Ideal Camera settings for Gig and Theatre photography
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2024
- In this video I offer Five Top Tips for setting up your camera ready to take photos at gigs, at theatres, your kid's nativity play, your mate's stand-up comedy routine, and other live events that are oftentimes dark, have strobing lights, changing colours, and moving people. The settings maximise the light taken into the camera so you can capture crisp images of bands, actors, singers, etc.
Special thanks to Stageworks for allowing me to take pictures of their shows, and also there are pictures of Paul Weller, Marah, Jesse Malin, KT Tunstall.
If you would like a print of any photo that appears in one of my videos, please email keith@keithmasonphotography.com with a screenshot of the image you would like, and the size you would like (A4, 8 x 10, 6 x 9 = £30). These prints are signed but not numbered. Thanks for your support :)
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Music
Composed and performed by Adam Mason
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My Camera Gear:
Canon 5D mkII
Canon 5D mkI
Canon EF 24-105mm, f4.0,
Canon EF 50mm 1.4
Fujifilm XT3
Fujifilm X-Pro1
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm, f4.0
Fujifilm XF 18mm, 2.2
Fujifilm XF 35mm, 1.4
MeFOTO Travel tripod with ball head
Velbon Ultra 353 Mini Q with ball head
HoldFast MoneyMaker dual strap
Peak design straps (Slide and Slide Lite) and clips
Lee filters for ND and grad filters
Rode VideoMicro
Purple Panda Lav mic
Gonna be taking pictures of a musical today. I’ll be sure to use all the tips from this video
I shoot manual with auto iso. I keep 1/160s when there’s more movement on stage. When I select a slower shutter speed when there’s very little movement, the camera automatically lowers the iso and results in cleaner images. Auto iso = one less variable to deal with when there’s already loads going on in front of you.
Hi Benjamin. That’s a really good idea and one that I’ll give a try out. Best, Keith
Found this really interesting, had not thought of setting the camera up and then excepting that some will be over exposed and others under. Guess that is better then looking down at your camera to adjust and play then missing the action. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your comments! I generally take some test shots at the beginning of a set, adjust the shutter till most shots are about a stop underexposed and go with that. Most modern cameras will allow some grace in post-production to adjust to where it seems right.
Fantastic seeing Jesse Malins. A very good mate of mine did his sound for a number of years
Jesse Malin is one of my absolute favourites. I’ve seen him in Nebraska (FAOSD had only just come out), London, Dublin, Nottingham, Ipswich, Cambridge, etc. I hope to see him out and about again soon. Thanks for watching and commenting
I shoot with a Canon 80D, and when I do theater/dance photography I shoot in Shutter Priority so I can set the shutter speed, especially in dance, and will then dial in some exposure compensation. I've tried shooting in full manual mode, but unless the stage lights are bright and don't change, rarely does that happen, then there's no way I can shoot in manual and get a good picture.
Hi Operatigger. Sorry for taking a minute to get back to you. Setting an acceptable shutter and letting the camera do the rest is a great way to get decent, sharp shots when the lights are changing. And imo, sharp is far better than noisy (plus you can fix noise, you can't easily fix unsharp images). I've just bought a camera with IBIS so I look forward to seeing whether than changes my theatre shooting strategies.
The X-T3 has a very useful feature that allows you to set Auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed requirement - so you can shoot in Aperture priority with AUTO ISO set to a minimum of 1/250 and max ISO of 6400 for example. It will still drop the shutter below the selected minimum if it can't raise ISO any higher but you can see what it is doing. Great feature that is also very useful when shooting action shots too.
Hi there Dingbat. Thanks very much for your comment. I am aware of this functionality, but I have tended to stick with a set iso for a theatre shoot as I have a post-production workflow that deals with the grain. However, with your encouragement, I will try it out next time I am in a dark environment. Best, Keith
oh and aperture stick to 4 is wide enough since you using auto iso it willimprove your focus
Going wider with primes means I can save iso going beyond what I would consider reasonable. YMMV
Great advice! I’m gonna go shoot a dance show for the first time and this was helpful
Hi Joana. Thanks! I’m glad you found it useful. Hope your shoot goes well and you get some great shots
I’ve been shooting contemporary ballet and ballet for more than a decade. Mostly dress rehearsals for the various companies that I have worked or volunteered with. Dress rehearsals allow the photographer great access without disturbing either audience or performers. All of my work has been with Sonys and I am currently using their A1. My go-to lens for many years was the Sony 24-70 GM and is now the Tamron 28-75. The f2.8 zoom lens allows me good latitude for composition. My settings are generally 1/400 f2.8-3.2 and auto-ISO from 100-6400, and occasionally up to as far as ISO 10,000. Exposure is Sony’s H+ (preserve highlights) AND exposure comp at -2/3 (for Caucasian foreheads and overhead spots). As you suggest, you can fix noise in post, but you can’t fix blur. In post, I start by culling my typical 1500-2000 images down to 100 or so, then sort by ISO and batch process like images for noise. And crop, adjust white balance, and process normally.
😊 thanks. It helped me a lot. I was confused between noise and speed. And answer is raw. Noise can be reduced but speed can't. So, thanks again. 😍😍😍
Great! I’m glad the video helped! Best, Keith
Man...my recipe is 1/640, f/4, ISO 6400 as a start point and adjust from there. That often works fine. I adjust the ISO before anything else, and try to understand how far I can push that considering the relationship between my camera (a Nikon D750) and my editing software (Lightroom). Granted, I am writing this 3 years after the fact, and noise reduction has changed a lot since this video was made, but it was true back then as well. I would rather have a slightly noisy theater photo than a blurry or out of focus one.
Hi Kevin. Sorry it’s taken me ages to reply. Those settings sound good, although whether, at that shutter speed and aperture you can let in enough light if the scene is dark (I’ve not shot with Nikon, so I don’t know). I tend to shoot at 1/250 and can get some motion blur if the performers are moving quickly, but have trained myself to wait to the freezes where they are not moving, or moving less. You’re right about noise reduction development in the past three years, and we have more ability to control grain, but I always prefer sharp to noisy.
I've just 'shot' Imelda May in concert and as you say challenging and changing light conditions throughout, BUT in addition to your excellent suggestions, I also used high speed multi-frame shots; my camera is a fairly basic Sony A6000 but is able to shoot at 10fps and using a relatively low ISO of 1600 and speed of 1/80, got great results. keep up the great work.
Glad you found the vid helpful. I love Imelda May. I’ve not seen her in concert but am sure she’d put on a great show. Great idea for using burst mode, and glad you got some good shots. I’m a bit old school and generally like to chose the moment to press the shutter, but I did use burst mode for a recent theatre shoot to capture dancers jumping and twirling round and pick the shot later. Many thanks!! Best, Keith
@@KeithMasonPhotography thanks Keith; my reasoning was because I wanted to keep the ISO down meaning my speed would always be borderline to get 'that' still.....see ya down the lens mate!!!
Cheers!!
Really great practical tips! I appreciate the advice to set up the camera and then shoot, shoot, shoot, knowing that some photos will be culled out. Much preferable to squinting at the camera in the dark, trying to change settings with the stage changes. THANK YOU!!!
Going to shoot a stage play tonight and will try your tips! thanks again!
Thanks Amy. I hope the tips worked out for you. Thanks for your comments. Best Keith
Thank you!
Glad you found it useful.
Legend mate saved me for my first theatre gig!
Great!! I hope it goes well
This great advice and I thank you. I was, however, looking for VIDEO as opposed to stills… my search continues. The room is dark… the wide image is perfect.., then the spotlight hits the soloist on full and the main subject is blown out to irrecoverable white…😢
Ah! Sorry - I don’t shoot video. I have a buddy that shoots the video. I’ll check with him and get back to you
Great advice. Thanks for sharing. I’m just an starting photographer for theatre. Oh boy it’s challenging 😰
Thanks Ishaq, I’m glad you found this useful. There are two or three other videos on my channel that may also be useful for theatre photography. It can be very rewarding but also quite challenging. Best of luck.
I have a question for you if you could answer, it would be great. I have searched a lot but I haven’t got a concrete answer yet.
Sense the theatre lighting is almost the same all over the world, your as we might help me.
It might change from scene to scene or from theatre to theatre but basically the lighting situation is similar.
Can you tell me if a Sony Alpha iii can perform well for a theatre coverage?!
Auto fous and low light performance is my main concern.
I use an old 5D mark II with 24-70 f 2.8 Sigma lens.
The noise and the auto focus speed is really annoying.
@@Youronechannel I can't help you on the Sony - I suggest you watch some reviews of the camera. I am sure that any review will talk about AF and probably noise. I have taken many good theatre images with my 5DmkII, but I used back button focus with a central focus point selected. My Fuji doesn't have a great reputation for AF but it's good enough to get a high proportion of images sharp as long as the light is sufficient on stage. If not, I switch back to manual focus. As for noise, I have repeatedly said I would prefer sharp to noisy and comfortably set iso at 3,200 or 6,400 and then treat noise in post production. I depends a little on your preferred style. For rock photography I quite like a bit of noise, but for theatre, I push the noise correction in Lightroom quite heavily. If it was a problem I might look at new AI based post production solutions (Adobe has one, and and Topaz DeNoise is industry leading, I understand). As for the Sony, as a newer camera to the Canon, you should be golden. Best of luck.
excellent Keith; many thanks.
Many thanks!!
Thanks for your video. What about WB?
Also AF in single shot or continuous mode?
I generally shoot in single shot, except when I know there is going to be a jump coming up and I maybe shoot in continuous for that. Regarding WB, I generally set a Kelvin value that suits the set, but I always shoot in TAW so I can adjust the balance in post. As colours can change so much during a show, I will set an appropriate WB for each lighting set up in post and apply that to all the images with that set up so that the set looks consistent overall.
Thanks for publishing this video, it has been very useful. I have started shooting for our local theatre group, but need to upgrade my camera, as With maximum aperture, iso 1600, I struggle to get a shutter speed faster than 1/15. This gives be some great shots (about 10%) and a lot of movement blur. I’ve always liked the EOS cameras, and am considering a M50 Mark II, the M200, M6 Model II (in that order). Will these all be suitable or is this an alternative. I am price sensitive so an RP or R not an option for me!!! Thanks In advance. Richard
Thank you so much sir
Glad you liked it
Thanks so much for these tips Keith, I've always had my shutter on 1/800 which has probably been way too fast all that time!
How do you deal with the shutter sound? I alway worry it will distract the performers, as my Sonay A6000 doesn't have a quiet setting :(
Hi Samantha. To freeze people on stage 1/250th will probably do it sufficiently well, and, as I said, I am comfortable about going down to 1/125th and pick a moment where the actors / performers are not moving too much. Regarding shutter noise, unless it's a really quiet peace of theatre, I don't worry about it, but I sometimes turn off the noise of the shutter and also the autofocus noise. For the most part those on stage will be worrying about many other things (cues, stage location, lines, words, chords, etc.) to worry about someone taking a photo. Remember - most everybody on stage has chosen to stand on stage and be looked at by strangers - therefore they shouldn't be worried about a photographer. Best of luck. Keith
Nice video sir, thank you!
Thank you Rivai - I hope you found it useful.
Very useful, thanks!
Thank you Alex - Glad you found it helpful.
Hello, thank you for these tips! Do you use tripod when shooting a speaker on the stage ?
Hi there. I never use a tripod at a show
Nice video, thanks. What about filming a dance performance? Specifically a ballet performance in low light with multiple dancers on stage. Video settings and lens recommendations? I’m using a Sony a7iii. Thanks!
Hi there. I can’t help you, I’m afraid. I don’t do any video footage at theatre or dance performances so don’t really know what settings to go for. Pal2tech covers a lot of film settings
@@KeithMasonPhotography Thanks for the reply!
Thanks that was really helpful
Hi Marin. Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you found it helpful
Good tips for shooting in theaters, but can i give you one turn that background music off.
Thanks for the feedback. Fair enough on the backing track! 👍
Gud stuff you know Jesse Malin and Danny Ray ? great photos of them mate
Thanks! Just a long time fan of Jesse Malin and pleased to get to know Danny Ray on the last tour I saw
Danny thinks it was at Dingwalls ?
@@luigiscorcia8743 yes it was - Sept 2018 for a Joe Strummer charity gig
@@KeithMasonPhotography I play there with Johnny thunders in the early 80s any photos of him?
I'm afraid not - but v. cool you played with Johnny Thunders!! Great stuff.
What about White Balance ? Do you recommend Auto for this or is there a manual setting you utilize?
Hi Mikel - good question. The lighting changes so quickly in theatres - often multiple times within a single scene - makes accurately rendering white balance is very difficult. I tend to either shoot an entire show at a set WB which I set up during a rehearsal. Alternatively I let the camera use AWB. Either way, I am resigned to have to adjust WB in post. I always shoot raw knowing that I will have to make changes in WB later. I often take reference shots with my phone (which ironically captures white balance pretty well) to check later, but in post production I adjust the WB to how I felt the scene was even if I do not accurately reflect how the lighting actually was. The creative freedom that adjusting WB in post can enable making more powerful images than would otherwise be possible. Best, Keith
Great video. Actual useful advice. What do you think about auto-iso?
Hi Johny. Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I think auto-iso would be OK if the room wasn't too dark, but on my camera auto-iso sets upto a specific setting. For my money, I would prefer sharpness over grain, so I would prefer to set a minimum shutter speed, and let the iso do the heavy lifting, and put up with the additional grain. Alternatively, I would set an iso at, say, 6,400. Expect grain, and set a minimum shutter at, say, 1/160th. This approach would depend on the lens as it is easier to get sharper images at 1/160th on wider angled lenses. I hope that makes sense. Cheers, Keith
Perfect Tips! Thank you? What about flash ? Do you use flash or not ?
Hi there Sisi. For gigs and theatre work, I’ve never used flash. I’ve used flash for parties / weddings / dance floors - set iso around 800, flash TTL bounced off ceiling with a Rouge Flash Bender and shutter usually 1/125th.
@@KeithMasonPhotography thank you very much !!!!!!!
Hi Keith , Great video mate , what's your favourite fuji lens for live stage work ? Cheers .
I have the 18mm and the 35mm thanks Graham - both 1.4 (iirc). The 18 is great but I find the focusing on the 35mm a little slow and I would prefer something a little longer - a 56mm or similar
@@KeithMasonPhotography Right Thanks Keith .
@@KeithMasonPhotography oh cheers Keith 👍
How do you deal with being too far? My lens only goes to 45mm (kit lens) and it's often too low, I have a Canon m50 mark ii so I'd imagine I could crop a bit in 4k shooting but is there a better option I can do with what I have?
Hi Cameron - A 45mm on a crop sensor is somewhere around 70mm. This should be fine for most scenes on a stage. I regularly use a 35mm and a 18-55mm (on crop sensor) so you are in the same ball park. The age old tenant about photography is if the picture is not working, get closer. So my recommendation is to chat to the theatre and see if you can arrange to sneak closer to the stage somehow. The comment about 4K threw me a little - Are you shooting video? For me, shooting stills should allow some cropping, but either try to get closer, or think wider - can you get the whole cast in, or a significant section of the stage? Best of luck. Keith
Use auto ISO and 200 is not enough many times need to go to 500shutter speed dancers are fast
Cheers!! Dancers are certainly fast
Hiia how do you deal with “blinding” I did a show today and no matter what shutter I had it on I kept getting some lines so any tips on how to fix it for the future or how to fix it in post will be very much appreciated x
I’m not entirely sure what you’re referring to. I’ve occasionally had some banding which looked like the picture was taken through some Venetian blinds. If it’s that I’ll try and recall how I prevented it (iirc, it was a second curtain effect). Also, what camera / lens and what settings (iso, f-stop)were you using ? If I can help, I will, but it’s late here in UK so it’ll be tomorrow. Best, Keith
@@KeithMasonPhotography have you got a photography Instagram or Facebook where I can message and send pictures with regarding what I mean?
Sure thing - I’m @KeithMasonPhotography on Insta
Hi, thanks for the video, I heard about a second video? 🤔
Thanks, Rueda! The second video is here. No Press Pass? No Problem! Shooting gigs as a gig-goer - Practical Gig Photography Guide th-cam.com/video/KY1cDumQo9g/w-d-xo.html
I mean Fernando! Sorry! I’ve been grading work, and all the names are family name comma given name.
@@KeithMasonPhotography Jaja don't worry, it's ok!
What about white balance settings?
Hi Perry. With the lights continually changing during a performance, it’s about impossible to get an accurate rendition of the white balance using AWB, so I set the camera to a fixed white balance (usually a little warm) during the performance. I always shoot in RAW so I can make decisions about the white balance in post. I try to emulate the mood of a performance but not necessarily an accurate rendition.
Well, actually..........
Many performances are NOT dark. Yes, they appear dark, but the subject often is lit by a stage lights.
Modern cameras can often keep up quite well. Just don't rely on the "normal" matrix metering. Set it to point, center or something similar. Go to full manual, set iso to auto within your own acceptable bounds and vary your shutter according to movement on stage and aperture to desired dof, within a narrow margin.
Use exposure compensation to slightly underexpose, so you won't have blown highlights if your spot metering doesn't quite do the trick.
You're saying in this video" go full manual. The people who know how already know what way to go.
Dear Eke - Thank you for your comments. I understand what you are saying about spot metering, and certainly it is a way to go, but the settings I suggested are the ones that have proved to work over and over again, and have produced some great results. Spot metering works best if you are zoomed in on a performers face, but as I noted in the video, I tend to use prime, esp. wide primes and here the results would be too variable. The other reason that I chose the settings I do is that when I have taken a 1,000 shots in a evening in a whole host of varied and continually changing lighting conditions, I have a set of photos that are fairly uniformed exposure and therefore processing them takes a fraction of the time that I would have otherwise have to take. YMMV.
The best gig to shoot pictures is EYES and BRAIN.
I'm guessing you mean "gear" - And, of course, that goes without saying. One of my later videos explains how to shoot a gig.
Thank you!
You're welcome. I hope you found the video helpful.