Concert Photography: Any Pointers?

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Girvo

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Hi all!

Got myself a roll of Fuji Superia X-TRA 800 for a concert I'm attending tonight. I'm lucky in that I'll be able to get right up in the faces of the band without any drama: they're my mates :p

But exposure I'm really not too sure about.

The 40mm lens on the Minolta 7s opens all the way up to f/1.8, but I'm worried it'll be too soft, and I've never shot on 800 before (usually sticking to 100/200)!

So, I'm quickly going back through my old digital concert snaps EXIF to see what sort of exposure those decided on, as the lightmeter is dead as a dodo in this camera, manual all the way :)

Any tips or pointers? What sort of exposure settings should I be looking at when it comes to close-up, indoor concert photography on fairly fast film?

After flicking through my older digital photos, it seems shooting fairly wide open at about 1/15 or 1/30 might do the trick on the 800. Thoughts? (and yes, I was comparing photos from the same venue with same lighting setup :p)
 
I've found that fuji 800 film needs as much as a couple stops more than digital if you want to avoid muddy shadows. Fortunately with film it's a lot more difficult to blow out the highlights.

i.e. You need to error on the side of overexposure.

Try 1/30s wide open if it's dimly lit or 1/60th if it's in the spotlights or your are jostling within a crowd.

Fuji 800 also pushes very well - consider taking the film to a pro lab.
 
Brilliant! That's what I was thinking as well, having read up a bit on the film. I might indeed track down a professional lab (unless anyone can suggest a good one in Brisbane, Australia!).

I'm going in early with the band to check out how the lighting is happening tonight, so it should give me a decent indication. I've got 36 shots, time to have a bit of fun I reckon :)
 
F2, 1/125th ISO 1600 is always my starting point. if i can't meter the light beforehand and it's an averagely lit show I'll just go to F2, 1/125th and develop the film somwhere between 1600 and 3200. This usually generates perfectly usable images.

(very rarely will I go below 1/125th, but it all depends on what sort of band you're shooting).
 
Metal, heh. Will be a fun concert, that's for sure! It's an odd venue though, harsh lights, but I think the challenge will be great fun :)
 
I would shoot wide open at 125, but rather than deal with the hassles of color, I'd go 1600 BW or faster.
 
flip said:
I would shoot wide open at 125, but rather than deal with the hassles of color, I'd go 1600 BW or faster.
Click to expand...

That's actually what I _wanted_ to do, but couldn't get my hands on the film in time. *sigh*

Next time!

I'll make sure to post the set once she's done :D
 
Best of luck. Concerts are fun.

18565894_541633110_100large.jpg

Canon P + 501.4 / Illford 3200 via lab
 
Remember to expose for the artists (faces, hands, instruments) and not the background. Unless the back of the stage is strongly lit, any averaging type meter will tend to try to overexpose what you're trying to capture and that will also lead to longer exposures or wider apertures than you might really need to use. See if you can get a decent test reading off a drum face or something like it.
 
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