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Band Photography- HELP!?

Posted 26/11/2013 - 19:46 Link
Someone has asked me to shoot a band set of photos

They're young lads in a rock group who want something fresh and exciting.

can I get away with this sort of thing with just pop up flash?

WHen researching the subject on line they talk about off camera flash////

What on earth is that and is it something different to a hot shoe?

Links to buying something like that appreciated!

QC
Learn how to live and you'll know how to die; learn how to die, and you'll know how to live.

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davidstorm
Posted 26/11/2013 - 19:48 Link
Depending on the lighting I would avoid using flash altogether Alistair. Flash would kill the atmosphere of the shots unless used very carefully, however I am not an expert and Gary Stafford is the one to best advise you on this one.

Regards
David
Flickr

Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu

Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs
Posted 26/11/2013 - 19:51 Link
Thanks david
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gartmore
Posted 26/11/2013 - 20:12 Link
Are these performance or publicity shots?
Ken
“We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson -
Pentaxophile
Posted 26/11/2013 - 20:20 Link
These sound more like publicity shots to me - a band shoot rather than a gig shoot.

Off camera flash means what it says - you position your flashes off camera from where you want the band to be lit, triggering them with [probably] a radio trigger on the camera hotshoe.

Since you decide where to put the flashes, this has the potential to create atmosphere, not 'kill it'.

http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html

If you're contemplating going down that route, a band shoot might be a bit intensive for a first go though. At least have a natural light back-up plan, e.g. shoot in and around abandoned buildings making use of window and door light.
[link=https://500px.com/will_brealey/[/link]
Edited by Pentaxophile: 26/11/2013 - 20:22
Posted 26/11/2013 - 20:22 Link
a bit of both i expect mate
Learn how to live and you'll know how to die; learn how to die, and you'll know how to live.

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davidstorm
Posted 26/11/2013 - 22:24 Link
Pentaxophile wrote:
Since you decide where to put the flashes, this has the potential to create atmosphere, not 'kill it'.

Hi Will, I did say 'if not used very carefully' and Alistair did mention using the on-camera flash which would probably 'kill' the atmosphere.

There are clearly lots of ways that off-camera flash could be used, along with other lighting sources, but it might not be a good idea to experiment like this if techniques are unfamiliar and it is Alistair's first shoot of this type. Your suggestion of using natural light in abandoned buildings seems pretty sound to me.

It might also be possible to shoot without flash if the band is on a stage with stage lighting - this would produce dramatic shots and there should be no issues with a K-5 at relatively high ISO's.

Regards
David
Flickr

Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu

Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs
Mannesty
Posted 27/11/2013 - 00:32 Link
No flash if you can get away without it. The shadows will be too noticeable. If you need flash because of very poor lighting, use a hot shoe flash with a diffuser.
Convert some shots to monochrome, for some reason band shots look better in mono, especially detail shots.
The K5 is good up to 3200 or even 6400 ISO
Shoot RAW, you'll stand a better chance of recovering otherwise unusable JPG images.
Get some detail shots of guitar strings, drum kit etc.
Shoot from well below (get on your knees) and above eye height (stand on a chair or table if you can) to get images with some impact.
Use a fast lens, f2.8 or faster if you have one. My favourites for gigs where I can get close are the DA* 55mm and FA 31mm Ltd, both wide open.
Take loads of shots, and then some more. You haven't got the film camera constraints of 24 or 36 exposures.
Peter E Smith - flickr Photostream
Edited by Mannesty: 27/11/2013 - 00:36
Posted 27/11/2013 - 17:36 Link
anyone else?
Learn how to live and you'll know how to die; learn how to die, and you'll know how to live.

Check out ones photographs on Flickr!

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