Great advice from Cotty. I have one thing to add: If the performers are
under spotlights, you should get a meter reading for that light, not an
average of the entire stage. Use the spotmeter on your *istD and get a
reading off of an illuminated face. If the performer is light skinned,
add one stop of exposure to that reading. If they're of medium to dark
complexion, go with your meter reading.
Paul
On Aug 1, 2005, at 2:56 AM, Cotty wrote:
On 31/7/05, Amita Guha, discombobulated, unleashed:
A friend of mine is playing drums in a band on Tuesday night, and he
gave me
permission to shoot them. I have never tried to do this with
"serious" gear.
I believe the space will be pretty small and dark. I'm planning on
taking
the FA 50mm f/1.4 and the FA 31mm f/1.8. My fastest lenses beyond the
50mm
are the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.9 and the Tamron 90mm f/2.8. Will this be
fast
enough? I tried to buy the 77mm Ltd. today, but it's out of stock in
black.
:) Is it worth it to try to bring a tripod? I imagine not because of
motion
blur...anyway, I'd appreciate any thoughts on this kind of shooting.
Forget the tripod unless you're after a particular effect. I assume
you'll be using digital? Depends on what 'small and dark' means. Most
stage facilities - even the worst - have some form of lighting on the
band, even if it's a few hundred watt bulbs over their heads. It's
surprising how bright it can be on faces and instruments. Definitely
take
the Tamron - you will find the 50mm will not reach as much as you would
like. Blurred movement in shots of this subject matter can add feeling,
look at Frank's excellent work. Try a few with this in mind. Depth of
field will be the enemy - you won't win, so don't try (assuming you're
not using flash - I wouldn't). Watch for repetitive movement that can
be
frozen at a certain point - a hand on a downward stroke on a guitar, a
head nodding to the rhythm - anticipate and trip the shutter
accordingly.
Keep close and low, try and have free movement across the front of the
stage. If this is not possible, pick a point where you can see faces,
off
to one or other side. Watch for the lead vocal - facial expressions
tend
to repeat with refrains. Anticipate.
There are as many ways to approach this subject as there are songs in
the
world ;-)
Good luck!
HTH
Cheers,
Cotty
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