DIY Speedlight Grid: Video Tutorial
After my first DIY photo project, I decided to tackle something easy. Here’s the video tutorial for my DIY speedlight grid, which uses black straws, a beer koozie, and a few other common materials for a simple and effective light modifier.
Discussion: 23 Comments »
DIY Beauty Dish Video Tutorial
But wait, there’s more! While Chris and I were building the Mark II edition of the “Chinatown Special,” we also shot video during the whole process.
Got four minutes? Here’s the walk-through of how to make what Chris and I think is the best DIY beauty dish.
Discussion: 34 Comments »
Music Photographer’s DIY Beauty Dish
For anyone doing portrait work, the term “beauty dish” is bound to crop up sometime or another, whether it’s reading Strobist, looking at the technical notes from shoots, or simply surfing for more gear you don’t need.
Over the last year, there’s been a lot of interest in DIY (do it yourself) beauty dishes, made of [...]
Discussion: 104 Comments »
Lastolite Cold Shoe Mod for Nikon SB-900
Any photographer using the Nikon SB-900 speedlight knows that flagship flash has a problem playing well with others. Specifically, Nikon changed the clearance between the flash body and the foot of the flash, such that the flash doesn’t fit into the cold shoes with a fatter design. Here’s a super easy mod I did to [...]
Discussion: 8 Comments »
Catchflash
A guitar solo at the edge of the stage is just the sort of act that encourages fans to put down their beers and raise up their cameras. No frontlighting? No problem.
You’ve probably seen the effect – a serendipitous contribution of flash in one of your photos from some kind stranger who happened to [...]
Discussion: 34 Comments »
How to Request a Photo Pass
Requesting a photo pass is a simple task, and one thing every music photographer should know how to do. And lucky for you, there are really only three things a publicist or manager wants to know when making the decision.
Discussion: 27 Comments »
Lighting Diagrams – You want ‘em?
I’ve been playing around with the idea of providing lighting diagrams to supplement the write-ups of the band portrait/promo shoots that I do. The illustrations would include plan-views of the setups, including placement of the subjects, lighting equipment, modifiers, and so forth.
Discussion: 59 Comments »
Photographer’s Guide to Warped Tour
If you’re attending Vans Warped Tour this year, it’s going to be sweaty, crowded, and a whole lot of fun. And all that’s without a camera.
For press covering the annual touring festival, you’re in for a whole new level of craziness. Here’s your guide to photographing Warped Tour.
Discussion: 68 Comments »
One Approach to Concert Photography
The photo pit is a brutal place.
One approach to concert photography: When the lights go down, if you’re in the photo pit with me, I want to destroy you. After the first three songs, then we can be friends.
Discussion: 38 Comments »
5 Tips for Better Concert Photography
Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan, and the making of a jump shot.
The band just cranked it to eleven, the floor is heaving, lighting designer is doing his best to recreate the finale of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Here are five simple tips for better concert photography.
Discussion: 20 Comments »
Becoming a Concert Photographer
Andrew Bird, whose kind manager, Andrea Troolin, granted me my first photo pass.
A reader asks about how I got my start as a concert photographer. From the first show and the first photo pass to the first big break and beyond, here’s my story so far.
Discussion: 24 Comments »
High ISO, Digital Noise & Noise Reduction
No concert photographer is a stranger to the challenge of digital noise and challenges of balancing image quality against difficult shooting conditions. Even as digital sensors and image processing become more sophisticated, the issue of digital noise is a constant struggle in concert photography.
Live music photographers are constantly thrown into low and unpredictable lighting situations, [...]
Discussion: 20 Comments »
Concert Photography & Red Lights
Seeing red? The red wash may just be the most dreaded treatment to ever grace the stage in the eyes of the concert photographer. Here are some suggestions for dealing with excessive red lighting for gig photography.
Discussion: 40 Comments »
Better Photography Through Editing
You can become a better photographer without improving your shooting technique, composition, or consistency to deliver. In fact, you don’t even have to pick up a camera.
Best yet, it’s something you’re already doing: Editing.
Discussion: 26 Comments »
Concert Photography: Timing
Despite the often demanding time constraints of concert photography, sometimes it pays to slow down and observe before going in with shutter blazing. With shooting gigs, like so many things, timing is everything.
Discussion: 19 Comments »
Choosing Lenses for Concert Photography
Given the shooting constraints of concert photography, from song limits to bad lighting, the last thing you want to do is show up for a gig lenses that aren’t cut out for the job.
If you’re just starting out with gig photography, here are a few suggestions for lenses that are up to the low-light challenge [...]
Discussion: 125 Comments »
Concert Photography How-To: Metering & Exposure, pt. 2
In part one of this series, I covered my basic four-step approach to determining exposure that might otherwise prove difficult if one were to rely on the in-camera meter. In this second installment, I’ll cover a few other techniques I use in addition to that feedback loop method.
Discussion: 31 Comments »
Concert Photography How-To: Metering & Exposure, pt. 1
Between the dim, monochrome washes of basement dives and the explosive lighting of arena shows, achieving the correct exposure for concert photography can be one of the biggest challenges for beginning and experienced shooters alike.
Here’s a basic four-step breakdown for how I set exposure shooting gigs.
Discussion: 35 Comments »
Concert Photography: Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve added a FAQ page that touches on a few of the more recurrent questions I receive about shooting shows, including answers to how I got started with concert photography, advice for becoming established, who I contact for photo passes, and more.
Discussion: 11 Comments »
8 Tips for a Great Photography Portfolio
Creating a portfolio of one’s own work can be a daunting task, but it’s an essential part of presenting oneself as a photographer. A top notch book is one of the best ways communicate one’s ability and vision, especially when it can be viewed online and around the world.
Here are eight ways to make yourself [...]
Discussion: 49 Comments »
The Flaming Lips @ the Pageant — 2007.09.28
The iPhone, hard at work, replacing $6k of professional camera equipment.
On a gut level, I’ve always felt cigarette companies were intrinsically evil, and last night’s Flaming Lips performance just confirmed that notion.
Discussion: 11 Comments »
Concert photography with Telephoto Lenses
While my normal go-to lens for indoor concert photography is a midrange zoom like the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 (or Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 on APS), telephoto lenses can be an essential part of the live music photographer’s kit. The highly utilitarian wide-to-short-tele midrange lens excels in from the pit for most venues, but some situations can [...]
Discussion: 8 Comments »
