Grateful Dead Music Forum

Living in Colorado I get a lot of opportunities to shoot local/national bands at some of the great theatres, etc. I just started doing this recently, so its been a (sometimes difficult) learning process. Let me tell you--it sucks major ass to go to a show and take 300 pics only to have 1 (if that) that's any good.

I've recently gotten my lazy ass around to actually posting some of the pics I've taken recently. If anyone wants to take a look and give me any criticism (good/bad/indifferent), please feel free. Thanks.

http://photos.headsallempty.org/Music

I think you have a future in the band photog business!

I feel like i am living in a vaccuum living on the east coast. Do any of these blue grass fusion type bands ever come to New York City???

Laytonco wrote:I think you have a future in the band photog business!

I think you have a very good future as a publicist. :)

1960strat wrote:I feel like i am living in a vaccuum living on the east coast. Do any of these blue grass fusion type bands ever come to New York City???

That's one of the reasons why I moved from the east cost to CO. :)

"Going where the climate suits my clothes..."

nice photos man, i'm in school for photography right now so i know what your sayin about taking 300 photos with only a few that end up turning out well. Especially at concerts, its very hard to properly expose a photo in a concert setting. The photos you posted are very good, i like the honkeytonk homeslice photos alot. What kind of camera do you use?

drums>space wrote:nice photos man, i'm in school for photography right now so i know what your sayin about taking 300 photos with only a few that end up turning out well. Especially at concerts, its very hard to properly expose a photo in a concert setting. The photos you posted are very good, i like the honkeytonk homeslice photos alot. What kind of camera do you use?

Thanks. I use a Nikon D70 (no flash obviously). Exposure and focus are my two main issues. Exposure I'm getting better at, but my focus is sometimes totally out of whack (like focusing on the mic instead of the performer). I use AF which is probably part of my reason, but I tried a couple of times to use manual focus and it was just like a drunken blur for the most part. :)

I have a degree in photo and worked in the field and studio for awhile, I love shooting concerts and or musicions with their instruments.I have shot the Grateful Dead,The dead, phil, bobby,bo diddley, buddy guy, stones to name a few. There is no money in it but its fun. Your photos are decent, good exsposure, color. The only things I would focus on getting better at would be not cutting off the headstock of the instruments, and if your going to shoot a full body shot make sure not to cut the feet off.If your going to crop make sure you cut off above the knee.Ah and of course the dreaded mike stands.If a mike stand is in the way or covering up something as small as a hand the editors wont take it(try to work around every angle if possible). Also if you have a 70-200 or 300 2.8 try getting a bunch of close ups(face) the tighter the better.Just a few things that might help you make a better photo,Keep shooting they look pretty good. Peace David

Especially when the headstock shows it's an Alembic!!![/quote]

yeah man you should start messing with the manual focus, using the manual you can control the depth of field easier, so rather than just the mic being most focused, you can get it all in focus.

dpmphoto--Thanks a bunch! Great advice. Right now I only have the 55/1.8 lens so I can't really get in tight on their faces, but that's the next step. But the advice on full body/cropping/headstock is great. Thanks again.

drums>space--Yeah, manual focus is the way to go, I know. But I'm so bad at it. And I know that the first couple of times I'm going to suck ass and have drunken blurry photos. What I need to do is head down to a show I don't care about and practice my manual focus on that. That way I'm not pissed when they come out like shit. Thanks for the advice.