How to Photograph a Rock and Roll Concert

I went to see the Rolling Stones at Giants Stadium and was amazed to see all the flashes go off in the upper tiers of the stadium as the band took the stage. What were those people taking pictures of, I wondered? Flashes are generally useless at a concert unless you are back stage, on stage or in the first few rows. The light emitted by a flash falls off or diminishes the further away the light travels from the lens. The rate at which the light falls off is described by the inverse square law. This means, as the distance between the flash and subject is doubled, only one quarter the amount of light emitted will reach the subject because the light is spread over a larger area. So, turn off those flashes and follow these simple tips on how to get a good picture.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A camera with a telephoto lens
• A Concert Ticket
• Permission from the venue
• Patience

1. Captain Beefheart's Magic Band Spring for good tickets or find a way to get on the stage. I took this picture of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band from the stage wings with ISO 400 film and a 50MM lens. It was easier to get back stage in 1970 then it is today. If you can’t find a way backstage, then get tickets to the left or right of center, so when you stand to take pictures you will irritate fewer people and have fewer people between you and the stage.
2. Frank Zappa Use high speed film or set your ISO level to 1600 or as high as your digital camera will permit. The high ISO will create grainier or fuzzier pictures, but also permit you to use a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action and account for low light levels. This picture of Frank Zappa was taken from stage right in the 6th row with an ISO of 3200.
3. 200 MM Lens Use a telephoto lens. The longer the lens, the heavier the lens. Use a lens that you can hold steady at shutter speeds of 80 or 125. Shooting at slow shutter speeds mean you really have to pay close attention to lens movement. Some modern lenses have image stabilization systems that compensate for lens movement. You really don’t care too much about depth of field at a concert. In fact, a short depth of field will help defocus any annoying backstage stuff. You want to be able to eliminate camera shake since you will not have a tripod. This close up of Frank Zappa was taken with a 200MM lens at a shutter speed of 125 with an ISO of 3200.
4. Jerry Garcia Pay attention to the stage lighting. This photo of Jerry Garcia required some patience. The lighting was usually dark and strong colored like the picture of Phil Lesh above. I noticed however, that periodically they would switch to a bright white light. I knew that was my chance to get the best detail and color balance, so I had to wait for the light to change before clicking away. This was shot at an ISO of 1600 with a 200mm lens at a shutter speed of 125.
5. Rocket Morton Use the lighting effects to add to the picture. I wanted to get a “headless” generic guitar player and knew that when the spotlight was on the guitarist, I would have my best change. I was lucky again to be backstage and waited until the spotlight was on Rocket Morton. I focused on the hands and didn’t really care about the focus anywhere else. This was shot with a 50MM lens on ISO 400 film and a shutter speed of 60.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay attention to and use the stage lighting effects for dramatic images.
• Be considerate of fellow audience members; don’t ruin their experience by your need for a better picture.
• Don’t even think about using a cell phone unless you are in the first row.
• It is easier to use an SLR camera; you will annoy those in front of you by having to hold the camera at arm's length.
• Call the venue to make sure you can bring a camera inside; nothing is worse than having to truck back to your car to put the camera in the trunk.