Shooting live music - at distance??

[gs.davies]

HI all, got an AMAZING break to shoot a major artist in a major London arena next week. Technical details are this..

1. The stage is going to be 100ft or so from where I have access to
2. It's a two song, no flash, no stools/ladder deal
3. I have a 5D1 which I can and will push to 3200 if necessary - I expect better than average light
4. My longest lens is 70-200 2.8L IS
5. I have no convertors and at short notice can't scrape up the deposit to rent one..

My questions are;

Does the exposure change that short of distance? If I can get a convertor, it'll be a 2x, which will bring my 2.8 lens down to a 5.6. Has anyone got any experience of shooting this type of gig with the equipment I have? Would I be better off getting the available light by sticking with the 2.8 and cropping later (and losing pixels) or should I save pixels for light??

I don't really want to take a 'suck it and see' approach as by the time I've fumbled around swapping the convertor (if I can get it) on and off, the two songs will be over.

Of course, the proper answer to this is a 400mm 2.8 lens (or longer) and a 5D2, but, you have to shoot with what you've got, not what you want!

Any ideas??

GD
Gary Davies Photography

[wulf]

If you haven't got the tools to get that "standing on the stage" feel, you might find it better to work with the strengths of what you do have available - for example wider shots that emphasise interactions and the artist's place in the peformance rather than struggling to get close-ups.

Also, don't forget to review your photos from time to time while you are taking them. A few seconds lost while glancing at the LCD is better than finding that all of your shots are under / overexposed or otherwise flawed.

Wulf