Concert photography, flash or no flash?

[Proparoo]

I have been asked to shoot a big music conventions concerts and have asked a fellow photographer to come as a second shooter. These will be preformances from some of the great blues artists and all the best in the business and I know from past experience some of the old timers don't like a flash durring their preformances. I have all fast glass so no flash is rarely a problem.

Normally I would never shoot preformers with flash but he insists it's ok and does it all the time. As the lead shooter I say no flash but wanted to ask you for your feedback. I hate to be a hard ass but it's my reputation not his.

Thanks
--
Rich
http://www.richbaum.smugmug.com

 

[Nick in Shanghai]

Worked on a shoot with Ray Charles once but he wasn't bothered by it.

However I'd say no flash while they are performing...............back stage, portraits, etc OK I think it's annoying for the audience as well as the performers.

--
Nick in Shanghai.

 

[slowhands214238]

Use of flash or strobes depends on what YOU are trying to achieve, as a professional you need to have that vision or plan before you start shooting the gig, otherwise, the on-location testing of various options may be a negative .

Personally - If I wanted to capture the ambiance...the moodm lighting, I would avoid adding flash or strobe light as it will tend to "wash out" any ambiance.

If doing on-stage portrature, then use whatever you normally use.

 

[Curtis Clegg]

I would use on-camera flash as an absolute last resort, and then only with enough power to provide a minimum amount of fill.

I have had good luck strobing performers, with remote lights as high as possible (with honeycombs) and powered as low as he situation permits. I have the Paul C. Buff radio remotes and I have never had a misfire at a fraction the cost of Pocket Wizards.
--
Curtis Clegg

 

[Showfocus]

Ive been out of the business for 4 years, but the 4 years I shot before that I never once was allowed to use a flash unless the concert was a show in small bar with no lighting. Concert lighting is what makes concert shots great, most shots with flash I have seen look more like snaphots than anything else. Fast glass and a decent ISO and you should be good to go.

 

[bumblejelly]

Absolutely agree - no flash. Just make sure your second shooter knows how to shoot the available light. Sounds like maybe not.

 

[newsshooterjim]

Two things come to mind.

First off, if the state is even moderately lit, you should not need flash. I can't recall ever using a flash to shoot on a lit stage. The lumens coming from there are more than enough for your DSLR. Looking back at the last Charlie Daniels concert I shot, at an outdoor venue wiith decent, but not great lighting, I ended up at 800 ISO 6.3 and around 1/250 according to the metadata on a couple of shots I looked at.

Second, if you flash, you absolutely destroy any hope of using the production folks carefully crafted mood lighting. They gel those lights for a reason-go with it.

As an afterthought, don't forget to NOT use auto white-it'll do it's best to kill the color in those gelled lights. Sounds like you may want to work with your second shooter a bit before the night begins. At a minimum, check in with him shortly after it starts and look back at a few of his shots. That way you'll at least know if you're on your own after all.
--
Jim Dean

 

[E300]

The answer to this question is - it depends!

I shot a rock band recently and I had their co-operation, along with the co-operation of the venue. I set up 2 flashes on lightstands and shoot-thru umbrella's and triggered them with my flashwaves. I had them set up on lightstands at the 2 corners of the stage.

I shot fast, at high ISO and had the flashes set to quite low power. They were "just enough" to light the performers correctly and not over-power the ambience. The added light from the flash really helped me get some great shots.

Now, this was a Rock Performance and there was already other lighting in place. The performers said that they did not even notice when my flashes fired. I was asked back to shoot them again in a months time at another venue and will probably go with a similar setup. I was shooting with a long lens (50-200 on Oly E-3) and additionally used a monopod.

The venue I as shooting in was terrible - black cloth on the walls and a very dark ceiling, so I needed the light to get any sort of useful photos.

I would suggest that you check out the venue before hand, talk with the performer and the people at the venue and see what is acceptable. You might be able to do something similar and say shoot without flash during the actual performance and fire up the flash between songs?

What is the purpose of the photos? who commissioned you for the shoot? what do they expect?

You need to ask the questions and tell them your plans both with and without flash.

I shot some photos for 1 of the bands about 2 years ago and their comments were that these photos were really great - the best that anyone had done for them. I put it down to the planning and lighting.

Oh, the band - well they are friends who were doing the 1st set for Dave Evans - who was the original Lead Singer for AC/DC who is about to release a new album.

 

[BAK]

Flsh will usually louse up the lighting set by the stage director and lighting director.

And it will illuminate the ladders and ropes and other junk in the background.

But a little flash fill under a hat brim may be a good diea.

BAK

 

[Sean Clark]

1st, I agree with the comments about asking the venue/performers about flash use. If there is video of a past performance with similar lighting that could help too. If the performance include an elaborate light show, unobtrusive flashes might not even be noticed. Simple solid wash lights for a blues performance would make any strobe use stand out, so some kind of advance information from them about the lighting would help guide you.

I have had good luck strobing performers, with remote lights as high as possible (with honeycombs) and powered as low as he situation permits.

I agree with this, and would also probably edge light from the stage corners and/or backlight from above. Some superclamps and a safety lanyard would let you put the strobes up in the ceiling with the venue lighting if they permit it.

If the stage is already pretty brightly lit, then you can use low powered gridded strobes to add some depth and separation to the performers without disturbing the look of the stage.

Also, at least gel your stobes to the color temp of the venue lights. At least a 1/2 CTO should help make your lower powered strobes blend in. If there are solid color wash lights that will be used a lot, you might even consider gelling to match them. If you use the same gel, remember that you'll still need the CTO stacked to fully match the color.

 

[jean bernier]

if there is any smoke at the venue, better forget about using flash altogether. So be prepared for low light; I've photographed an extremely dim show, to the point that the D3 war barely adequate. fortunately, most shows will be brighter...
--
Jean Bernier

All photographs are only more or less credible illusions

 

[Roger Krueger]

If a show's going off flash is fine. Although on-camera flash is still butt-ugly for anything beyond the faintest hint of fill.

But if it's people sitting quietly listening attentively to something gentle it's being a complete jerk.

My guess is blues would be more the latter than the former, although I can certainly think of exceptions. Plenty of shows have some of each.

Ask him if he'd use flash on a guy singing a slow ballad sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar. If his answer is "yes" you need to find someone else. Anyone this thoughtless will find some other way to screw you even if you do take his flash away.

Like you said, bottom line, it's your reputation.

 

[riddell]

Personally I shoot with flash at concerts when I am allowed to.

But a lot depends of course on the venue, the atmostsphere, lighting and everything else.

Only you can make that decesion when you get there.