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Concert photography tips for beginners

Concert photography is one of the biggest challenges in whole photography. We will not have any control over the objects, lighting will change all the time and we will not be able to shoot from any angle, just from the place we stand. If you want to took that kind of photos, read my concert photography tips for beginners.


  • Use a lens with a small aperture, like 50mm 1.8, a fish-eye would be also useful (depends on situation).
  • Try to save money for a full frame camera and fast and light zoom lenses, like 24-70mm 2.8.
  • Try to get press accreditation.

THINK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE

First of all, we have to remember, that there are many other people around us that paid money to enjoy the concert. So try not to be an intruder and not interrupt their fun. People around also won't care if they are on your frame or not, so remember to take a look if there are not too many hands on the bottom of your photo.

DO NOT USE FLASH

Flash is very useful for a photography in dark places, but it's usually not permitted while concerts. This is because musicians would not be able to play if 10 or 20 flashes will flash their eyes all the time. Of course, if you are not standing near the scene, your camera's flash just won't be effective - it only will make your photo worst, because it will light people hands, heads or their cigarette's smoke.

Another problem is that if you will use your camera on automatic (or even semi-automatic) mode and use a flashlight, the camera will not know what's our interests (we will flash people, not the scene), so it will probably let less light into sensor and in results we will get a darker stage.

WAIT FOR THE SPOT LIGHTS

If the stage is dark it's a good idea to wait for the spotlights (the narrow, focused strong light) to light the artist we want to make a photo of. That kind of light will make your photo brighter and it will look much better (you will be surprised how much). Remember, that concert photography is to show it's atmosphere and the lights are a big part of it. 

Many concerts are dominated by red colour because artists like to show their energy and power. This is a very important thing to remember, because you don't want a situation that you come back from the concert, watch your photos and they all are red. Also, this colour can "burn" some places on your photography, so it's sometimes just better to make unexposed RAW's and then light them in Lightroom or any similar program. Another idea is to convert those burned red images to black and white, it can save your photography.

BE PATIENT

Patience is very important during concert photography. Sometimes you just have to set your camera, set your frame and wait many seconds or even minutes to get the shot you really want. Musicians are usually focused on their singing or playing and they won't make anything to make your life easier.

I hope you enjoyed this concert photography tips. It 's not very easy, but it's also not too hard when you will get some experience. So the best thing to do is just to start shooting and learning from our own mistakes. Good luck.

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