Camera Labs

hi my friend has asked me to take photos of a hip hop band she manages. ive ask for $30 n hour and a $100 post prouction fee. does that seen ok? its only my second gig and i dont have much experiance with photographing bands.

they want about 30 images for a web site.

let me know what you think and any suggestions on what sorta images to take, settings to use, anything that could help! i have a canon 50D + 17-85mm lens, and could borrow my mums flash.

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gear:
Canon EOS 50D w EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens
Canon powershot G10
Canon film SLR EOS 1000f w EF 35-80mm f/4.5-5.6 & EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6mm

Wish List:
Canon 60mm f/2.8 macro

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theresas_diaries/

Definitely try low angle shots, I've seen many (rock band) pics from a low angle which I liked. Do they rehearse before the gig? If so, THAT would be your moment to find the best spots, and talk to them about using flash etc.

going to shoot a friend's gig for free tomorrow

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I take pictures so quickly, my highschool was "Continuous High".

Okay, you're not responding, but anyhow, I shot the gig. If you need any inspiration, check out my pictures. I found that most people automatically make way for you if you have a big camera, so that's a plus. Be a bit bold, you can get away with it.

Also, don't just stand in the public. Move around a lot. I kept trying to photograph the drummer who was hidden behind his kit, and by moving around I discovered I could move to the side of the stage, and get some perfect shots off

pics are @ http://citruspers.deviantart.com

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I take pictures so quickly, my highschool was "Continuous High".

thanx for your input.

i have noticed that about the having a big camera. peeople see it (esp when mounted wiht a lens hood) and assume your a proffessional for the place and get acess. plus ill have a backstage pass around my neck.

do u sugest a lens hood if its going to be inside? i worried about the camera getting knocked by people and im not exactly a tall person so wanted to it there to protect the camera. just dont want it making my images to dark.

_________________
gear:
Canon EOS 50D w EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens
Canon powershot G10
Canon film SLR EOS 1000f w EF 35-80mm f/4.5-5.6 & EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6mm

Wish List:
Canon 60mm f/2.8 macro

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theresas_diaries/

just went through your photo stream. they are all fantastic. i love the your use of angles/prospectives. fantastic macro work too btw.

for the gig did u use a flash?

_________________
gear:
Canon EOS 50D w EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens
Canon powershot G10
Canon film SLR EOS 1000f w EF 35-80mm f/4.5-5.6 & EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6mm

Wish List:
Canon 60mm f/2.8 macro

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theresas_diaries/

Okay, my motto is to always use a lens hood. A lens hood reduces any stray light that you don't want in your image in the first place. This is important, especially with the lights on a stage. A lens hood will not darken your picture in any way, it just prevents flares from other lights. (+ it's a great impact shield for your lens)
The only time you need to take off your lens cap is when you use your popup flash, or it will cause a nasty shadow on the bottom. This may even happen with the shortest focal lengths if you have a long lens, so experiment with that.

Secondly, bump your ISO. Stages are often poorly lit, and I had to set my ISO to 1600 to get sharp pictures. This also helps freeze people in mid-air if they do their moves.

Third, set your camera to centre-weighted or spot metering. I found that the normal metering grossly over-exposed the frontman, and underexposed the others behind him. The soundcheck is a great moment to check your lighting.

About flash: I talked it through with the band, and they weren't very fond of flashes. Combine that with the supreme noise performance of my camera and image stabilisation, and there's no trouble at all.
You don't want to be that annoying person blinding everyone, that certainly does not make you popular amongst the band and crowd.

If they are okay with it though, flash moderately

Thanks for the kind comments, and if you have any more questions feel free.

EDIT: here's a page about lens flares, and the use of lens hoods. They have pictures and explained it better than I can.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutori ... -flare.htm

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I take pictures so quickly, my highschool was "Continuous High".

I shoot a LOT of live music. I mostly do it for fun because musicians never have any money.

-never use flash. it just sucks the life out of a pic.
-red spot lights are the enemy.
-I prefer to monotone the shots afterwards. Stage lighting is such a mixed bag and usually the colored stage lights do funky things.
-fast lenses are your friends. 50 1.4, 85 1.8 - good lenses to have with you. Stabilization helps hand shake but not if the subject is moving
-shooting low and up gives you a more static clean background.

I can only agree to Ravenmore. I've taken some shots at 18 mm just to get that 3.5 aperture

Also, shoot RAW. As ravenmore said: red spotlights are your enemy, and completely ruin your whitebalance. Shooting in raw lets you easily compensate afterwards.

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I take pictures so quickly, my highschool was "Continuous High".