Concert photography

Concert photography involves taking photographs of "noisy" events such as rock concerts or political rallies, in which the sound of cameras shooting is not a problem.

Other events such as classical music concerts, dance shows or theatre, are similar in terms of lighting and composition, but the noise of the camera will not be tolerated there.

Authorisation and equipment limitations
Access to concerts nowadays is often authorised only without photographic equipment. Also, good concert photographs can often only be taken from areas closed to the general public. Hence, official accreditation is necessary.

Whenever authorisation is granted, it will be most likely under the conditions that no flash be used, and for a limited part of the concert - usually the first ten minutes, or the first three songs.

Photographers work from the "front stage": the area between the stage and the public. They are close to the artists and have an unobstructed field of view. The area is small, packed with security guards and safety personnel, and the photographers are usually quite numerous, so the area can become very crowded during the ten minutes. It is quite possible that all accredited photographers will not be able to access the area.

On stage
Concert photography is essentially portrait photography. It is impossible to photograph a whole stage with performers standing here and there, and obtain a photograph with any meaning. A detail of the scene, like an American shot or a closer portrait, will yield much stronger results.

Out of stage
Artists can also be seen backstage, walking to or from concerts, and giving interviews. These can be good opportunities to make "clean" portraits, with easier lighting and from a shorter distance. It may be possible to use flash in these circumstances.

Equipment
A high-end reflex camera is a must. One with a high rate of fire, about 5 or more frames per second, is preferable. It is advisable to have spot metering available and to use it.

A tele-zoom with a constant aperture of f/2.8 is a must. Preferably, one should choose stabilised equipment, which allows shutter speeds of 1/60th or 1/100th of a second to be viable options even at 200mm. Good candidates are the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR, or the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 for extra reach (the later is not stabilised and should be used on a monopod, given its long focal length).

Long primes are an option, but are much less flexible than zooms. In concert conditions, changing lens is almost out of the question. Using two bodies mounted with different lenses, on the other hand, can be.

One day of work in a festival will yield about 4 GB of data (in JPEG; Much more in RAW). When working on festival lasting several days, spare flash cards and portable hard drives should be considered. RAW images should not be used, as they saturate the buffer and slow the rate of fire of the camera after a few shots; large JPEG is preferable.

Two fully charged batteries of a semi-professional camera will allow one day of work. The large packs of professional cameras last longer. Festivals offer facilities for photographers where batteries can be replenished between concert days.

Legal and psychological aspects
Some managers will demand that a paper be signed before accessing the front stage, by which the photographer binds himself to use his photographs under specific conditions. These contracts should in no circumstances be signed, since they make photography for Commons impossible.

In such cases the photographer should decline access to the front stage and attempt taking photographs from a distance with a long focal. Expect an extremely high rejection ratio on photographs taken in this way.

This tends to occur with particularly famous bands, and the public can be expected to be densely packed. The best spot would be an area closed to the general public, from which the stage can be seen, and as close to the stage as possible.