It’s Okay, I’m With The Band

 By Jeff Allen

I’ve heard “Hey, you’re a photographer, ya wanna come shoot pictures of the band…” many times over the years. I think I have the hearing damage to prove that I have said “yes”,(usually gratis) more than a few times. So when friends who are members of “The Country Music Project” Band asked me, ”Hey…” would I shoot their first club gig, I said “yes” again.

Photographing in clubs presents a number of unique challenges, including low light, high sound volume, small stages, crowds on the dance floor, and did I mention low light…

Technology improvements have made it easier than ever to get good images in extreme situations. Modern digital SLR cameras have great low light capability. Digital low light performance, in my opinion, way exceeds the quality of images I was able to capture on fast film.

Add the latest in Tamron lens technology, and I had a winning combination for shooting the band…

I chose the Tamron SP AF 17-50 f2.8 VC for its speed, sharpness wide open, and Tamron’s VC stabilizer for reducing camera shake. Always prepared, I also brought the Tamron AF 18-270 f3.5-6.3, mostly for fun, not expecting to need or use it because I didn’t expect to have adequate light on the stage. Fortunately, stage lighting has also come a long way in recent years, so I was able to put both lenses to good use.

The stage lighting still wasn’t spectacular and I needed to use ISO 3200 for the shots made with stage light. I also brought along an attachable flash which I used during a late set at ISO 400 set on the camera, to get some more realistic looking color. Color fidelity is another challenge with stage lights. I was able to shoot at reasonable shutter speeds, due to the light and VC stabilizer in both lenses, and a variety of apertures to try to carry depth of field through the scene in many shots. I was also lucky that the club was large so I was able to move around to get good shooting angles. That was a luxury.

So, when your friends say “hey” to you, use the right tools, you too can say, “It’s OK, I’m with the band. FYI, find the band at: http://countrymusicproject.com

Good shooting.

Well their name isn't up in lights, but an establishing shot is good for story telling. ISO 200, Tamron 17-50 at 50mm, f2.8, 1/25sec. 

Amazing VC! 18-270 at 110mm, 1/30 sec at f5.6

Bass player tends to be off on the side in the dark. 17-50 at 50mm, 1/80sec at f2.8

Look for facial expressiveness. 18-270 at 60mm, 1/100sec at f4.5

Show musicianship. Use motion blur to advantage. 18-270 at 270mm, 1/30sec at f6.3

Try flash, but get permission. 17-50 at 20mm, 1/60 sec at f3.5 with diffuser box on flash. Use an attachable flash. A built in flash won't cut it.

Comments

[Tim Sorrells]

I have been trying to nail a "one and done" shot of each individual member in the band my brother plays lead guitar. They use two four can sets of gel covered lights. The lights in the small bar venues is usually very low. I did shoot the band in black and white @ ISO 400, 50 mm, 1/60 @ F 1.8 with an EV of + 5. The band was very pleased with the change. I do not know if buying a F 1.4 would make that much of a difference. The DOF is very shallow of course, so timing of the shot is critical. Multiple shots are a must using continuous low setting. I try to shoot around 200 shots. Flash is not an option due to band member an venue restrictions.

[Jeff Allen]

Hi Tim,

Your bw shooting approach may be the best for your needs. Upgrading
from a 1.8 lens to 1.4 is probably a large investment forthe small change
it provides. You only pick up about 2/3 stop of light gathering, going from f1.8
to f1.4. Why not just bump upyour camera to ISO 800 and get
anotherFULL stopof light gathering without investing another dime.
ISO 1600 may not be out of the question, giving you two stops.Probably not
enough additional noise in your captures to be objectionable, depending on your
camera, at least at ISO 800. You didnt note in your commentwhether youre
shooting film or digital. If you shoot film, and dont process ityourself,
make sure your lab can push the one or two stops when they process it for you,
or find one that can.

Good luck, and good shooting!

Jeff

In a message dated 8/31/2010 10:48:08 P.M. Central Daylight Time,

[Karl]

I have been shooting bar bands for years on video, but only recently have I become seriously interested in getting "great" still shots. I have found that I get really sweet results from my Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 and my Canon 50mm f1.8 Using a T1i, I find that I can get good results at an ISO of 400-800 generally. I have been working at a particular club long enough that I have convinced the owner let me have some of the gels that he uses for his stage cans, and Now I can match my flash color to the ambient light that the any give band is using. Occasionally bigger groups bring in their own lights, and since most of them are LED rigs, They provide plenty of light for smooth shots, especially in the reds and blues. Yellows and greens tend to give a very "alien" appearance to the players so I tend to shoot around those colors.