good advice, Kevin, and I hear that from professionals a lot, but when I'm at a Third Day show, there is so much going on that I can't remember all of that, let alone take pictures, compare them, and set my camera accordingly. By the time I did that, they've moved out of that lighting and into the next. :p Isn't there something easier you can suggest?

You could bop the 3D lighting desk guy on the head and slip the Crowder Band lighting guy a few buck to cover the 3D show so the lighting is all nice and even and easy :D



The Exif info says that your metering was set to Pattern. Kevin, if she set it to Spot metering, wouldn't that work better for her?



I checked out a review on dpreview.com to see if the that model had a spot meter and it didn't see that info. If a camera does have a spot meter that is a good tool to use ... so long as you are careful and make sure you get a reading off your subject. Basically zooming in will do the same thing. I'm just trying to keep my comments broad and cover as many bases as possible.

[woman4life]

booo hissss :mad:

are you saing that's a rule imposed by the band or promoter at all 3D concerts? it's normally a promoter- or venue-declaired rule, and often varies from venue to venue, show to show, security guard to security guard.

I don't think the band (3rd Day) has a problem with SLR's, but I do believe that a lot of venues do, some promoters do, and road managers sometimes do. Sometimes it is a matter of interpretation between road manager's instructions and how the venue decides to carry that out. For instance, at one venue the manager says, "no video" and the venue interprets that as "no digital." The problem is that the artist will not deal with the venue over it, and the venue will not question the artist. LOL Good luck trying to figure out who is making the policy. ;)

As for point and shoots, I do have a high zoom point and shoot (Kodak 6490) and it does fairly well. Unfortunately, I wore out the toggle button, so I can't change settings so it's not working as well right now. Most of my pics for Boise were fuzzy and I couldn't change the settings. Even then, if you follow the "take a lot of pics" rule, you get something, and I did get some.

Another setting you can often change that can help is the exposure bias. You can also bracket exposures even with a lot of point and shoots. Those are two things you might experiment with.

I haven't had much luck with sports settings on point and shoots. Most of the time the shutter speed is too fast to let in enough light. If you can control the shutter speed at all, you probably won't get a real sharp picture if the shutter speed drops below 1/60th, although occasionally I'll get really lucky at 1/30th if they are talking rather than performing and I'm extra steady. It's not likely, though.

With my pro camera, I use the AV setting quite a lot with good results. Of course, the venue I am most often able to use it in I do need the aperture wide open. I have three very fast lenses (not zoom, unfortunately) that I oft use for concerts. For the last 3D concert, though, I also used the P setting a lot which allows me to change the ISO and still have a lot of things set automatically, and that works well.

Also, if you can change the ISO to higher than 400, that can help. You might have to fix a little "noise" (aka graininess) later especially if there is any underexposure.

As for the comments about flash, if there is any smoke at all (which there usually is at 3rd Day concerts) the flash will also bounce off the smoke and you'll often get a very hazy and almost white photo. That especially happens with the canon powershot. I used flash at a couple of concerts towards the end because I wanted to make sure I had something (I was close) and I wasn't all that happy with the results in two out of three. Flash is mainly helpful as a fill, which means the one that pops up on the camera isn't going to do it. Instead you'll most likely get harsh shadows and red-eye. LOL I'm not using it now. I used no flash for any of my most recent Third Day concert photos which turned out quite well. I did shoot at a 1600 ISO, though.

If you canon SLR, you can check out their photo forum under "performing arts". There are a few concert photographer's on there that do amazing work. I do learn things from them from time to time. :)

--Melanie

[Raylon]

You could bop the 3D lighting desk guy on the head and slip the Crowder Band lighting guy a few buck to cover the 3D show so the lighting is all nice and even and easy :D

Do keep in mind, the reason of the darkness is their stage props. The light squares that Scotty, David and Tai stands on. If they lit those members, then you loose the affect of the lighting performance on stage.

After thinking of that :confused: , that's maybe why some folks having problem on this tour. If you set your camera on auto, your camera maybe metering to the square light props. Like I said before, it's safe to photograph on manual. Auto does meter your shutter to the hottest point in your frame. Also, always focus on the nose, everything else will fall in place. If not, then your dealing with Mr. Fuzzy.

[Raylon]

I haven't had much luck with sports settings on point and shoots. Most of the time the shutter speed is too fast to let in enough light. If you can control the shutter speed at all, you probably won't get a real sharp picture if the shutter speed drops below 1/60th, although occasionally I'll get really lucky at 1/30th if they are talking rather than performing and I'm extra steady. It's not likely, though.
--Melanie

WOW! :eek: With my ISO at 400 to 800 (depending how dark it is) at 2.8 I set for 1/160, 1/250 and 1/400. Anything below 1/160, is going to drag. You may get away with at 1/125. When I photograph David drumming or Mac strumbling his string, to try 1/500 or higher to stop the action. But, David is always high up on stage, he is my differcult member to photograph.

[Corrine]

You could bop the 3D lighting desk guy on the head and slip the Crowder Band lighting guy a few buck to cover the 3D show so the lighting is all nice and even and easy :D Isn't it more a matter of the DC*B standing in front of a big white sheet, which provides awesome contrast, and the 3D guys having a much larger set with more stuff on it?

I checked out a review on dpreview.com to see if the that model had a spot meter and it didn't see that info. If a camera does have a spot meter that is a good tool to use ... so long as you are careful and make sure you get a reading off your subject. Basically zooming in will do the same thing. I'm just trying to keep my comments broad and cover as many bases as possible.
Here's the Canon S2 IS on DPReview. (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s2is.asp) It says: Metering -- Evaluative, Center Weighted, Spot She does have spot metering.

[SmileyFreak1981]

Thursday I went to see Mercy Me and Audio A, and I took pictures. The lighting was pretty good for the most part, and I was shooting on shutter speed priority, most of the time at 1/60. (You can see my pictures here at my MySpace (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog .view&friendID=30733394&blogID=172238028&MyToken=38a597ab-031d-4ea4-ada9-5d136273afb5). I have a Canon Power Shot A620.)

I'm not a pro or anything, but I know enough about shutter speeds and what not to get by...a lot of the time, I try to just go with what lighting I have and make something of it, which means if one person in the band is getting all the lighting, I'll get a bunch of pictures of them, and not many of the others. :)

Usually a third to over half of my concert pics get trashed, so like others of you, I just tend to take lots of shots. The more shows I go to and take pictures, the better they get. I think, though, that knowing the basics about manual settings is good to know if you want to take good pictures, and practicing in different situations will help too. :cool: I'm always taking random pictures of stuff just to see what it looks like...

[Corrine]

Yeah, besides the law of averages (the more pictures you take, the more good ones you are bound to get), the more you take the better you will get at it. Of course, the side effect, at least for me, is that when you can't take your camera to a show, you feel lost and don't know what to do with your hands. :p

[woman4life]

Oh my... I thought I was the only one that had that problem. ROFL!!!

[Jason]

Of course, the side effect, at least for me, is that when you can't take your camera to a show, you feel lost and don't know what to do with your hands. :p

Have googledoll teach you ASL.

[kiwimobro]

Isn't it more a matter of the DC*B standing in front of a big white sheet, which provides awesome contrast, and the 3D guys having a much larger set with more stuff on it?
I guess so, Ididn't really get to see anything much of their set in SJ. Big white sheet with lights could throw metering out too, but if there's lots of light on the subject then it's way easier to get a good reading than the dark depths and bright lights that make up the 3D set this time around (but when that looks good, it looks REAL good!)


Here's the Canon S2 IS on DPReview. (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s2is.asp) It says: Metering -- Evaluative, Center Weighted, Spot She does have spot metering. Guess I just didn't look carefully enough :o

After thinking of that , that's maybe why some folks having problem on this tour. If you set your camera on auto, your camera maybe metering to the square light props.
I can't remember, but I think the lights on the guys are quite alot 'hotter' than the coloured panels

[woman4life]

WOW! :eek: With my ISO at 400 to 800 (depending how dark it is) at 2.8 I set for 1/160, 1/250 and 1/400. Anything below 1/160, is going to drag. You may get away with at 1/125. When I photograph David drumming or Mac strumbling his string, to try 1/500 or higher to stop the action. But, David is always high up on stage, he is my differcult member to photograph.

I wasn't solely referring to Third Day shots with that comment, but concerts in general. I did shoot at 1600 ISO and I probably didn't have to for most of them for the last 3rd Day concert, and the aperture was higher than 2.8 for the most part. I wanted fast shutter speeds. I didn't want fuzzy pics. I like sharp. LOL You might be able to get David o.k. if you are shooting pics dead center, but if you are to the side, he usually has cymbols in front of his face.

One of the places I can usually take my SLR, though, is really, really dark, with extremely red, blue and yellow lights. I have a hard time getting shots at all with the 2.8 aperture on my 100mm lens as it doesn't even want to focus sometimes. I'm not sure what you do for extremely dark, colored lights to minimize some of the color when it's too much. That wasn't a big problem with Third Day... a little bit of one with HSU.

I just took a class on my camera.. finally. I knew a little about photography, but not always how to make my camera do what I wanted to it to do. The class was really helpful, but it was 4 days after the concert here. LOL I would probably use different settings now for some of the pics. Most of my pics were at 1600 ISO, on the P setting... 1/250th to 1/320th with about a 4.5-5.0 aperture... although there are some I did on AV that turned out well with some pretty fast shutter speeds using the 50 mm 1.8 lens. I think I could have metered the ones of Brad better had I taken the class first and learned how the settings and metering worked in the camera. LOL

BTW, I have a great pic of Paul of Petra at the drums... 1/60th. Even I can't believe it isn't fuzzy. LOL It's with a point and shoot. I think I have some pics of Clay Aiken at 1/60th as well. I don't recommend that slow a shutter speed, but it is sometimes possible to get a pic with it. Any slower and you can pretty much forget it.

[hoonah*]

Ok...new question not regarding concert photography.

We are going to have harvestfest at church in a few weeks...and I want to take pictures...it will be at night, though.

What settings for nighttime photography of people, probably in motion?

My cam does not have an action setting(well...it does, but you cannot change the ISO, etc. on it).

[Raylon]

Digital or film? Need more infomation.

[hoonah*]

Digital.

[Raylon]

Digital.

Depending how well the stage light will either make you or break you. I thought all compact digital have a ISO setting. Check your book that came with camera and play with the setting. Also do a test shot at home. This is how, turn off all the lights in the room and turn on your TV. The TV is your subject. It's puts out enough light for the camera for your test and play around your settings. Besure to test as far back as you can from the TV as you would in a concert. Always practice before you do a big concert.

I look forward seeing them and how they turn out. (The concert, not the TV photos) :D

[Raylon]

Man, .... talk about a dark concert. Last night, I photographed Kutless, (who ROCKS), as well as open acts, Run Kid Run (Good), RED (Really Good), Disciples (too loud for me).

Kutless was the main event, so they had the best lights on stage and on the artist to photograph. BUT, the openers, WOW !!!, this is where Black and White (B/W) can save you.

Let me back up for a moment. When I was offer to photograph Switchfoot in 2004, they request to do some B/W. For me was a first time and simple to do. I photograph everything in color, then when I edit by photos on Photoshop, you just click one button to convert it into B/W.

Note: most digitals has a B/W function on their camera. My suggesting is to always photograph in color then B/W later. Other way around is harder or some cases, impossible to do in it's correct color.

Back to the concert, It was very dark and they had the fog going on stage and they very rarely use white lights on the artist. Mostly all red,or all blue or all yellow filters from the stage light. What color they use on the artist is what's you going to get on your image. Some people like that, but for me, I don't.

The photo is fine. It's clear, in focus and the right exposure, but the artist is in all red or some other color I mention, from top to bottom of the photo. Just one click to B/W,... BAAM!!!, you have a masterpiece.

Here an example on Relient K:

76996

76997

[hoonah*]

I was going to go to that concert, Raylon!

Wish I had known that you were going to be there! (in Woodstock at HisHands Church, right?)

[jesusnewspaper]

i use film cameras any sugestions on photographing thirdday?

[danbos]

I'm going to get a chance to try out all of you guys' tips tommorrow night. :D I'm going to the Grand Rapids Griffins game, and Downhere is performing there. :D :D :D

[Corrine]

Let us know how it works for you. :)

[wannabaRSgirl]

so, they will let you in the door with SLR right? just no BIG lenses?

[scbyd23]

i use film cameras any sugestions on photographing thirdday?


Is you camera a point and shoot or and SLR. If its and SLR (lenses that you can change) then follow the advice that Corrine, Raylon, and Kevin gave. They are all using a digital form of and SLR but the concepts are still the same.

If you are just using a point and shoot type of camera the only advice that will do anygood is, get as close as possible and turn the flash off. Since the camera doesnt offer any way of manipulating other controls. I havn't used my film to shoot lately but use and ISO of at least 400 for low light and speed.

[scbyd23]

so, they will let you in the door with SLR right? just no BIG lenses?


Hey Christy I really think it is up to the venue. Most of your larger arenas don't typically let in SLR cameras with larger lenses. Some will some don't. The good thing with the ticketed shows right now is if they tell you that they do not allow them into the venue then you can take it back to your car and not lose your place.

[danbos]

Let us know how it works for you. :)
Well, getting rid of the noise worked out fine....Now I just need to learn how to hold the camera still. :rolleyes:
I'll probably post some pics this afternoon sometime...which would be a couple hours for anyone who might be on the other side of the world. :p

EDIT: pics are now in the Entertainment Reviews section....And I have another question...why is it that when I turn my flash off, it sets my camera to a long exposure time...makes it very hard to get a sharp picture...what can i do about this?

[Raylon]

Is this SLR that we're talking about?

You need to lower your aperture (2.8 or lowest it can go) and jack up your ISO around 800, 1000, 1200 or even 1600 depending how dark events. Your flash is turned off, but your setting hasn't moved. So, your build in meter is metering by your settings.

Supposed with the flash on, your setting is 1/180 at 8 with ISO at 400. Now you turn off the flash with the same setting, the meter is telling your camera your F stop at 8 with ISO 400, that the shutter speed needs to stay open longer to 1/500 or longer. Never set your camera on auto or program. The everyday consumer does not photograph dark concerts and the camera was built for them.

Also, if anyone has a built in anti-shack or stabilize on your camera, turn it off. That will also cause delay of your shooting.

Hope this helps and understand.

[jesusnewspaper]

Is you camera a point and shoot or and SLR. If its and SLR (lenses that you can change) then follow the advice that Corrine, Raylon, and Kevin gave. They are all using a digital form of and SLR but the concepts are still the same.

If you are just using a point and shoot type of camera the only advice that will do anygood is, get as close as possible and turn the flash off. Since the camera doesnt offer any way of manipulating other controls. I havn't used my film to shoot lately but use and ISO of at least 400 for low light and speed.
yes its SLR! thanks! love my camera and thirdday so combining the two should be fun!

[draw627]

Anyone happen to know if it is normal for a digital camera's pics to begin blurring if the battery is getting low? I seem to have this problem when my battery is getting low, but still has juice :confused: ...and if this is the case, what batteries are best for digital cameras? Mine uses double A's

[woman4life]

Anyone happen to know if it is normal for a digital camera's pics to begin blurring if the battery is getting low? I seem to have this problem when my battery is getting low, but still has juice :confused: ...and if this is the case, what batteries are best for digital cameras? Mine uses double A's

If you are just using a point and shoot my guess is that the camera overall slows down when the battery gets low. If you shutter speed slows then you will be more likely to get blurry pics. One of my cameras does that.

As for batteries, just get the ones that are made for cameras as opposed to the regular battery. Digital cameras suck the regular batteries dry in no time. You can also get rechargeables. I recommend several sets kept charged so that you have more than one set handy for changes.

--Melanie

[kiwimobro]

EDIT: pics are now in the Entertainment Reviews section....And I have another question...why is it that when I turn my flash off, it sets my camera to a long exposure time...makes it very hard to get a sharp picture...what can i do about this?

With the flash on the action can be 'frozen' by the flash. This is because of the very short duration of the flash's light which is very much shorter than what your shutter would be set to. If you're shooting on an auto/program mode, the camera will be calculating the light from the flash and setting the shutter to a faster speed as well. Basically, you need to have some control over your exposure settings. As has been posted previously, cameras are not designed to automatically handle the extreme lighting conditions at a concert, so it's necessary to control what the camera is doing.

Hope this helps

[draw627]

If you are just using a point and shoot my guess is that the camera overall slows down when the battery gets low. If you shutter speed slows then you will be more likely to get blurry pics. One of my cameras does that.

As for batteries, just get the ones that are made for cameras as opposed to the regular battery. Digital cameras suck the regular batteries dry in no time. You can also get rechargeables. I recommend several sets kept charged so that you have more than one set handy for changes.

--Melanie
Mine can't use the rechargeables. I do keep extra batteries w/me at all times, just gets aggrevating having to keep changing (especially if it's dark). So the batteries made for digital cameras actually do last longer? ....I'll have to try them :) thanks

[scbyd23]

Anyone happen to know if it is normal for a digital camera's pics to begin blurring if the battery is getting low? I seem to have this problem when my battery is getting low, but still has juice :confused: ...and if this is the case, what batteries are best for digital cameras? Mine uses double A's


My camera can use either AA or a special camera battery( I believe the model is cvr3?) Check your user manual for the specific battery. They tend to be pricier than normal ones, like the 8-10 dollar range, but for me they last a ton longer! Also one thing that drains a battery in most digital cameras is the live view feature. I don't normally use it and use the view finder on my camera instead.

[woman4life]

Yea, Raylon, you just know I have a very soft spot for Relient K. ;) LOL

I love the one with Jon on the speaker, the one with John's hair flying. You also got a few good really shots of Matty.

From House of Blues, Las Vegas:
http://woman4life.smugmug.com/photos/107503819-S.jpg

http://woman4life.smugmug.com/photos/107505774-S.jpg

http://woman4life.smugmug.com/photos/107748876-S.jpg

I was just wondering if perhaps the creative arts section might be more appropos... unless of course we are going to share exif data. LOL

[DareDevil]

Personally, I find that the hardest trick is to shoot a picture when the light is relatively okay and when the band is currently not running around on stage. I mean, I press the button, wait for the pic to be taken and before it is done there is a drastic light change or the musician(s) have just decided to run to the other end of the stage.

My personal solution is to simply try and try again, but I wonder whether changing some setting would do the trick too.

[kiwimobro]

Personally, I find that the hardest trick is to shoot a picture when the light is relatively okay and when the band is currently not running around on stage. I mean, I press the button, wait for the pic to be taken and before it is done there is a drastic light change or the musician(s) have just decided to run to the other end of the stage.

My personal solution is to simply try and try again, but I wonder whether changing some setting would do the trick too.
Sounds like your problem is the delay on your camera. There's not really anything you can do to fix that (except get a better camera). You just need to try and anticipate the action and time your shots accordingly -- not easy when you're shooting a concert!

[DareDevil]

Sounds like your problem is the delay on your camera. There's not really anything you can do to fix that (except get a better camera). You just need to try and anticipate the action and time your shots accordingly -- not easy when you're shooting a concert!
I have to admit that I was already suspecting something like that. That's actually also why I tend to shoot a few more pictures in the hope that at least some of them turn out to be good. That doesn't keep me from rocking it out though. :D

[Johnny 59]

Some great pics here.

[jumpingmaniac]

dont use digital zoom, it makes your pics look distorted. If you just use it to zoom in a little it should be fine,,(the higher the MP the more you can zoom)

[Raylon]

Feb. 9, 2007 - Mac Powell at a Invisible Children benefit concert.

[DareDevil]

Feb. 9, 2007 - Mac Powell at a Invisible Children benefit concert.
I took a look at your MySpace and I must say that you have some truly amazing pics there! Seriously, those pics are awesome!

[Raylon]

Thanks, that means alot.

[DareDevil]

Here's one of my most recent concert pics!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/DareDevil2004/Bands/SaxonConcert/DSC00316.jpg



I don't know about you, but personally I try to go for pictures where you can literally SEE the movement although it is "just" a picture! :)

[Corrine]

Oh, I totally agree! Even if you sacrifice a little focus, it's worth it! And I like the colored lighting effects, even if everything is all red, rather than adjusting the camera or using the flash to make the colors come out whiter and clearer.

This one isn't near as good as yours because of the lack of atmosphere (no cool lights because it's daytime) and the microphone stand (which ruins way too many pictures!) But you get the idea. I love how the lights reflect on his sweat. Really adds something to the picture.

82529

[DareDevil]

Thanks!!!! http://www.nsaheadquarters.info/images/love008.gif :)

You know, I doubt that I could have gotten rid of the red light even if I had tried to http://www.nsaheadquarters.info/images/laugh007.gif but I don't mind. :) The red light effects were a part of Saxon's show fand I am glad that I caught them on camera too. :) Ah well, maybe it is also just the club that is so keen on those red light effects. I mean, I was already to other shows at this club and they always had a lot of red light effects.



Your pic isn't bad either though. Say, for which band does he play? :)

[The Unknown Gomer]

... Say, for which band does he play? :) *gasp* That was... *fans self so as not to pass out from the shock* grammatically correct! *EEK smiley*

Thank you. You made my day. :cool:

Sorry for the interruption. It's just been a bad grammar week. :rolleyes: Now back to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress.

[DareDevil]

:lol:

I suppose he is from a Christian Metal band, right? ;)

Well, I'm afraid that Christian Metal is not exactly big where I live. To be honest, contemporary Christian music as a whole is pretty much non existant here. http://www.nsaheadquarters.info/images/insane005.gif


Still, I'm sure that I know a lot of *secular* bands you've never, ever heard of. ;)

[DareDevil]

http://a787.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/7/l_790d21c28d963a52e290adf 6fdbe4ac2.jpg

[woman4life]

Since you all are putting up concert pics, this is from Friday.
http://woman4life.smugmug.com/photos/145666816-M.jpg

[The Unknown Gomer]

83230

Just press the little doohickey! I LOVE it. :D :P

I love that Pig, I think he's becoming my favorite Pearls Before Swine character...

[kiwimobro]

copy - paste
:cool:

[Corrine]

Your pic isn't bad either though. Say, for which band does he play? :)

I can't believe I missed this post. I'm sorry. The guy with the flying dreads plays for the Christian band Pillar (http://www.pillarmusic.com/).

[Corrine]

Right now, my baby (my camera) is in the shop getting cleaned and ready for the spring concert season! I'm also having the crack across the LCD screen in back fixed. That happened not long after I got the camera, so it will be nice to get it fixed.

Here is a link to some of my latest work (or should I say "play"?)

If you have Facebook blocked, you might not be able to see it.

DecembeRadio, Lakeland, Florida, January 9, 2008 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29642&l=baf00&id=675217779)

Dan and I went to see Kansas here in Houston in January. Here's my best photos from that night. (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28900&l=438ac&id=675217779)

[woman4life]

I can't believe I missed this post. I'm sorry. The guy with the flying dreads plays for the Christian band Pillar (http://www.pillarmusic.com/).

Yea, you gotta love Noah. :)

I need to clean the sensor on mine. I took some winter mountain pics last weekend, and you can see some dirt. :(

I need to reorganize my camera gear. I probably need another 50mm f1.8. I keep going through those. I went to see Sound the Alarm on the 21st and dropped one of mine and broke it in two. It is put back together, but not sure it will work now. It smacked it pretty hard on a cement floor. :( I have a spare, but the pics from it don't seem as crisp for some reason.

[DareDevil]

I can't believe I missed this post. I'm sorry. The guy with the flying dreads plays for the Christian band Pillar (http://www.pillarmusic.com/).
Hehe, I was already wondering why I hadn't gotten a reply. ;)


Oh, and here are two more pics from another band. They are already a bit older though, but I like them. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/DareDevil2004/Bands/The%20Haunted/DSC00145.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/DareDevil2004/Bands/The%20Haunted/DSC00142.jpg


Just this...
I've hardly ever met more troubled individuals than the guys from THAT band! Seriously, they make great music but they can need all the prayers that they can get.

[Tracey]

83230

Just press the little doohickey! I LOVE it. :D :P

I love that Pig, I think he's becoming my favorite Pearls Before Swine character...

doohickey??? I thought I was the only one to use that word haha

Nice pictures guys

[Jason]

A tip from photographer Natalie Norton:

As often as possible pull your elbows in to your body and exhale completely before depressing the shutter. When you're working with a wide aperture or low shutter speed (or both), even a breath can introduce shake. Pulling your elbows tight to your body can really help keep you steady. I also press my elbows firmly into my chest for even greater stability.

[Raylon]

http://a127.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/106/l_edce1564589e024b931e1e8 387b183ce.jpg

[sandyandporter]

Great Picture!

[Corrine]

Other techniques for reducing blurring caused by movement:
- stop dancing while you're taking pictures :)
- move away form the person next to you who is dancing
- hold you elbows to your sides
- breathe out and shoot the picture before breathing in (but don't pause too long!)
- hold the camera with both hands and just press the shutter as gently as possable
- try and predict when the band member you are shooting might hold still for a split second (and time it to the delay between pushing the shutter button and the camera responding! :rolleyes: )


I was just reviewing this thread for some reminders of what I learned, and came across this. Too funny!