Rock Band Pictures

[Webby]

Hi

I'm wanting to start taking pictures of local performing rock bands.

Because of the low lighting and different colored lighting used for their light shows
any suggestions, tips, techniques or resources would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Bob

[OsmosisStudios]

fast glass. That means lenses that have a maximum aperture of 2.8 or greater. Generally this means youre looking at some big bucks for zooms, but primes arent too bad, depending on your range and camera system

[zmatcher]

actually, I was thinking of doing the same thing. Can you elaborate a little more on what you mean by "fast glass".
thanks!!

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by zmatcher

actually, I was thinking of doing the same thing. Can you elaborate a little more on what you mean by "fast glass".
thanks!!

fast glass just means a lens with an f/stop of 2.8 or lower and preferably it can maintain that low f/stop all through out the focal range.

for example:

Canon 28-105 f3.5-4.5

The above lens translates to a Canon lens that can have a focal length/zoom factor of 28mm to 105mm with a maximum f/stop of 3.5 at 28mm and a maximum f/stop of 4.5 at 105mm. This is due to the design of the lens.

If you see only one number after the letter "f" then that means it can maintain that f/stop through out the focal length/zoom range. An example of this is Canon 24-70mm f/2.8. It's a bigger lens but it can have an f/stop of 2.8 at 24mm or at 70mm.

The only reason they call it fast glass is because at f/2.8 the aperture is bigger so it lets in more light. The more light it let's in, the faster the shutter speed can be because it doesn't need as much time to keep it open to expose the picture properly. So the "fast" in "fast glass" relates to the shutter speed but it's affected by the f/stop.

Hope I didn't babble too much.

[zmatcher]

Originally Posted by oldwolf

fast glass just means a lens with an f/stop of 2.8 or lower and preferably it can maintain that low f/stop all through out the focal range.

for example:

Canon 28-105 f3.5-4.5

The above lens translates to a Canon lens that can have a focal length/zoom factor of 28mm to 105mm with a maximum f/stop of 3.5 at 28mm and a maximum f/stop of 4.5 at 105mm. This is due to the design of the lens.

If you see only one number after the letter "f" then that means it can maintain that f/stop through out the focal length/zoom range. An example of this is Canon 24-70mm f/2.8. It's a bigger lens but it can have an f/stop of 2.8 at 24mm or at 70mm.

The only reason they call it fast glass is because at f/2.8 the aperture is bigger so it lets in more light. The more light it let's in, the faster the shutter speed can be because it doesn't need as much time to keep it open to expose the picture properly. So the "fast" in "fast glass" relates to the shutter speed but it's affected by the f/stop.

Hope I didn't babble too much.

Very helpful - thanks!

[benjamieson]

If I can manage to sneak it in to a gig, I will always take my 50mm f/1.4. Even if I'm not really close to the stage, it never lets me down due to its wide wide aperture.

Here's some of the stuff I've managed to get with the lens, usually from 10-25 rows back:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/islandl...7609454910983/

Not sure what you're shooting with, but if its Nikon or Canon, then they both offer a 50mm f/1.8, which is awesome for this type of stuff, for around $100.

Well worth the investment!

[PKSon]

I agree with the fast glass, and another thing I want to throw in would be "don't be afraid to use high ISO." The grain gives (esp rock bands) a gritty look which goes well with the atmosphere.

I would also like to mention that trying to compensate with lighting would be very hard. So, as long as you have a manual setting that you think works well, then don't change settings with every shot. The lights would mess around with your metering system.