5. Think about the colour.
Colour has a great impact on how your photography is received. Concentrate on that aspect and play with saturation and white balance. If some colours are crucial for the atmosphere you want to create make them pop out.
6. Don’t forget the drummer.
This advice comes from one of the best New York event photographers – Todd Owyoung. Show the variety of characters in the band. Even though drummers are usually not easy to reach with your camera make an afford and you’ll enrich the reportage with some great shots. You’ll need to use a telephoto lens or simply – get closer to the drummer. Below you can see the action shot of Mediaeval Baebes drummer – Ben Woollacott.
7. Try to avoid focus distractions.
If there are a lot of singers in your frame, it’s not easy to make your camera focus on the right one – especially in low light situations. For example: if a hand of another singer or a microphone is close to your subject’s face the camera may get lost. Avoid these situations and change the angle a bit so your focus point is away from these distractions. Additionally – remember that your camera always focuses best on areas with big contrast. So point your camera at the eye or a hair borderline to get a sharp picture.
Summary
To sum up, these are my tricks for live music photography:
- Focus on the artist, create different plans and compose well.
- Photograph with a wide open aperture.
- Take a sequence of photos – Continuous (high) Drive Mode.
- Use Continuous Autofocus.
- Think about the color.
- Don’t forget the drummer.
- Try to avoid focus distractions.
Use those tips and most of all – have fun with it! Have your camera set up right so there are no limits to your creativity.
Try it out and let me know the results in the comments below. Maybe you have another tip to add? 🙂
x Ula
great photos!!!
Thank you! x 🙂
Thank you for bringing me to the land of the bygone age for at least a moment. Your photographs are so fairy-tale-like and picturesque that imagining the music played in St James’s Church Picadilly wasn’t a problem. The photograph which made the biggest impression on me is the one with the choir having the stained glass window behind them. Not only does it show the beauty of the church and charm of the models but also the astonishing atmosphere of the event. Your photographs have influenced my imagination so much that I’ve decided to go to the next concert of the band in Peterborough Cathedral. Thank you for the tips how to photograph in low light situations without any flash lighting. I think that your thoughts and pictures can be an inspiration not only for beginners but for the experienced photographers as well. Thank you for a great artistic experience. Jarek
Thank you very much. I’m glad you like the photographs and tips. Hope you tried them out during the concert. Mediaeval Baebes’ shows are indeed beautiful.