Not long ago, Angela Datre wrote about concert photography and how to capture the essence of it all. These days, with the usage of the web and the distribution of photos so easily many bands also want videos of their concerts/shows to be shot. As photojournalists are taught, you should be able to use the skills that you’ve honed as a photographer to pull this off very well in addition to using and learning some new tricks of the trade. Here are a couple of tried and true things to remember when shooting performances that have been learned from making mistakes and to continue getting business from the clients. [Read more…]
Concert Photography – Capturing the Essence of a Concert
The following post is by New York-based photographer and artist Angela Datre, who provides a thorough introduction into concert photography and delves into what it takes to capture the essence of a concert. Learn more about her at the end of this post.
“It’s very hard with a still photograph to capture the action of a concert. You try to see something in the face, the body, the lighting…Once I see a good shot in the viewfinder, it’s gone. The music gets inside of me, it’s in my brain, I’m close enough to the stage so that the vibration from the speakers is making my skin tingle, and I’m filling the viewfinder with the musician. I just always feel high.”
-Baron Wolman, Concert Photographer
When it comes down to it, I take photographs at the shows I attend because I can’t not take photographs when I am there. I feel awkward if I am not all the way up front-able to see everything, shoot everything. It started with snapshots in the crowd when I was younger and has now become a lifestyle, an obsession.
I thought I would write a blog post on live music photography because it is something that is so near and dear to me. And I’ll admit it; I started off the same way many young photographers start out-bringing a point and shoot digital camera to shows and shooting with a slow-shutter speed or tilting the camera so the image is askew. It took me some time to realize that there is so so much more you can do with live music photography and I feel the need to share what I have learned with others. [Read more…]