Top Tips for Gig Photography
If you want to try shooting something a little more challenging yet extremely fun, a great place to take your camera is to small local gigs. Digital cameras boast the versatility of allowing you to be able to manually control many aspects of how you shoot, and there are many camera exchange opportunities enabling you to find the perfect camera for your needs that really improves your photography. Here are some top tips to help you capture the perfect shot on-stage.
This is one of the first things you should look at changing on your camera’s settings. If you change how sensitive your camera is to light, you can control how your final images turn out. Some digital cameras allow you to boost your ISO to above 32,000, but be careful; too high and your images will be overall noisy and full of grain. Try setting your ISO between 600 and 1500 for low-light gigs.
Aperture
Your goal in a low-light situation is to let as much light in as possible, so opening your lens wide is going to help. Some lenses allow you to go as low as 1.4. If this isn’t possible, don’t worry, anything less than 5.6 should be fine with the correct ISO and shutter speed combination.
Shutter Speed
If you want shots which freeze the performers’ movements, go for a fast shutter speed. However, try not to go above 1/250 of a second as it won’t allow enough time for light to get to your camera sensor, leaving you with dark images that even the most proficient of Photoshop users would struggle to save. For shots with motion, which is ideal in gig photography, try a slower shutter speed such as 1/60 of a second. This looks great when focusing on guitarists and drummers, for instance.
Exposure
Practising with the right combination of shutter speed, ISO and aperture will ensure your exposure levels are at 0 on your light meter, giving you a usable and atmospheric shot you can be proud of.
Contact us for help exchanging your older camera for a newer model and call Camera Exchange on 0208 371 4179 where an experienced and friendly member of the team can help you.
