How To: Shoot Live Music Better Than the Next Guy – Pt.I

Today I want to lend a hand to all the live music photographers across this great city. I know you’re out there, because live music is what draws most of the shutterbugs to Austin (me included). For those of you just getting started or for those who are ready to go beyond the “auto” mode on your camera, this article is for you as I will list all the necessities for how to get the best shot in a poorly-lit venue, despite whatever gear you have.

For starters, I usually shoot in the “TV” or “S” mode on my camera. This is a half-manual mode where I choose the shutter speed and ISO, and the camera picks the F-stop for me, depending on what kind of lens I’m using. The advantage of this mode is that there is one less setting for me to worry about! All I pick is my shutter speed (which I usually start around 1/160th of a second) and my ISO (which I start around 800) – the camera sets my aperture. Now, these are just starting points for test shooting…I often have to raise both my shutter speed and ISO in order to freeze the musicians’ action in just the way I like – BUT it keeps down the number of camera settings I have to think about while shooting – helping me keep my eye and my mind on the show at hand.

Now let’s talk about gear. First of all, despite whatever your buddies told you, your camera of choice is not the most important piece of the photographic puzzle…lenses are. I highly recommend that you go out and purchase a lens that has an aperture of f/2.8 or less. A low F-stop range lets in a lot more light than the kit lens that came with your camera. Picking out one of these lenses can be tricky if your budget is limited…a wide-angle zoom that opens to f/2.8 can cost you up to $2,000 or more if you buy the Canon, Nikon or Sony brands. Sigma and Tamron both make excellent wide-angle zoom lenses that are far cheaper than the parent brands, but still give you marvelous quality. These are often less than half the cost of Nikon or Canon’s wide-angle zooms, but they perform just as well. The reason Nikon, Sony and Canon’s versions cost so much is that they are the sharpest wide-angle lenses you’ll find, but unless you’re shooting weddings for a living, sharpness isn’t everything.

Your other option is to find a prime lens, like the world-renown “nifty fifty” that both Canon and Nikon make. Prime lenses usually open up wider than f/2.8, which is GREAT for live music. They are also usually sharper than a wide-angle lens, as they have fewer working parts – and therefore cost less AND at the same time, are made with higher quality glass for ultimate sharpness. What a deal!!

Now, if you’re truly limited by your budget and you’re stuck using the kit lens that came with you DSLR don’t get discouraged, because lenses aren’t everything (but they sure do make the near-impossible possible!). The main thing you’ll need to know is how to adjust the ISO on your camera. ISO determine’s how sensitive your camera is to light, and every DSLR allows you to adjust your ISO as it gets darker and darker. In a poorly-lit venue, I recommend you start at an ISO of 800….but know ahead of time that’s just a starting point! In really dark situations, 800 ISO may not be sensitive enough. You may have to raise that ISO number to compensate for a lack of stage lighting, and any DSLR will allow you to do that. In fact, most DSLRs nowadays will allow you to go as high as an ISO of 3200…that is very sensitive indeed, allowing you to take much faster pictures in darker situations. Now, with manual photography, everything is about trade-offs. Be sure to remember that as you raise your camera’s ISO, your images will become grainier and grainier, losing clarity and sharpness throughout the whole image. If that graininess bothers you, then it’s time to invest in one of the low-light lenses mentioned above, and if you need help picking the right one out, call us here at Precision Camera, and our sales staff will point you in the right direction. We even sell used lenses for DSLRs.

Have more questions about low-light shooting? Whether it’s live music, night-time weddings, or something equally challenging, just come in and talk to our sales staff. They’re all quite knowledgeable and LOVE everything photographic. If you’re set up on gear, feel free to email me with further questions. You can reach me at jharrison@precision-camera.com. Until then…keep shooting and Happy Hunting!

What’s in Your Gear Bag?

Good morning ladies and gents! Today I start a new ongoing series called “What’s in Your Gear Bag?” where I ask professionals and up-n-comers alike what it is they keep in their camera bag that they can’t live without. This is intended to help you choose the extra gear necessary for you to complete your job – whether it’s weddings, ballroom galas, red carpet, commercial work – you name it.

It’s only fair that I start us off…I’m not the best, but I shoot a fair amount of freelance work and have a number of commercial projects under my belt. It took me several years to find the perfect two bags for my kind of work (that’s right – you heard me correctly…two camera bags), but now that I found them, its unlikely that I’ll buy another again. My primary bag is for small event shooting. It’s a shoulder bag big enough for my DSLR and main lens (usually my Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8) and another lens, usually my Nikon 85mm f/1.8 D series. The other lens I take sometimes is the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 – that’s the old one…the one before image stabilization. With the 85mm in tow, it leaves me just enough room to fit my Nissin 866 flash, which so far is equivalent to Nikon’s SB-900. If I take my flash, I always take my portable softbox with it. I RARELY shoot that flash without a softbox. And I keep an off-camera extension cord for the flash. The softbox and off-camera extension cord are almost permanently attached to my flash. I do 90% of my flash photography with those two accessories.

As for the nick-nacks I keep in my bag, the lil’ guys that help me get the job done, I have the ML-L3 wireless remote, as well as the MC-DC2 shutter release cable if I’m doing astro photography (pictures of the night sky). I also keep several lens cleaning cloths, lens pens and clean wipes in my bag at all times, and even usually sport one on a little clip on my belt loop so I always have the means of cleaning my glass.

Finally, I always take my battery charger with me, as well as at least one extra DSLR battery (usually two), and plenty of long-lasting non-rechargeable AA batteries for my Nissin 866, and most importantly of all: EXTRA MEMORY CARDS!!!! None of the other equipment matters without the memory cards to capture it.

And that’s just in my shoulder bag….let me spotlight a couple other photographers’ gear bags over the next couple months, and then maybe I’ll tell you what I keep in my backpack for weddings and bigger events. Keep shooting and keep checking in with us as I share what’s in the gear bags of our local pros. In the meantime: Happy Hunting!

Nikon School Returns to Austin in April 2013!

Nikon School will return to Austin this April at the DoubleTree Inn. With over 100 attendees last year, we expect them to sell out quickly, so sign up fast. There are two classes: one for photographers who want to learn how to be more creative (without getting too technical), and a second class for more advanced photographers who wish to get into the nitty-gritty of their cameras and manual photography. The Creativity class will be held Saturday, April 27th and runs $149, and the Advanced class is on Sunday the 28th, and costs $159. If you’re not sure which class to attend, please give us a call and we’ll point you in the right direction. For more information, please visit: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Nikon-School/index.page

Austin Center for Photography will host Magnum photographer Larry Towell in April

On the 11th of this coming April, the Austin Center for Photography will be hosting legendary Magnum photographer and all-around Renaissance man Larry Towell in the auditorium at the Belo Center for New Media. Towell, who is an accomplished musician and published poet, will be performing a mixed-media event alongside fellow musician Mike Stevens, combining Towell’s work in photography, music, and spoken word for all of Austin to enjoy.

For those of you not familiar with his work, Larry Towell’s photo essays have appeared in The New York Times, Life, Rolling Stone, and other magazines, and he has published over a dozen books. Focusing on the themes of landlessness and identity, he has photographed the Contra war in Nicaragua, the civil war in El Salvador, relatives of the disappeared in Guatemala, and American Vietnam War veterans who worked to rebuild Vietnam. Most recently, he has documented the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Mennonite migrant workers in Mexico, and his family farm in southern Ontario.

For more information, please go to ACP’s website (visitacp.org/) or Larry’s website (http://larrytowell.com/).

Strobe Lights vs. Speedlights: When and Where

Most photographers (enthusiasts and budding professionals alike) will eventually run into the greatest dilemma since the advent of electricity: When do I use strobe lights and when do I use speedlights? What’s the difference?

To be honest, they’re really the same thing. It all boils down to how much power you need.

Strobe lights are by far the most powerful and versatile. You can crank them up rather than raising your camera’s light sensitivity (with either ISO or aperture), which in the long run gives you better overall printing potential. If I’m shooting my model on the street and I want to light up not only her, but also Neiman Marcus behind her, I’ll go with a strobe light. Or if I’m lighting a car. Or maybe a family of twelve. If you’re wrestling with the “when” of strobe lighting, just remember, the bigger your model or subject, the bigger your lighting needs to be.

Power isn’t the only advantage of strobe lights. Many strobes will fire wirelessly with your camera with minimal accessories, or sometimes no accessories at all (like Profoto). That’s convenient. Many strobes will also fire at very fast speeds – fast enough to capture a bullet passing through an apple. That kind of power and speed is next to impossible with a Canon 430 EX II. No offense Canon 430. You’re great and all, but no speedlight can give you that kind of bang. I don’t care what kind of batteries you have in that thing, it won’t happen.

The downside to strobes is they are expensive. Usually. And they take up a lot of space. This is where speedlights come in handy. They are much cheaper in the long run, and with the right accessories, you can get the same light quality as with a strobe kit. Also, being much smaller than strobes, they are ideal for on-site photography. Just remember to keep your subject matter to a minimum. Keep your group portraits small. Some speedlights can cover a big family; some cannot. So learn the limits of your gear. If you’re not sure, ask your salesman.

I swear by my speedlights. I shoot everything from weddings to ballroom galas, and they are perfect for my business. I’m usually running around when I’m at work and therefore can’t drag a set of strobes along for the ride. Not to mention, there is a whole world of lighting accessories for speeedlights. I prefer a small softbox on the Nissin 866 I usually shoot with, but if softboxes aren’t your thing there are diffusing globes, bounce cards, reflectors, of course umbrellas and even balloons that you can attach to your speedlights, just like for your strobe kit back in the studio! They come in all range of sizes and shapes, so collect all 10! …I’m kidding, there are FAR more than ten kinds of speedlight accessories. If you’re not sure which one suits your needs, just ask your salesman. Or call me, I’m Joel.

So let me recap, for those of you that I may have left in the dust; If your subject is big, like a car, a large family or something even bigger, I recommend strobes. They cannot be beat. If your subject is small, like an individual model (or two), or a small product shoot, a red carpet event or ballroom gala, then I’d recommend speedlights.

Still not sure? Please call us here at Precision Camera and Video. Our sales staff know the in’s and out’s of lighting better than most. We’re open seven days a week (barring major holidays). Until next time…Happy Hunting!