concert photography problem

[Ninich]

Hi everyone!

I've snooped through this forum and came across a few interesting posts about concert photography. They all give pretty cool tips that I find more than usefull. The thing is...
I am really interested in concert photography, I would love to maybe do it professionally one day (but let's leave it for the future.. ), I enjoy photographing musicians on stage, I don't mind the bad light and all... I love to show other people the atmosphere of the show through my photography.
But where I come from, you can't bring the actual camera to a concert most of the time! Of course, unless you have a press-pass. Which you can't get unless you are in the press. And no one will hire you without seeing some of your previous concert photographs. Which you can't make cause you can't bring a real camera to any concert. Sometimes you can sneak in a tiny compact, but you can't really make good quality pictures with it.
So what I am curious about is whether any of you have some similar conditions and if you have some tips, ideas, clues (...) how to deal with such rules, and maybe tips how to do good concert photography with a compact??
Thanks in advance!

[Wombat]

Tricky situation. But ...
A while ago i did some shooting of Jazz festival in Poland (you can see some shots on Flickr). Lucky me i did get inside with out any problems. I assure the organizers that i am not using flash (big no no on concerts) and that i will also offer any shots after the concerts to the organizers.
Friend of mine contacted local music magazine and asked if he can get the pass for the concerts in exchange for free shots. Guess what...? He got it and he also got some small jobs from it as well.
Try this approach, it may work. .

[inkista]

You want this link:
http://photo.net/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i.htm

It was written in the days of film, but it still has a ton of great information, particularly:

Part I: Introduction. Getting credentials, ethical considerations, who buys this kind of photography, why we'll never make a living at it, the stress of six ISO 1600 rolls in ten minutes with no flash.

[Ninich]

Thank you very much!!

[wulf]

Try going to smaller gigs on the local scene. As long as you aren't interfering with the act and spoiling the event for others, you'll often be welcome, especially if you give some shots back to the musicians to use in their publicity.

Where DO you live? Providing a general clue might spark some specific ideas that will help.

Wulf

[Ninich]

I'm from Zagreb, Croatia.
I often go to smaller gigs at tiny clubs, and even when there are local (and fairly unknown) bands playing, I get stopped at the entrance because of my camera.
But I'll use your advice and offer the pics back to the musicians. Hopefully it will help me at least to get started. Thanks!

[wulf]

Certainly on the UK music scene, I'd want to talk to the bands first before just showing up with a camera. Some won't be interested but I'd expect others to jump at the chance and be glad to invite you as a guest to their events.

As a musician too, I'd be very happy with that (although do make sure you follow through on any promise of shots - my groups haven't been photographed often and it is even rarer than that for us to actually see any of the results, which isn't so good).

Wulf

[Ninich]

Well, if you ever play in Croatia, I'd be more than happy to photograph your band!

The thing is, my biggest concern is the fact that I can hardly get any practice at concert photography, especially because it's a lot more demanding compared to... I don't know, photographing a flower, if you know what I mean. I would feel really guilty if I contacted a band to let me photograph them playing and offered my work - and end up with horrible photographs.
But your advice is definitely really helpfull. I sent several e-mails this afternoon to people organizing some festival here in Zagreb that I will be attending anyway. I explained the situation, and offered to give them photos if they wanted to use them in their publications / for their websites... and now I'm keeping my fingers crossed to get any (and hopefully positive) response.

[cielosea]

I have to shoot a theater show this afternoon...I have shot tons of sports under many conditions but the lighting on the stage baffles me a little...what aperture, iso and shutter speed would you recommend? I shoot a Canon 30D with either a 28-70 2.8 Canon or a 70-200 2.8 Sigma. any suggestions will be most appreciated.

[wulf]

It depends on the lighting. Try some shots and see what results you get. The challenge will probably be that it is relatively dim compared to outside, so you will probably be using an ISO above the minimum and an aperture near maximum. Assuming you are a little distance from the stage, you will probably still get a reasonable depth of field.

Wulf