There are just some shows where primes are a necessity, even with high ISO. Maybe the Nikon D3s could have pulled this show off with f/2.8 zooms and ISO 12800, but I wholeheartedly say that ISO 3200 and f/1.4 primes on the Nikon D3 was a lifesafer photographing Japanese indie rock band Ogre You Asshole.
Photographer's Notes:
This show was dark – but that was expected. And as such, I came to this show prepared with a trio of Nikon f/1.4 primes to help open up the darkness. Bad light is just that: bad light, and there are no lenses fast enough to fully correct for what's essentially just nasty lighting.
However, some light at concerts is just dim, but still beautiful to capture.
Cameras Used:
- Nikon D3
- Nikon D700
Lenses Used:
I shot this gig wide open at f/1.4 for just about every single image in this set, if not all. Together with an ISO setting of 3200 on the Nikon D3 and D700, fast glass really saved the day here. I'm happy to say that Nikon's new f/1.4 lenses, particularly the Nikon 85mm f/1.4, are beautiful to shoot with under such dim conditions.
But maybe even better than having a trio of great primes to rock this show was hearing a new band whose music I loved – I bought a CD from these guys immediately after their performance. One of the perks of being a live music photographer.
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