12 Apr Passion Pit at the Odgen

What an AWESOME show to watch but it was definitely a challenge to shoot. Probably one of the most difficult shows I’ve photographed.

You can see the full set of images at Reverb.

A Few Technical Notes

Shooting a show like this definitely tests the skills and technical “know how.”  It was first three songs only, not out of the ordinary but always adds just a bit of pressure.  Before the set started I had decided to use my 24-105/4.0 which is my staple.  I only had one camera with me so I wanted a lens that would give me options, nice range of wide to telephoto. For the opening band I had used my 16-35mm, shooting at ISO 1250, F2.8, 1/125ish so I figured I would probably be ok shooting my 24-105mm at ISO 1600, F4.0, 1/100ish.  Not ideal but I can usually manage that.

As soon as the first song started I immediately switched back to my 16-35mm. Why?

First, holy insane lighting.  Definitely had a rave feel to it, heavy strobe back lighting, minimal front light.  Great if you’re a fan in the audience not so great if you’re trying to shoot the show.

Second, way too much motion.  The lead singer, Michael Angelakos, was all over the stage.  He barely stayed still.  Again, great if you’re a fan in the audience not so great if you’re a photographer in a narrow pit with 4 other photographers.  Scratch that two other photographers and two teenage girls who somehow managed to sweet talk their way into the pit.

The wider lens helped me in a few ways…first the 2.8 aperture helped me get more light without more sacrifice to shutter speeds. Also, by shooting wide, I could minimize the movement of my camera, a few small movements on my part kept Michael in my viewfinder the entire time, which again allowed me to shoot at less than optimal shutter speeds. Had I been shooting normal to telephoto I would have had to worry not only about his movement but also mine. Finally, because of the crazy lighting..heavy on and off back lighting, flashing lights, etc..auto focus is a pain. I don’t know if this is an issue just with Canon gear but auto focus in low light is tough enough already, then when you add in the extreme fluctuations with the light, it’s near impossible to rely on auto focus.  Manually focusing on a continuously moving target is not that fun either, but shooting wide gives you a bigger “acceptable focus” range.

All in all a fun show to shoot.  But I am definitely thinking I need to shell out some cash to upgrade my camera.  I’m shooting the 5D, which limits my ISO to pretty much 1600.  I’d love to get a somewhat clean file at 3200 or higher.  Technology changes so quickly, seems like I’m always a few paces behind… my iPhone is 1st Gen.