Concert photography
The concert photography is a special field of photojournalism . Taking photos at concerts in a wide variety of locations places special demands on the photographer and his equipment. Every venue (festival, open-air stage, hall, music club, music bar, ...) requires equipment and technology to be adapted. In addition to constantly changing lighting conditions, sometimes inadequate lighting, fast-paced stage actions and extremely noisy working conditions, he also has to contend with the time pressure, since at larger concerts photography is only permitted during the first three pieces.
purpose
The concert photography takes place almost exclusively on commission. Clients are typically the press, the organizer, the management or the musicians themselves. Purely artistic photography is rarely found here, even if the results often have an artistically high quality character.
technology
Due to the time pressure from clients, a large number of concert photographers now only work digitally. Only in this way is it possible - as in many other areas of reportage photography - to provide customers with results quickly. High-resolution digital cameras or films must be accessed to get results that are useful for printing. This is particularly justified in the case of glossy magazines and large-format printouts. Digital cameras now offer a sensitivity to light that could not be achieved with chemical film or only with an extreme loss of quality.
Due to the changing and often unsatisfactory lighting conditions, especially in music clubs and music bars, the optics must be of high quality. Fast lenses are indispensable. The anti-shake optics offered by some manufacturers allow sharper photos with hands-free photography of motionless subjects despite a longer exposure time, but play a subordinate role in concert photography due to the dynamic nature of the musicians and the resulting motion blur .
The focal lengths used depend on various factors, primarily the position of the photographer and the stage construction, as well as the desired image result. While normal wide-angle lenses can be sufficient for shots from the stage pit and at lower stage heights, other positions, for example in the front of house or in the audience, as well as high stages with great depth, as are typical at festivals , require telephoto lenses . Fisheye lenses and wide-angle lenses can also allow long shots of the stage and audience.
In order to avoid the triggering noise of the camera, which is often perceived as too loud and annoying, at quiet concerts, cameras without oscillating mirrors or sound-absorbing covers ( blimps ) can be used. Some cameras also offer settings in which the mirror is folded up particularly quietly.
Flashes and tripods are hardly part of the equipment for concert photographers. Flash is forbidden in most cases and would also destroy the lighting situation on the stage. Tripods are usually more of a hindrance and are usually not tolerated by organizers of larger concerts as they are potentially dangerous. It is therefore worked with high light sensitivity .
See also
literature
- Loe Beerens: Concert Photography. Three songs, no flash! dpunkt.verlag GmbH, Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-89864-682-6 .
- J. Dennis Thomas: Concert and Live Music Photography. Pro tips from the pit. Focal Press, Elsevier, Oxford 2012, ISBN 978-0-240-82064-4
- Alan Hess: All Access. Your Backstage Pass to Concert Photography. Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis 2012, ISBN 978-1-118-17290-2
