Concert Photography,

[mattdueck]

I am going to a concert this weekend and have done a little bit of research into what settings etc. My question is, aside from the obvious answers of fast glass (f2.8 lenses and better body from D5000) would it be worth to go drop $250 on a nikon AF-S 50mm for my D5000, and if not, I am 5 rows from the front of the stage and right beside the center catwalk...any advice, tips....would my f3.5-5.6 be sufficient for being that close or not, I know I have asked a loaded question, but muchly appreciated for all advice.

Thanks

[steve1840]

The 50mm should be alright to get the performer out on the catwalk, but being 5 rows back it may be a little short for action on the main stage. THe f3.5-5.6 may be alright if you can lock the aperture in at f4 depending on what body you are using and how the photos come out with the ISO bumped up to 800 or 1600. If you want to get an idea, check out my thread on here (1st attempt at photographing a concert). I shot that concert using the canon 24-105 F4 locked in a f4 for the entire concert with the ISO set at 800 and 1600 at different points during the show.

Ultimately its all going to depend on how well the stage is lit during the show. The F4 that I was using was great for 90% of the show, but there were a few occasions I had myself wishing I had a faster lens because there were some good moments that I missed out on because there wasn't enough light.

[Cary]

First off, I assume that professional cameras at this concert are allowed (or you can sneak one in reasonably safely)?

Secondly, it all depends on how good the spotlights are. The bigger shows at bigger venues tend to use powerful beams to spotlight the musicians, but that's not always the case. Check out other photos from the same tour on Flickr to figure out how good/bad the lighting will be. I normally go f2.8, but have used my 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 plenty of times with good results.

[chrisparypa]

You couldn't get more lucky :) Cary is a specialist I would consider him as a pro, top shelf concert photographer :)

[Cary]

You couldn't get more lucky :) Cary is a specialist I would consider him as a pro, top shelf concert photographer :)

Haha, thanks Chris. My concert photos still pale in comparison to a lot of other concert photographers, but thanks for the kind words. Let me know where to mail your monthly payment :tongue:

[SmAlbany]

In my one and only forray into taking concert pictures, I used my Canon Xti (certainly not pro equipment) with my 70-200 f/4 zoom. I was in the second row of the bleachers (not on the floor) but they had a catwalk part of the stage that went out into the crowd and I was about even with that. I shot manual exposure because with the flashing of lights and effects, the auto exposure settings were having a tough time. I mostly used f/4, 1/100 @ ISO 800. While not perfect, I was pretty happy with the results.

http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o215/Sacandaga86/ACDC/

[steve1840]

Also, don't forget to use SPOT METERING. Using evaluative (or matrix for you nikon users) metering will not give you the quality of shots you're looking for and will either over or under expose your shots.