Rock Concert Photography & Madonna Madness !!
September 7th 2006 13:42
Mad...Mad... donna...
The controversial material girl had hit the headlines again! This time it’s with the clergies of Russia…
“The members of a radical Russian Orthodox group speared a poster of U.S. pop star Madonna and demanded a ban on her show in which she stages a mock- crucifixion wearing a crown of thorns, describing it as "blasphemy"!!”
Despite this, tickets to her September 12th concert - part of her "Confessions" global tour -- had been sold nearly two months in advance.
It seems the ‘material’ world is much more powerful than the spiritual!!
Guy: "Wow, I'm certainly blessed!!!"
This made me look into the possibilities of being a good concert photographer!! Well all of us love to get that perfect shot of our favourite stars / heroes, but what are the golden rules to getting that shot?
Live concert photography is one of the most difficult ones amongst other types of photography. With five thousand fans behind you literally hysterical, and there is a band in front of you, the bouncers hate you because you are in their way - you must be out of your mind to even consider lifting your hand to position your camera!
Well if you want to beat the odds and come out with some great, great shots of the concert here are some tips to follow:
In 40s & still going strong!
Tip #1: Be part of it
It’s about capturing the mood. Capturing the looks. Capturing something the audience is feeling.
Tip #2: Follow the standard rules
(a) No flash photography – because it’s shot at low light environment.
(b) First 3 songs only
(c) What the security guys say is Gospel
The first 3 songs concept may not apply to some because in certain artists give their best at the end. So it’s helpful to know the nature of the concert performer(s) in advance. This’ll allow you to plan ahead.
The 'Siren' Girl...!
Tip #3: Be professional & get a photo pass
The bouncers are lot likely to treat you as a professional and escort you to the right spot for the photo shoot.
Tip #4: Call the venue, and tell them that you are photographing.
This is more effective with smaller crowd performance. Not when a concert is flooded with 50,000 fans.
Material Girl!
Tips #5: Observe around you
Concert lighting move in patterns, and you need to try and snap the photo of once the lighting is exactly right.
Tip #6: Always shoot in fully manual
It’ll be too dark for your auto focus, and the rapidly changing lights mean that your light meter is worthless.
Naughty... Naughty Madonna..!
Tip #7: Take a lot of photos
I guess this is mostly a personal thing, but I prefer photos where I get really close. So get as close as you can.
Tip #8: Change your vantage point. .
You can walk all the way back and forth in front of the stage. Do it.
Triumphant Madonna
Tip #9: Finally, If you can’t “feel” how a photo is going to turn out before you look at your digital display at the back of the camera, perhaps you aren’t ready for concert photography quite yet.
There’s no shame in that - just keep practicing. After all practice makes perfect =)
Besides these, if you want some inspiration by looking at some of the cool photos taken of concert performance please visit the following sites:
Concert Photography (1)
Concert Photography (2)
( Photos of the post are curtsey from the Topix.net and Absolute Madonna : used exclusively as reference)
Well guess this should keep you going, till next!
| 65 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
