If you have ever shot a live performance, you know that it can be difficult getting the right settings on your camera for a properly exposed photograph. There is a lot going on during a live performance: the musicians are moving around, the lights are dimming and changing colors. One really has to channel their "Inner Chi" to predict what is going to happen next.
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| Couture, Tom, Mitch Lucker from Suicide Silence, 2010. |
One of the first students whom I ever had the pleasure of teaching in a college classroom, Tom Couture, became a concert photographer. Along with years of studying and experience shooting live music, Couture would most likely agree that there are a few basics one has to learn when shooting a live performance, particularly from "the press pit". These basics refer to "exposure".
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| Couture, Tom, Metallica, 2009. |
First and foremost, a photographer should be shooting on the "Manual" setting verses "Aperture" or "Shutter Priority". The next step for one to think about is what to set the "Aperture" to: wide-open! With a low light situation, it is best to keep your aperture open as wide as possible to allow for light to enter the lens. In regards to shutter speed, ideally it's a good idea to shoot 1/250th of a second or faster. However, if the light is low, try not to shoot slower than 1/100th of a second. The last thing to consider when adjusting your manual settings is the ISO. There's no easy answer for this one and I would recommend shooting on whatever works best; typically an ISO of 1600. These days, the DSLR cameras can handle a high ISO and one can still avoid grain.
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| Couture, Tom, (left) Flaming Lips (right) Mushroom Head, (left) 2012 (right) 2011. |
Given the vast array of lights that are used during a performance, it's best to place your White Balance on "Auto". This will allow your camera to pick up all the natural color temperature of everything that is going on. Place your camera on "Continuous" shooting so you do not miss a beat; this also makes it a little easier to channel your "Chi". Any good photographer will tell you that it is best to get it right "in camera" although, be prepared to make edits in post. To have the most control over your images, always shoot RAW files verses JPEG files. To read more about shooting concerts, check out Todd Owyoung's article on PetaPixel titled "Camera Settings for Concert Photography".
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Owyoung, Todd. "Camera Settings for Concert Photography." PetaPixel RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2014.