Photographing Bands: Learning the three L's

Perhaps you have a friend playing at a local bar this weekend or maybe you've been hired to shoot the latest Lady GaGa concert. Either way there are several things to take into consideration when preparing to photograph a music event, but they can easily be broken down into the three L's: Lens, Lights, and Location. If you properly prepare for these three things, you'll be good to go when the band takes the stage.

Lens

This is probably one of the biggest concerns when photographing a concert. Which is better, a zoom or prime lens? Should I take a wide angle or short tele? First of all, your Location will be a determining factor in this equation. If you can't get very close to the stage, then yes you'll need a short telephoto, and if you can get close, then you won't need one. But you should be able to secure a spot close to the stage (more about this in Location.) You're best bet is to bring a fast prime lens. A 1.8 or 1.4 is the ticket. If you don't have a fast prime, I highly recommend picking one up, even if you're not shooting a band. Standard primes are cheap and some of the best lenses you will ever use.

A 50mm will probably suit you best for shooting a concert. It's close enough that you can get some shots of individual band members, yet wide enough that you can back up and get the whole band in the frame. Again, depending on your location, you may need something a little longer like an 85mm, but I wouldn't go much longer than that. Even though you can often get further away than you can closer, you should still want a lens where you can get a wide shot up close. If all you bring is your 135mm, you're going to have to go way back behind the crowd to get a full shot of the band. I would avoid zooms, even a fast one like the 24-70mm 2.8, because that extra two stops of light in a 1.4 makes a big difference.

Recommended Cameras:

Nikon D500 | Nikon D3300 | Canon EOS Rebel T5 | Sony A7RII | Canon 7D Mark II

Lights

Okay, here's the deal. Lighting at a concert, especially for local gigs, is never going to be great. You're never going to walk into a venue and say, “Wow, this lighting is perfect.” It's just not going to happen. But this doesn't mean you can't get some great shots. You just have to use what you have available to you. When the concert first starts, observe and take note of where the different lights are and where the members of the band are standing/moving. Take a few test shots and see where the lights are shining. With most performances, the lights often change color and intensity and often very quickly. You may take three photos on burst fire mode and notice that they're all different.

The best advice I can give is shoot wide open and don't be afraid to bump up that ISO. You may get a little noise in the shadows, but it's much better than a bunch of blurry images. You may also want to set your exposure compensation down a few notches depending on the background of your scene. If your shooting a band member and the background behind him is very dark, your camera may be trying to bring out detail in that dark area and set a shutter speed slower than you really need. If you don't need the detail in the background, lower your shutter speed and focus on the exposure of your main subject.

I'd like to mention few things about flashes too. Generally, they are frowned upon and you shouldn't use them. They are distracting to the band and to the audience. Do not ever use a flash without asking permission first from both the event coordinators/venue host and the band. If you do get the go ahead, use diffused flash and set it on a very low power. If you're in a dim venue, you won't need very much flash power to light the scene.

Location

Even if you have the best camera, best lens, and best lighting in the world, you're not going to get great photos if you're stuck behind a thousand audience members. It's all about location, and to get the best spot, you've got to talk to some people. I know not everyone is comfortable with talking to strangers about these kinds of things, but you have to do it if you want a good spot and if you want to be a respected photographer. Nobody like the guy who comes up to the front of the stage and starts taking pictures of the band without anyone's consent.

If you talk to the event coordinator/venue host, I bet you'll find they are a lot more accommodating than you expect. They want publicity, and if you're taking photos of a band at their establishment then they'll be glad to help out. You may even be able to sell them photos if they have a website or another medium they publish in. Just remember to be courteous and respectful. If they say no photos, then don't prod them. If you don't know the band, talk to them while they're setting up and let them know that you'll be taking photos of them. Again, they'll be thankful for the publicity and are often very welcoming.

If you have free range of the venue, check out the layout of the place a hour or so before, or maybe even a day before if it's a large place. At one particularly small venue, I was even able to go backstage and get some great silhouette shots of the band members. Just walk around if you can and find different angles. If all your shots come form the exact same spot, they will severely limit your portfolio and make it look amateurish.

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Image credit: kzenon / 123RF Stock Photo

Written by Spencer Seastrom