How to take quality photos using a digital camera at a U2 show.

[cmb737]

Please help my wife, she is insisiting on taking the camera after not taking it for the openers in San Diego. Advice that would be welcomed would be relevant to most consumer digital 4 or so megapixel cameras. Mods, please feel free to move if this is the wrong spot.

Thanks.

 

[Sicy]

Check my pictures for 4/9/05 in the tour gallery. I used a Kodak 4.0 pixel camera.

I would say it depends on where you are located, but I was in the front row and did not use a flash for almost all of the pictures. You need to hold the camera very still and wait until the picture is completely done taking. It's best if the band is not moving, lol but that's pretty impossible. My camera also has a 'sport' mode which I wish I would of thought of using..

but I think the flash would still go off in that case. The flash will put brightness on whatever is directly in front of the camera, so if you are anymore than like 5 - 10 ft away the flash will actually ruin the picture. Your subject (Bono) will be dark and the flash will catch whatever is directly in front of you (people's heads, hands etc. ) Normally there is plenty of light on the band members to create great pictures without the flash.

 

[Mr. BAW]

You heard it first, Sicy flashed Bono....

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

My camera also has a 'sport' mode which I wish I would of thought of using..

Same!



Next time I'll know better... I must say, though, most of mine from the same spot on 4/9 came out pretty good.

 

[cmb737]

Thanks Sicy, I had some luck last tour not using the flash...but I guess I am looking more for shutter speeds and such...

Faster or slower?

 

[Diemen]

The faster the shutter speed, the better. The slower the shutter speed the more likely your picture will come out blurry due to motion from the band members or just natural camera shake from holding it.

 

[editorinchief]

Its also rude to use to a flash at a concert when you are close. Th band doesnt want them going off in their faces the whole night.

This is why the professional photographers at the show are not allowed to use their flash at shows.

Here are some of my photos that I have shot while covering shows. I did not use a flash in any of them.

http://community.webshots.com/user/lowlight_photography

I agree with the sport setting and trying to be a zen master of calm.

Does your camera allow you to change the aperture?

 

[briarrose]

So everyone has still been allowed to bring in digital cameras? I bought one just for the show.

 

[Sicy]

Depends on the rules of the individual venues I'd say.


btw how can you adjust shutter speeds on digitals? I didnt think that was possible.

 

[OffAxis]

On some digi cams you can change the settings (e.g. aperture), but obviously it is all electronic. Just go to your "set up" or "menu" function and look around.

The best way to get good pics is to just take a lot of pics with different settings. Some will come out amazing. If you just keep snapping away you'll probably have a couple amazing pics. I have a couple from SJ2 that are amazing, but that's only because during COBL I just kept taking pics. Luckily 1 came out well out of like 20. The hard part is to enjoy the show while your taking pics. I took quite a few early on, but then stopped because I just wanted to listen and stop worrying about the camera.

 

[cmb737]

This is my feeling exactly. The last thing I want to do is take pictures during the show, but the wife wants some. In my experience OffAxis is exactly right. You will get 1 in 20 to come out. Kind of like every kind of photography. They took 500 pictures at my wedding...and we only liked about 60 of them. Ah well...

 

[nbcrusader]

Depends on the rules of the individual venues I'd say.


btw how can you adjust shutter speeds on digitals? I didnt think that was possible.

The sports mode forces the fastest shutter speed available for the light.

 

[shutdown]

It's been said already, but I will say it again...



...NO FLASH....


I have a good amount of pictures from the Elevation tour of fans' arms, hands, and heads. Not my favorite pictures.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

It's been said already, but I will say it again...



...NO FLASH....


I have a good amount of pictures from the Elevation tour of fans' arms, hands, and heads. Not my favorite pictures.

Same here. I had a disposable and my old 35 back then, and out of so many pictures there were maybe 5 good ones.

Digital cameras.

 

[bonoed]

the videos with the digitals come out totally amazing. You can set the film speed to 400 and speed it up for non-flash photos in P (Program) mode on Sony digitals, but you have to practice. I practice shooting a tv screen in the dark, which is sort of like a concert would show up. You can also manually set film speed, exposure, etc. in M (Manual) mode, but P works best because it does autofocus after you manually set the film speed and exposure. As far as I know, Sony's don't have a "sports mode," but the booklet tells you how to set for it, so buying a camera with a "sports mode" on it is a +, otherwise you can find in the booklet what settings to do in P or M, or whatever your camera has for setting your own manually.

If you do videos you need extra batteries, and lots of memory cards. Some of the digitals have unlimited video capability, limited only by your batteries and cards, like the Sony's.

It takes practice at concerts to get great photos. Taking a flash more than 15' away gets you only great closeups of people's arms right in front of you.

 

[Sicy]

I took about 50 pics at SJ1 and probably have about 10 - 15 really good ones. Hey that's cool with me. Now I just practiced for my next show

 

[melsbud]

Thanks for starting this thread, and all the responses! I was concerned about this very thing!

I'll be bringing my digital camera as well as a disposable or two in case I have to smuggle it in. I suppose there's no advice to give for a good disposable photo, eh? Just pretty much wind up and snap, and be glad to have any photos at all?

 

[Eliv8]

I have been using an Olympus C-770
http://www.digital-camera-link.com/brands/olympus/olympus_c-770_review.html
All of the show shots I have posted have actually been still frames from videos (mpeg4) aside from the 3 I posted from the balcony at Anaheim 2. I took them with the sports mode setting. Don’t be put off by the price in the review or the RRP. I found mine online for less than $350.

 

[Sicy]

Thanks for starting this thread, and all the responses! I was concerned about this very thing!

I'll be bringing my digital camera as well as a disposable or two in case I have to smuggle it in. I suppose there's no advice to give for a good disposable photo, eh? Just pretty much wind up and snap, and be glad to have any photos at all?

I wouldnt bother with a disposable unless you are really close, and you can manage to keep the flash off. My bf took 27 pics with a disposable and he could not get it so that the flash would not stay off .. I guess it was automatic or something Well only about 4 pics came out and they were kinda crappy as it was.

 

[Liesje]

I wouldnt bother with a disposable unless you are really close, and you can manage to keep the flash off. My bf took 27 pics with a disposable and he could not get it so that the flash would not stay off .. I guess it was automatic or something Well only about 4 pics came out and they were kinda crappy as it was.

you can put a finger over it or cover it w/ tape b/c the disposable camera will use the same shutter speed regardless of the flash, but yeah the disposables are only worth it if you're close or want pics of hanging out in the GA line.

 

[2heartsboston]

Great Feedback
Praise to the Band for letting take their picture without loosing their spirit!

 

[Sicy]

you can put a finger over it or cover it w/ tape

X1000000000000000000000

 

[Eliv8]

Here are some non U2 shots. I really like this camera.

 

[mdmack]

happy with my pictures

took about 100 in sj....80 came out good. Can't post them to this site, but if you want to see em check em here. used flash alot due to the fact that without it, my shots were blurred, even with sport mode....

email me and I will send you the link to view....some cool close ups of edge.

mdmack@sbcglobal.net

 

[Edgette]

I just bought a Kodak cx7530 5.0MP digital camera today. I'm hoping I can get some really good shots next month at the Chicago shows.

I also have a 35mm camera to bring. We'll see which ones come out better, hehe.

 

[Lila64]

on a digital camera, doesn't the flash go off automatically if you are indoors?

 

[Diemen]

Not necessarily - it depends on the brand and model, but even most cheaper ones now allow you to turn the flash off.

 

[RadRacer]

OffAxis spoke:
The hard part is to enjoy the show while your taking pics. I took quite a few early on, but then stopped because I just wanted to listen and stop worrying about the camera.

Listen to the music? You can listen to the music while taking pictures. It's when you need to get active that the photography becomes problematic. But in that situation, a video does pretty good. If you wanna watch the show, buy the DVD; if you wanna feel like being back in the pit, again, get active and film it with your camera in one hand.

Highest shutter speed (ISO) will produce the most noise (a graininess) but the least blur.

The most common problem I have with digital pics is that (with no flash) the skin of the performer glows like the sun from all the strong light.

 

[Diemen]

Highest shutter speed (ISO) will produce the most noise (a graininess) but the least blur.

Actually, that's a misconception. ISO rates the sensitivity of the film (or in this case, sensor), to light, and is independent of shutter speed. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is to light, and so you can use a faster shutter speed and still capture enough light for a good shot. If you are using a high ISO, it doesn't matter if you use a slow shutter speed or fast shutter speed - the pictures will be grainier than if you used a low ISO.

However, depending on how much light you have, you can still use a low ISO and a faster shutter speed.





That said, a lot of point and shoot digital cameras don't even allow you to change the ISO on your own...

 

[beli]

Does anyone remember the username of that photographer? sunshine hands? smileyhands? something hands?

He would know the answers to all these questions.