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20 Comments Add your own
1. nikki | July 24th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Hey, awesome photography here. I have a few questions for you about lenses, if you could be kind enough to answer them!
I was wondering what lens you suggest for “no flash photography allowed” concerts? I shoot with a canon eos 30d and the lenses I have right now don’t have a wide enough aperture to shoot without a flash in low light…
Im thinking the 85mm 1.2/f or 85mm1.8, or the 55mm 1.2…
Any advice would be awesome
thanks
2. Todd | July 25th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Hi Nikki,
Absolutely all of my concert photography is with no flash, so the lenses I use and recommend are all appropriate for that approach.
The focal length will really depend on how close you are to the stage and the performers — if you’re being hit with the no flash rule, you’re probably in the pit, though.
For most photo pits where you can get right up to the front of the stage, I’d recommend a lens like the Canon 17-55/2.8 IS. The Nikon version of this lens is what I use for most of my shooting. f/2.8 is usually enough, but faster primes are a good compliment.
What you want to stay way from is midrange zoom with a variable aperture (like an 18-55 or 17-85 zoom), because they lose too much light as you go to the tele range.
However, even f/2.8 might not be fast enough. Canon has the 24mm f/1.4L and 35mm f/1.4L lenses that would be great for available light shooting. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is also a good option.
If you’re a little farther back or want to focus on tighter shots, one of the 85mm lenses you listed would be fine. If you can afford the f/1.2 lenses, go for it, but I’d get a set of f/1.4 or f/1.8 primes before spending a ton of cash on one super-fast lens.
The 50/1.2 you mention would also be great for low light work, but I find the focal length just slightly awkward for some concert work, and often want more focal lenth or less. A ~30mm/85mm pair could be nice.
Good luck, let me know if you have any more questions.
3. Todd | July 25th, 2007 at 10:06 am
PS: You check out the Gear Guide for more lens suggestions.
4. nikki | July 25th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Yeah, I will be in the pit.
I don’t think I mentioned this in my last post…but I was thinking of renting the canon 17-200 2.8/f IS USM…because I was thinking using a telephoto would be beneficial. The thing I was worried about is it not being fast enough.
So basicly right now I’m stuck trying to decide between the 70-200mm 2.8/f IS…or the 85mm1.2 or 55mm1.4…I will be most likely just renting these for the next thing I have coming up since it will take awhile to order them etc.
Your advice is awesome, thanks.
Please get back to me about the telephoto lens vs. the primes…
Nikki
5. Todd | July 26th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Hey Nikki,
The flexibility of the 70-200mm zoom is going to great, but if you’re worried about light, the primes you’re considering are at least a full two-stops faster, which will mean higher shutter speeds, lower ISO, or both — and both of which are good.
If it means the difference of shooting at ISO 3200 with the zoom or and ISO 800 or 1600 with one of the primes, that’s a huge difference.
Have you worked in the venue you’re shooting in? If it’s a larger, theatre-style venue, there may be enough light for the zoom. Otherwise, I would stick to one of the primes.
What kind of band are you photographing? The performance style should help you pick the focal length and speed, too. If the band doesn’t move around too much, telephoto is good, but you won’t want to be chasing them around with a long lens if they’re really energetic.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with.
Todd
6. Kenny | November 24th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Todd - today is a good day. I Googled ‘concert photography gear’, and that’s how I found your site. I am now a big Todd fan. Finally, a photographer that speaks in terms I can understand, about the gear, and scenarios, with actual examples that speaks volumes. Just when I thought I was coming along with my own concert experiences, you humble me, and remind me how far I have to go. But that’s ok, I realized long ago that challenging myself, learning from others, and rarely being 100% satisfied with my work, will always be part of the beauty of why I love concert photography. I am very fortunate to be the house photographer at a large venue here in St. Louis. I bought my first dslr a year ago, a Minolta 5D, which is about as entry level as you can get. The choice was driven by the fact my previous film camera was a Minolta, and the len’s I owned carried over. Stepping it up to the next level, has been on my brain for a while now. After seeing your work with Nikon, you have totally derailed what I thought for sure was my decision to go after the Canon 40D. I am an enthusiastic amature at best, but driven and have a strive for excellence that perhaps outweighs that of my ‘day job’. I have so many questions, and topics of discussion I’d love to have with you, I wouldn’t know where to begin. I appreciate, and thank you, for your site. Sharing knowledge, and having open discussion, is a beautiful thing, no matter what line of work it is. You satisfy folks who just like looking at cool pictures, to those who want the drill down to knowing what it took to capture them. Hope to meet you one day at a show, and see you in action!
7. Todd | November 25th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Hey Kenny,
Thanks very much for the comment, I’m glad to hear you found my site and that it’s been useful to you. Since you shoot in St. Louis, perhaps we’ve seen each other at a show in the past. What venue do you shoot for?
Regarding gear, the Canon 40D is quite nice, and it looks like the new Nikon D300 is about on par. Anything from Canon or Nikon will be fine at this point, as the two are really quite close in performance.
Please let me know if there are any questions I can try and answer, either by commenting or through e-mail in the above form.
Best,
Todd
8. Kevin | December 28th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
I think I found my new calling… I’ve been inspired by you Todd to look more into photography. I just purchased a new camera (Nikon D80 w/ 18-135mm) and my wife and I use it for whenever we go to any weddings or such.. she volunteered me to shoot a wedding coming up in march… but I really wish I was volunteered for a concert now to take pictures.
I really just wanted to comment on some of the pictures you took and how amazing they are…
This may seem like an odd question, but looking at your gear that you have on your website, would I be able to shoot a wedding with those types of gear also? I’m more looking for the Nikon 50mm because i see that pop up everywhere..
Thanks for the tips on the other comments that i read..
-kev
9. Todd | January 2nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Hey Kevin,
Sorry for the late reply, things get crazy this time of year. Thanks very much for taking time to look at the work.
As for the gear, yes, I would recommend just about all the same lenses for wedding photography, though their usage will differ slightly. At the core, both are event coverage in a PJ styling. For weddings, which I also shoot, I use the 17-55mm f/2.8 (and now with the D3, the 24-70mm f/2.8) the most. If you anticipate low light, a fast prime will be useful.
Good luck! Let me know if I can help with anything else.
Todd
10. Christine | February 21st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Hey Todd
First I want to say that your photography is absolutely amazing and your site is very, very helpful. I have a couple questions to ask you.
I recently bought the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and I love the sharpness and the capability of working in low-light situations. I’ve been practicing focusing in dim parts of my house and members in my family to see if I can focus this lens with such a big aperture in low light. It seems that I’m not able too. I shoot in manual, the ISO is 1600 and the f stop is the lowest, 1.8. And it’s in auto focus. How can I fix this? I’ve looked at metering on my camera (which is a Digital Rebel XT) and I’m not sure which one to use (Evaluative, Partial, or Center-Weighted Average)
Thank you so much in advance. Keep up the amazing work.
-Christine
11. Todd | February 22nd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Hey Christine,
Thanks for the kind words on the work, I’m glad to hear this site is helpful.
If you’re having trouble focusing in low light, part of it could be the lens, but I would also turn to the camera. Not all AF systems are equally good in low light, so the camera itself may be having difficulty shooting under those conditions. Do your other lenses have the same issue?
Regarding metering, I usually use evaluative, but if you’re shooting in manual mode, you should be able to make quick adjustments to the exposure as needed. How do your exposures look?
Hope this helps, let me know if I can answer anything else.
Best,
Todd
12. Mitchel107 | March 12th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Hey Todd,
I just dropped you a line with a behind the scenes sort of question.
Thanks
P.S. Your work is RAD
13. Kate | March 23rd, 2008 at 2:04 am
Can I buy your photograph of Paul Maroon from the Walkmen, I believe at the Pitchfork Music Festival?
14. Sid Hammer | March 26th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Hey Todd,
I saw some of your wonderful macro photos on dpreview.com taken with the Tokina and Vivitar 90mm F2.5 lenses, and have a few questions about them. I am currently bidding on one of the Vivitar models and i was wondering if it will meter on a Nikon D200 (by entering the lens data into the camera). It also comes with the original VIvitar kit teleconverter and i was wondering if you knew whether the teleconverter is good or not. My last question is if you know the magnification factor on an APS-C sensor.
Thank you very much, and those are some great photos
15. Todd | March 27th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Hey Sid,
Make sure the lens you’re bidding on is an AI model, as the VS1 90mm was available as a non-AI lens at its introduction.
That said, the AI lens should meter just fine with the D200.
Personally, I rarely use the teleconverter, but it’s worth having in a pinch when you need more magnification.
And on that note, technically, the magnification is still as indicated by the barrel markings, just “enlarged” since we’re only seeing a cropped frame. The image does appear 1.5 “larger” with a DX camera because of this — this is one reason I almost never used the “macro extender” with the Tokina when using the D70 and D2x.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
16. matt fernandes | March 28th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
hi todd,
i tried to send a msg but doesn’t seem to be working. i would love to feature you on my blog for the post-dispatch. let me know if you’re available. mfernandes@post-dispatch.com.
17. Kate | March 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Todd,
I’m not sure if my first post was overlooked, but I really want to buy one of your photos! Can you let me know how we can do this?
18. Shailesh Johar | April 7th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Hey Todd, great initiative you have here. I just dropped into your website through Concert Photography Forum@Flickr.
Pretty good work you’ve here. I really liked the Marilyn Manson and Jill Scott shots. Also I would say that you ‘How to’ tutorials are more than helpful.
As per me, I’m Shailesh Johar from New Delhi, India. I’ve been doing concert photography for some 12 months or so.
Even though I’m an engineer, but photography is my passion and I love to have myself at some Club or stage area, doing some “Low light Action Portraiture”.
I would really appreciate it if you could educate me about how to make it big as a Rock Photographer.
You can check out some of my work at “http://www.flickr.com/photos/djsoulfire/”
Looking forward to hear from you.
Regards
Shailesh Johar
19. John | April 16th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
T,
Great photos! Just happened to stumble on your site and browsed through your collection. Looks like you have an awesome line up of gigs coming up. If you get a chance, Oasis is coming to Canada for the Toronto Virgin Music Fest in August. I’ll be heading to their Vancouver stop and hopefully get some shots.
Keep up the great work!
John
20. Todd | April 17th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Hey John, thanks for stopping by, glad you found the site. It’s finally concert season, so there are a bunch of good shows coming through.
I’d love to photograph Oasis, but don’t know if I’ll be able to make it up. The Virgin festivals always have killer lineups, though. Send me a link of the shots when you post ‘em.
speak up
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