How many times have you gone to the concert or the theater and have not even thought about taking the camera? Many times due to ignorance and many others because we think they are complicated situations for us or for the team we have, but the truth is that many of us forget the camera in a corner when it comes to events, missing the possibility of enjoying doing spectacular photos. There are shows of many types and all year round, but it is in summer when they abound the most (and perhaps when they feel the most ). From outdoor concerts, street shows, theater, night, daytime, etc.… There are many possibilities to exercise our photographic passion. If you need some guidance, and not to miss this opportunity, I leave some tricks and tips to know where to start .
CONCERTS
There may be millions of differences between one concert or another, taking into account whether it is an outdoor, indoor, day, night, crowd or intimate, so let's try briefly to pass through all of them so you know how to What to keep youAT NIGHT
They are perhaps the most complicated to photograph. There is little light and it is usually very variable , which adds to the intrinsic movement of the musicians on stage and our own (first track, no tripod, here it would not help you much ). Go for it.SETTINGS
Each teacher has his booklet and always depends on the amount of light we have, what we want to achieve and even our photographic style, but we can say that:- You will need a high ISO to work with enough light. Try to stay at the limit where your camera begins to lose sharpness because of photographic noise .
- The flash off will only play bad passes.
- Choose manual mode or alternatively a priority mode . In this case the most interesting is, surely the priority to shutter speed to prevent you from getting the photos moved.
- Take the brightest lens you have. You will need all the light you can get
- Photography, if possible, in RAW . Thus you will have many possibilities of editing and slightly improve lights and shadows in the image processing.
- The best measurement mode is the punctual or weighted to the center . Both will give you a more precise exposure , taking into account that the light will vary greatly from one area of the image to another.
- Open the diaphragm if you need more light, but don't forget that the more you open it, the less focused area you will have in the image. You will have to play with the values of the exposure triangle until you find the settings that suit you.
- Give black and white a chance .
AT DAYTIME
During the day you will have more light and, therefore, you will not have to fight against the lack of it .SETTINGS
- Lower the ISO , to more ISO more noise, and here you do not need to have it high because you will have enough light.
- It works in manual or failing in the opening priority mode . So you can experiment with different depths of field to isolate or not the subjects.
- The matrix measurement mode will be useful because the light will in principle be homogeneous. If not, return to the central weighted or punctual as in the evening concerts.
COMPOSITION
Both day and night and in open or closed spaces, the composition is basic and is valid for all these types of situations.- Try to be as close as possible to the stage.
- Look for photogenic details : the strings of a guitar, the singer's expression, and so on.
- Do not forget to include general plans where you can breathe the atmosphere of the concert.
- Search the public: don't limit yourself to the music band, the atmosphere and the people around the show are usually very photogenic as well.
- The lights of the spotlights (in night photography) will provide you with very interesting lighting if you know how to take advantage of it. Make them your best friends and you will have spectacular photos .
THEATER PLAYS
It will depend on the show in question, but in many respects, the adjustments will be the same as when we work at night in a concert, only that the lighting is usually more homogeneous and less changing.- You will need a high ISO , unless there is a lot of light in the room and / or you are very close to the stage.
- The best mode of measurement will be weighted to the center or the spot, although if the lighting is homogeneous and fills the entire frame, you can try the matrix.
- The best mode of work is the manual , but if you prefer a semi-automatic mode, decide on a speed priority with a minimum speed so that the protagonists do not move.
- Shoot in RAW to be able to work the white balance in the processing quietly, as well as lights and shadows that may have been somewhat out of adjustment.
- Backstage or behind the scenes. If you can access how they are prepared, how they are made up or rehearsed before the work, you can access a unique material and a lot of artistic possibilities. If you know someone who can approach this world, do not hesitate to take the opportunity.
STREET SHOWS
Here you will have the opportunity to practice certain aspects that in other types of shows would be more difficult for you, such as the possibility of moving around the artist, changing the point of view more effectively, getting closer, and so on.- The aperture of the diaphragm varies to play with the depth of field. If you want to isolate the artist, play with wide diaphragm openings, if instead you want to include it in the surrounding environment, play with small diaphragm openings.
- If you make a portrait do not forget the importance of focusing on the eyes .
- Look for photogenic details .
- Move, do not settle for the first place where you have gone. Turn it over, get down, watch the audience ...
- Play with shutter speed . If the show is very dynamic, you can add a touch of originality to your images with a sweep or moving image or by freezing the scene at high speeds.
OTHER SHOWS
There are many shows that you can photograph. From horse races, jumps, car races, etc., to fireworks , correfocs , traders, puppets, etc. For all of them, previously consider:- How much light will I have and what kind.
- At what speed does what I want to photograph move.
- How far I will be able to be placed.
- What material do I have.
- What effects I want to achieve: a bokeh , a sweep, an unfocused background, capture the movement, freeze it, and so on. Once you have predefined your objectives, make the necessary adjustments according to all parameters.
