Tip on the Pit – Photographer’s help

WordPress archive doesn’t seem the easiest to browse, even more difficult if you are after the topic of the photographers’ tip I write at the end of each post. In this page you have the full list of helps that you may love if you belong to the wonderful world of live music photographers, now categorized in improbable categories!

Before everything

Flattr Live on 35mm, you’ll contribute to its longer life!

Before the Gig

Ask for the policy in advance… or shoot the mixer
A Small Festival: ATP
Be ready!
Bring the e-mail!
Clean the lenses
Confirm your photopass
Dedication
Don’t forget the earplugs
Don’t compulsively go photographing gigs
Film or Digital… Why not both?
First night or second night?
Have a contact number of the tour manager with you
First or second date?
Getting a photo pass through the support
Google it! Search for images of the band you are shooting
iPhone or DSLR?
Knowing the band in advance
Love music
Musicians who hate photographers. I’m talking to you Nick Cave!
Open air? Bring a Raincoat (UK mostly)
Shall I go to shoot him again?
Shall I shoot the support band?
Shooting the support: a case study
Shooting a band twice
Shooting a daylight concert
Sneak your camera in? Carefully…
Start Small
Talk to fellow photographers
Technical info sheet. Is it useful?
Use some (polite) tricks
What camera bag to bring at concerts?
(Why not) shooting a festival on film
Would I be better off only taking with me things I need?

General Technique

Automatic ISO
Backlights, don’t complain make use of it!
Bad Luck, Is burst mode the solution?
B&W film or Digital (colour)?
B&W Film or B&W digital?
Bright lights and dark lights, how to set your cameras
Close Ups
Dark room with just a spotlight
Daylight at a festival tent
Excellent lighting
Exposure compensation
Highlights, learn to control your setting
Histograms
Horizontal or vertical?
Image stabilization, vibration reduction, is that useful?
Lasers
Left handed guitarists
Live View
Manual Focusing
My film, my developer, my procedure
Overdeveloping a negative by accident, is that lost forever?
Overemphasizing the contrast, a trick to save poor, dark images
Photographing the fans
Photojournalist or fashion/portrait photographer?
Rim light on stage!?
Setting Modes
Sharpness, what a challenge!
Shooting while zooming
Shoot RAW files!
Silhouette
Silhouette, inverted!
Slow, second curtain synchro flash
Spotlights
Spot-Metering
Strobe Lights
Too Much Light
TTL Flash
Use of the depth of field

My Ways, My Tricks

A beautiful singer? Frame the microphone (I said it!)
Anticipation. Listen, relisten, shoot!
Backstage shootings
Band is far, shoot the fans
Catching a running frontman
Chasing a jumping frontman
Consider the background
Crowd-surfing
Crowd-surfing 2
Desaturated colours
(Do not) Raise your DSLR
Experimenting at festivals
Get close!
How to use band names on the background
How to photograph Mark Lanegan
Image on the back
Interpret the subject
Keyboard(ist)s
Led vertical tube, useful
Lit up logo on the back
Love music first!
Make use of the band’s name on the drum
Microphone, the bastard!
Music Fans
Noisy shutters
Photographying videos
Shooting the same gig two nights in a row
Slow Shutter Flash
Started on film, moved to digital
Tell a story, include some shots of the place
Tilted images
What to do when you can’t do nothing?
White balance cheating?
White spotlight and portraits
Why Colour?

Happens in the Pit…

Being insulted
Being denied access

Met in the Pit… Crossing path with great photographers

Steve Gullick

Cameras, Lenses…

A cheap alternative to telephoto zoom: 135mm f2.8
Big Boy: 70-200mm f2.8 VR
Nikon D700 now… what next?
Nikon D800… big
Essential: 24-70mm f2.8
Macro: 105mm f2.8
Portrait lens: 85mm f1.4
Ultra wide-angle: 18mm

… and accessories

Lens Hood
Tripod and monopod

Bands on Stage

Being natural, are they?
Big Bands
Duos – just the 2 of them
Frame the whole band on stage
Guitar tuners
Head Worn Microphone
Headbangers
Interaction within band members
Interaction between band and audience
Long hair: a rock classic
More on seated musicians
Movie stars
Oh no! He is sitting in front of a microphone!
Poseurs
Progressive circus
Shooting the drummer!
Shooting two drummers!!
Sitting performer
Supergroups
Those moments between songs
Traditional costumes
Unpredictable performer
What if the performers wears a hat?
Without a drummer on stage

Survival Guide

Artists extravagance
Artists tantrums
Band members not interacting within each other
(Flaming Lips) Carnival
Crowded photographer pits
Details – Ignore the band
Drum Kit, ampli, cables and more unwanted stuff on stage while the support is on
Flying pints and (surf)crowd madness
Led Lights – The Bad
Led Lights – The Good
Mist on your lens?
(Of Montreal) Theatre
Protecting your gear
Red lights
Smoke machines and bloody fog on stage!
More on smoke machines and how to turn it into creative photos
Stage Monitors
Raise your camera above your head
Take the pictures, you’ll look them at home.
Yes, you can shoot the support as well!
What to do to stay in the venue for the entire concert.
When the artist is separated from the band
Where to keep your gear

Kind of Venues

All-seated venues
All-seated below the stage level
Neneh Cherry
Large stage venues
Low stage venues
Festival tent
No-pit venues
No-Pit and bouncy!
No-Pit: what to bring
The Pub
The Pub Backdoor
Shooting from the back of the venue

Famous (and infamous) Rock Venues

100 Club – London
Alexandra Palace, West Hall – London
Barfly (RIP) – Cambridge
Birthdays – Dalston, London
Boston Arms – Tufnell Park, London
Brixton Academy – London
Bush Hall – London
Cargo – Shoreditch, London
Corn Exchange – Cambridge
Corsica Studios – London
Electric Ballroom – Camden Town, London
Electric Brixton – London
The Haymakers – Cambridge (RIP)
Heaven – London
Hoxton Bar & Grill – London
Islington Academy – London
Junction – Cambridge
Junction 2 – The Shed – Cambridge
Koko (Indie fashion) – London
Lexington – London
Coliseum – London
Luminaire, London – “The UK’s best live music venue” (RIP)
Portland Arms (save the) – Cambridge
Portland Arms (saved) – Cambridge
Roundhouse – London
Rough Trade East, London – The in-store gig
Shepherds Bush Empire – London
ULU, London – A university bar
Union Chapel, London – Rock goes to the church
Astoria (RIP) – London

Complains, requests, reflections, appeals to bands, managements and fans

Appeal: Why not “LAST 3 songs, no flash”?
Beyond 3 songs – Shooting the entire show
Call against photographers’ form agreement
End of the year reflection about the future of Music Photography
Getty, you are doing it wrong
Giving pictures for free, when and when not
Help the photographer. Perform!
Help the photographer. Change pose!
Help the photographer. Don’t tell allocations are full if there are no photographers!
Instagram and the unstoppable rise of Smartphones at gigs
It’s not our job to provide photos to photographers
It’s a pity without the pit
Missed occasions
No restrictions. Then?
One more call and an even worse agreement form
One song, no flash, left side of the stage, what the hell are you talking about?
Photography needs light, switch it on, please!
Photopass stickers
Request to change a rights grab release form
Respect
Right balance between photographer’s style and artist representation
Three songs no flash? Ok fine.
Two songs, no flash, one of the sides of the stage. I know what you are talking about!
Your favourite song or the band most famous song is not the best to photograph
Why photographers take tabloid snaps?
Why restrictions don’t help anyone

After the Gig

Adrenaline kick, being published!
Aperture (or Lightroom)?
Back up your photos
Cropping
Don’t give away your photos for free
How to select the best shots
Let other photographers judge your work
Long time storage
Repair a broken lens
SEO… or you’re invisible
To retouch or not to retouch?
Ups and Downs of concert photography… in the same gig
White Balance
Why there are no press review of this?