so my friend got me backstage passes to stony larue (http://www.myspace.com/stoneylarueandthearsenals), and they want us to take some pictures of them in action. i've never shot concert photography before. i don't know the first thing about it. i usually shoot portraits and stuff like that. any tips, suggestions, guides, edu's? i have a d300, d80, 85 1.4, 24-70 2.8, sb-600 thanks!
Commander Mode, Off Camera Flash in left hand on a mono pod, hold it high and to the left of subject, Shoot pics with 24-70 on the d300 and the d80 with the 85mm WIN WIN WIN Haha I actually just made that up, I have no clue what I am talking about.
I think part of the appeal of concert photography is using available light. Plus most performers don't appreciate flashes going off in their face all night... lol
Hehe, Well its not all P.S I went to the US OPEN (a surfing Compt). And some guy was photographing the vert section of the skateboarding compt. And that's what he was doing, I thought it was awesome. He had like a 4 foot monopod with a flash on it and was like putting it under the skater as he flew up the ramp and then pulled it back before it came back down. I thought it was awesome.
the 24-70 is your best bet for that, its a shame its not wide enough in the d300 but you should be able to use it for everything
Highest ISO you can get decent results in. No flash, 1/25 exposures, I tend to go a stop underexposed. It mostly depends on the venue size and your shooting location. I'd say the d300 and 24-70 is what would be the best combo to use. The 85 1.4 may be nice to have for a few shots, but probably not really that useful for the majority of stuff. Most performers don't mind the use of flash, as long as there is a full lighting rig, they can't really tell unless you are using something ridiculous. But to me, at least, it is so ugly. Maybe for some B&W shots, but using the available light is more organic feeling.