Shooting at a concert might give the gadget enthusiastic photographer a chance to overcome this addiction, and leave the equipment back at the studio. Throughout most concerts it will be unrealistic to even consider dragging along any equipment. To successfully photograph a concert all a person needs is the right film in the camera. And by the way, "Flashing" the band will not just annoy everyone but will also take away from the special feel of the stage.

When the available light is bright spot lights behind the performers the common advice is to get the meter reading off the musicians, however, it will hardly be possible to do so as there is not enough light for reading the meter. I just go without. If it's possible, better to be on the move and make pictures from different angles. Therefore and even though the shutter speed will often be very slow [about 1/15] using a tripod will prevent you from moving around freely. In this case consider counting on your steady hands. And lets not forget the biggest advantage of shooting at a concert is being able to listen to a great music while making the exposures.

Pictures on this page were taken with;
color : NHGII800
black & white : kodak T400CN

And so it will be necessary to use any available light there is. Sometimes the available light will be pretty dim [and smoky], therefore it will be best to use fast film like 800 or 1000 ASA for color and up to 3200 ASA for black and white. However, it will work just fine when using 400 ASA and pushing it 2 stops [1600 ASA]. Pushing will create a nice contrast and will give more grain which can look pretty cool for these kind of photos.