Concert photography 2/2

Following the first blog we continue with camera settings.

The photographs used in this blog are all Argentinian artists (1. El Negro 2. Ruvel 3. Luis Pescetti)

Camera settings:

ISO: At first try and use 400, you may be blessed with extremely good lighting, but you may have to up it to 800 or even 1600, depending on how low the light is and the venue. Remember the higher the ISO the grainier the image will be, but with the technology of today, you should get away with a ISO of 1600 without much disturbing grain.

Metering: If possible, set your metering to SPOT mode.

Aperture: How wide can you go? Generally I use a Nikkor 200mmm f2.8 if a couple of meters from the sage, or a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 if positioned nice and close to the stage. However you shoot and with whichever equipment, keep your aperture as wide as possible, allowing for as much light as possible to enter your camera.

Shutter-speed: I  tend to shoot at 1/125, the image may be a little under exposed but sharp. You should be shooting in RAW, so you can adjust the exposure without damaging the quality of the image afterwards. This is where it is important to use the natural lighting to your advantage.

Mix it up a bit, move between manual, shutter and aperture priority for the best results. If you are still new, start on Shutter or Aperture priority, afterwards moving to manual. The more you shoot and more you adjust settings, the more accustomed you will get with your camera, and in no time you will know within the first 30 seconds which settings will work the best.

Finally when editing and adjusting the image, keep it simple. Do not change too much as it could ruin the image. Correct the exposure if necessary, the sharpness or correct the framing by cropping the image.

Enjoy and always remember to have fun.