Shooting in a bar

Mathew Anderson said:

I was ready to moderate this post upon entering it, but then I noticed I had thankfully assumed the topic wrong... whew .

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I understood it correctly because I often take pictures of bands in poorly-lit bars. It's why a bought a D750 because it does well in poor light.

Schrodingers cat said:

Lmullen said:

Suggestions?

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Don't mix whiskey and beer.

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Whiskey after beer, have no fear.

Beer after whiskey is pretty risky.

Whiskey after wine is fine.

I've been photographing my fellow musicians in their natural environments off & on since 1988.

Wide open, shutter speed of choice & auto ISO is a lovely way to go these days. I found low light is definitely one of those use cases where every bit of lens speed & usable ISO really comes in handy.

That said, if I were really pursuing this for income, before buying the most performant FF body & f/1.2 lens, I would seriously look to invest in a decent set of stage lights. If the venue already has some and you can aim them on the performers, all the better.

When someone is decently lit onstage, I can get a usable capture with my phone. When they're off in a dim corner, it's a major struggle even with FF and a fast prime.























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I'd start drinking early then in about half an hour it won't matter - and you'll have more fun.

**** Dastardly said:

Unless there is a magic trick I haven't learned in 20 years, you can't take pictures of people who move around in low light at f2.8 without motion blur and without using iso 16000 or higher.

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I suppose he means as low as possible. If there is a spotlight on the singers ISO will be reasonably low.

Late to this party, but this day and age I would want to use the smallest least obvious looking point and shoot I own, and try to stay way back and as low key as possible. This sounds like a really good way to get hurt or get your gear all messed up.

Sounds like you have a good plan! I’d suggest using Aperture Priority (A/Av mode) so you can keep your aperture wide open for low light, letting the camera adjust shutter speed. Don’t be afraid to raise ISO a bit if your shutter speeds get too slow—better a bit of grain than blurry photos. Use Auto ISO if your camera has it. Try to steady your shots or use a monopod if possible. Have fun and experiment with different angles for more interesting black & white shots!

auto-iso + another automatism = the two will fight each other

a friend this that mistake ans end ended up with shots at 1-8000 th of a second at 250 00 000 iso = garbage

i also saw a guy who was told to keep iso low and shot Brad Pitt on a movie set from his window at 1-8th of a second = garbage

small room usually have rather stable light

dont be afraid of manual control, i said before

ROUSSEL_Photographer said:

auto-iso + another automatism = the two will fight each other

a friend this that mistake ans end ended up with shots at 1-8000 th of a second at 250 00 000 iso = garbage

i also saw a guy who was told to keep iso low and shot Brad Pitt on a movie set from his window at 1-8th of a second = garbage

small room usually have rather stable light

dont be afraid of manual control, i said before

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All the cameras I own allow you to set an auto ISO range maximum and minimum. I have the maximum set at the point where any higher would be unacceptable.

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Tom

ROUSSEL_Photographer said:

auto-iso + another automatism = the two will fight each other

a friend this that mistake ans end ended up with shots at 1-8000 th of a second at 250 00 000 iso = garbage

i also saw a guy who was told to keep iso low and shot Brad Pitt on a movie set from his window at 1-8th of a second = garbage

small room usually have rather stable light

dont be afraid of manual control, i said before

Click to expand...

I typically use manual aperture+exposure time and auto ISO. I'm used to it and generally watch the ISO to keep everything reasonable. At least when it's wrong I know it's my fault. I do go to fixed ISO for TTL flash because at least with my camera, auto sets the ISO to the appropriate level for no flash and makes a mess of things.

This is correct- all variables should be locked down- ISO, white balance, shutter and aperture as well. It's easy to set up, and then there is nothing to worry about.

Did the shoot happen? How did it go?

Thanks.