On 7/31/05, Amita Guha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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. >
I've tried shooting some friends who are in bands, with wildly mixed results. I've read the other posts, but I'll still add a few thoughts. First of all, it sounds like flash is not being considered. In my experience, some bands don't mind flash, some do. Maybe you can ask? If they're not sure, ask if you can take a few shots during warm-up or sound-check, just to see how they feel. In talking to some of the bands that I've used flash with, they're so "into the music" while performing, they say they don't even notice the flash going off. That being said, I pretty much don't like the flash stuff I've taken of bands. I find it too static and unemotional. If possible, I try to use wider lenses (I'm talking 40mm and wider) and get in close (again, if that's okay with the band). For some reason, I find those photos are the most intimate and telling photos of the night. Maybe getting in so close gets me more into the music and the feel of the band, I don't know. If I do use a longer lens, a monopod really helps. As others have mentioned, a tripod would be bulky, and a real safety issue in a dark bar or concert facility. I have film cameras, and ISO 3200 or 1600 usually does the trick for me. Don't worry about motion blur. I try to "time it' so that maybe the head's still, while other parts of the body are moving; that can be a nice effect. Even if the head's blurred, it can sometimes turn out to be an interesting shot. You're shooting digital: don't be afraid to experiment, take some shots that might be a bit different, but may end up looking terrific. Have fun, and I look forward to seeing pix posted. cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
