Real World Concert Photography Concert Photography Can Be One of the Most Exciting and Frustrating Types of Photography

Real World Concert Photography Concert photography can be one of the most exciting and frustrating types of photography. Constantly moving lights, dark venues, fast moving subjects, limited shooting times, and limited access all make concert photography one of the more difﬁcult subjects to master.

The ﬁrst hurdle to overcome is just being allowed to photograph the show.

GETTING ACCESS

There are just a handful of people who control the access to shoot concerts. You need to ask one (or more) of these folks for permission to photograph the show.

The following people can usually grant you access to shoot a show: • The Promoter: The folks who are putting on the show. This also includes the companies like Live Nation or AEG. • The Publicist: Works for the band or label. • The Venue: They usually have a or need a house photographer. • The Band: You know, The Band!

To ﬁnd these folks takes some searching skill and it is time to make Google your friend. Some things to search for: • Search the band website for contact information. • Search publicity companies for contacts. • Look at the promoters for the shows you want to shoot. • Contact the band directly asking who their press contact is. • Look for the venue contacts.

Once you have contact information it is time to offer something for something. What is in it for the person giving you the pass? What can you offer them?

This is pretty easy to answer if you are working for a newspaper, magazine or wire service. You are offering good publicity.

It is a little more difﬁcult if you are a freelance photographer or just a fan. I asked a publicist to tell me what it was he looks for in an email. This is his reply:

“In the initial letter, be succinct and up front. If you don't really have an outlet, say so. If you do, say so, and briefly. Being a long-time fan is nice, but going on about it is unnecessary. Saying in advance that you'd never use flash indicates good sense and some sense of experience. Offering to share the shots for the artist's website is intelligent if you're not asking on behalf of a publication. “ The truth is you just have to ask and be ready to be turned down. It will happen a lot, but you will find someone who will say yes and then another and another. The more you ask, the more chances you will have to shoot.

There is a ﬁne line between asking too soon and too late. I will usually ask about credentials about a month before the show. If I don’t hear back, and that does happen (a lot), I will ask again about 2 weeks out from the show. Many times I don’t hear back until a day or two before the show.

For big festivals, there is usually a cut off date for media credential applications. You need to check with company handling the press requests.

IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK FOR A PASS. THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN IS THEY SAY NO.

There are three basic passes:

• All Access Pass: Many people think this is the holy grail of passes, but in reality, this pass might or might not let you photograph the show. This pass is usually controlled by the band. Could still need a photo pass to shoot the concert or be in the photo pit. • Working Pass: Given to folks you are working for the venue or the band directly. This pass is usually worn by folks there doing a speciﬁc job. They have access to every part of the venue, stage lights etc. They are working. • Photo Pass: This pass allows you to bring a camera into the venue and allows you to shoot the concert (usually just the ﬁrst three songs). This pass might or might not let you stay after the photographing stops and it usually won’t allow you anyplace but the photo pit or the designated spot for photographers. But since that is your goal, a photo pass is what you want.

VENUES There are six different types of venues that you, as a concert photographer, will deal with. Each type has there own pros and cons. Knowing what they are helps you to be better prepared.

• The Stadium show: The big show! Huge touring acts with big lights, big names, and tough access. The bigger the act the harder it is to get access. You usually need to be shooting for a daily paper, national magazine, wire service, the venue or directly for the band or label. Many times these shows only allow photographs from the soundboard. • Halls: These are usually the bigger indoor shows held in venues that were probably not built for concerts. They are the basketball arenas, multi-use halls and are used for the big name bands when they can’t play outside due to weather or location. The rules here are pretty much the same as the for the Stadium show. • Clubs: These range in size but usually they are built for concerts and put on shows constantly. This is your House of Blues, Fillmore, Warﬁeld, etc... They are usually good places to shoot with pretty good lights and probably a descent photo pit. The problem is, they usually have pretty strict rules about cameras and photography. • Bars: The worst light but the easiest access. This is a great place to start. There usually no real rules about shooting shows and it is pretty easy to contact a couple a of local bands and ask if they will give you permission to shoot them. The key is to treat this shoot the same as you would any big shoot. Remember to stay out of the way of the folks working and those that are there to see / hear the music. • Festivals: Festivals used to be a great place to shoot. Lots of different bands, usually lots of light during the day and are mostly general admission. The bigger festivals are now clamping down on audience photography but some of the smaller local festivals are still a great place to shoot. • Special events: Special events could be trade shows, product demos or any other place that there might be a performance that doesn’t technically mean a concert. GEAR The gear for concert photographers is pretty simple. Fast glass and high ISO / low noise camera sensors.

Lenses. • 70-200mm f/2.8 - This is the standard concert lens. If you want to shoot concerts, you will need this lens. It gets you in close from the photo pit and if you have to shoot from further away then it still gets you in relatively close. • 24-70mm f/2.8 - This is the second lens every concert shooter should have. This medium wide lens will allow you to get wider angles and full body shots. The combination of these two lenses gives you a huge range of focal lengths and at f/ 2.8. • 14-24mm f/2.8 - While not a lens that I use on a regular basis it is a great concert lens if your style is to shoot wider. • Other lenses that I use on a regular basis are all prime lenses with apertures wider than f/2.8. These allow me to shoot in very low light situations. My favorite lens is the 85mm f/1.4. it is amazingly sharp and can shoot in really low light. Many bar shoots have been saved by this lens. Other prime lenses in my bag include a 16mm, 35mm, and 50mm

Cameras. • When Nikon introduced the D3 it was a real game changer. The low noise / high ISO ability was stunning. The only problem was the price, which all changed with the release of the D700. The same high sensor means the same high ISO / low noise capability in a less expensive body. The bar was raised again with the introduction of the D3s and then the D4 and D4S. The good news for those not wanting to spend a lot of money is that cameras like the D750 have great quality and low noise at high ISO settings.

Other equipment • Camera bag. I like the Domke and the ThinkTankPhoto bags but this is a total personal choice. The best advice I can give about a bag is that you need to know where your gear is. What pocket has the memory cards, which side holds the batteries. Concert shooting is fast paced and you don’t have much time. Spending any of that time rooting around in your bag is just time you could be shooting. • Earplugs. PROTECT YOUR HEARING !! You are going to be very close tot he speakers, if not directly in front of them. Earplugs are an absolute necessity. • Memory cards. Carry as many as you think you need, than add a couple more. Make sure they are formatted and ready to go. You don’t want to be spending your time formatting cards when you could be shooting. I use the Hoodman Raw CompactFlash and SD cards and the Sony XQD cards. • Batteries. Always carry extras. • Conﬁrmation email. I know this is going to sound rather simple, but make sure you keep a the conﬁrmation email with you, printed out. I cannot tell you how many times I have been at a will call window and the venue has no pass for me. Having the contact person and proof that you are supposed to be there can help get you to the right person and get your pass. • Business cards. You never know who you will run into. It is important to be able to promote yourself.

CAMERA SETTINGS I set my camera up before I leave for the shoot and I set it up the same way every time. That way I know what is going on when the lights go down.

Exposure mode: Manual Mode. • Getting proper exposure when shooting live events, is a balancing act between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Since I have no control over the lighting and I can’t ask the performer to stand still for a minute, I need to get it right the ﬁrst time. That’s why I shoot most of my concerts in manual mode. It doesn’t matter if you shoot in Shutter Speed Priority, Aperture Priority or Program mode, all those modes give the camera some control over your exposure. The camera reads the scene with its built in light meter and calculates the best shutter speed / aperture or both for the given scene. Fast moving concert lights can really play havoc with the built in light meter. Shooting in manual mode allows me to keep the shutter speed / aperture and ISO settings I want and the camera won’t adjust anything as the light changes.

Metering mode: Spot metering. • Your camera has a built in light meter and picking the best mode for the situation gives you the best results. Now since I use manual mode the light meter reading doesn’t actually do anything except give me a reading of what the camera thinks the correct exposure should be. Since the spot meter only takes into account a very small part of the overall scene, very dark or very bright backgrounds or surroundings will not affect the meter reading. Practice makes perfect and the more shows you shoot, the easier it becomes to meter the scene in your head and adjust the setting yourself. In most of the cameras today, the spot meter follows the focus point which means that it is metering the most important part of the scene. Drive mode: the drive mode is set to high speed advance. • Alan: One of the huge differences between film and digital concert photography is that you can shoot a whole lot more with digital. Shooting film meant that you had to rewind and change film rolls after 36 exposures. Then you needed to reload the camera in the dark. With the high capacity compact flash cards you can shoot over 600 images without having to worry about changing film. Because of this I shoot in the highest speed advance the camera has to offer. • Scott: Shooting in the highest frame-per-second speed your camera can shoot will allow you to make sure you have a wide variety of shots to choose from after the show. If you are photographing a singer, for example, there may be many different positions that the singer’s mouth can be in during a single second. Having multiple images during that second will let you pick the best look for that singer instead of just getting stuck with a single image that isn’t quite right.

Focus mode: Continuous Auto focus mode. • Continuous autofocus mode keeps on focusing when the shutter button is pressed halfway down. Since musicians move around, this is the mode that will get the best results.

Auto focus area mode: Alan uses Single point Auto focus while Scott uses Dynamic area Auto focus. • Alan: I like to have complete control over my image. I control the focus point with the multi selector. It lets me pick the exact spot I want to focus on. • Scott: The dynamic area auto focus lets me pick the starting point but will also follow the subject as it moves.

ISO: • For indoor or night shows set the ISO at 1600, for daytime shows set at ISO 200.The ability to shoot at ISO 1600 and above with low noise has made it easier to shoot in low light concert situations. The D3, D700, D3s and D4, D4S and D750 all are able to shoot in very low light with relatively low light. Previously I would try not to shoot at ISO higher than 800 and still stick to that when shooting with older cameras. When shooting shows during the day I start at ISO 200 and increase as necessary.

White Balance: Auto. • If there is something really off and I think I can ﬁx it with the white balance I will do it in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw.

LEARN TO SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE. YOU NEED TO TRUST YOUR BRAIN MORE THAN YOUR CAMERA BEFORE THE SHOW This is the stuff that you can do before the actual shoot that will make life easier and help you get consistent results.

• Set up cameras. I make sure that my gear is clean, memory cards formatted and in the camera, and I set the initial settings from the previous setting. I pack the lenses and bag depending on the show size, number of bands and location. Small bar shows mean 1 camera and couple of lenses. Big shows and festivals mean two cameras and a wider variety of lenses. • Study the band. o Alan: I use the internet to ﬁnd images of the band. Flickr is a great resource for this. It helps me know where the band members are standing, what the background will be like, and if there are any special moments during the show. o Scott: If you really know the band you will know which side of the stage most important band members will be on so if the venue only lets you go to one side you’ll know which one that is prior to the show. • Getting the credentials. Most of the time the credentials will be waiting at the will call ofﬁce before the show. You need to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to get to the show and get to the will call window. Nothing is as bad as getting to a show and not getting your credentials because you were late. Chances are you will have to wait at the window for the pass and there is a good chance you will have to wait to be escorted into the show. • Signing your life away. Many venues, bands and promoters will require you to sign a release stating what the images can and can’t be used for. These releases can range from the reasonable to the completely unreasonable. There will most likely be a time when you will have to decide if it is worth shooting the show under the conditions in the release. • Knowing your rights. As the photographer, you really don’t have any rights. The band, venue, promoter or security can change the rules at any time. Just because you have a photo pass doesn’t mean you will be allowed to shoot the show.

THE PHOTO PIT The photo pit is that area between the fans and the stage. It is where concert photographers do their work. Access tot he pit is usually very tightly controlled by security and / or by a publicist from the band or venue. The pit can be narrow or deep, crowded or empty but there are some rules that apply to all pits.

1. Always be polite to everyone / Respect all house rules. 2. Try to stay out of the way of the paying customers / fans. 3. Watch out for other photographers and respect their shots. 4. Tap on the shoulder of a photographer to pass behind them. 5. Get your shot and move on to let other get a chance. 6. When it is time to leave, leave. FOLLOW THE RULES. IT IS VERY EASY TO GET YOURSELF REMOVED FROM THE PIT. DON”T PUSH YOUR LUCK, IT’S NOT WORTH IT.

THE FIRST SHOT I take a shot before the band even takes the stage. The minute I am in the pit I find something on the stage and photograph it. It doesn’t matter if it is the drum setup, or a guitar in a stand or a microphone in a stand. The first shot is something I do for four reasons. 1. It lets me know the camera is working 2. It lets me check the exposure 3. It is usually a great shot for galleries. 4. It lets me know which card was used first when downloading the cards later.

SHOOTING TIMES Alan: One of the reasons that concert photography is so difficult at times is the limited amount of time you have to shoot. The standard rule is still the first three songs, but some bands have started to reduce that to two songs or even one song. The best approach is to get as many of the must have shots in the first song or two and then experiment in last song. Scott: I like to concentrate on getting images of each of the band members in the first song, then move on to the most well known band members in the second song and concentrate on the details of the band in the third song.

The key here is time management. You need to be able to have a plan in place before you even start taking the photos. Know when to move from one subject to the next. If possible, ask to see the set list or look up what the band has played on the current tour. This can really help in knowing who to watch when.

EXPOSURE There are only three settings that affect the exposure: • Aperture : The size of the opening in the lens that lets through the light. • Shutter Speed : The amount of time the shutter is moved out of the ay allowing the light to reach the sensor. • ISO : The amount the camera ampliﬁes the sensor signal which determines the perceived sensitivity of the sensor to the light.

Since concert photography takes place in dark places, here are the settings that I use as a starting point for my images:

Aperture = f/2.8 That’s wide open on the pro zooms. ISO = 1600 On cameras produced in the last few years this is a great starting point. Shutter Speed = 1/250 second This is fast enough to stop most stage action.

So with these starting points, you now have to wait to see the intensity of the lights. This doesn’t happen until the actual show starts and can change pretty drastically. The easiest way to check the lighting is to use the spot meter on the face of the performer and see what the cameras light meter reads. Then check the LCD and see what that actually looks like. At that point adjust the shutter speed either faster or slower depending on if I need less or more light. If the shutter speed gets too low, increase the ISO.

COMPOSITION There are a lot of factors that goes into composition. Here are the things to consider.

Who are you shooting for: While this might seem like a very simple question it is the basis of how I approach every shoot. Knowing who the client is and what they expect will keep you focused on getting the shots you need. For example, if I am shooting a show for the bands website, then I try to make sure that I have photographed all the members of the band. If I am there for a guitar company then I need to make sure that I have gotten enough shots of the guitar and guitar player in question.

Shoot, check exposure, shoot again: Digital photography allows us to check our exposure instantly. We get to check if the image is exposed correctly and try again if needed. I check to make sure that there are no highlight warnings blinking at me in parts of the image I don’t want overexposed. Since at times the actual lights are in the scene, there will be areas that are overexposed, the key is to make sure these are where they are supposed to be and not in areas of importance. I also look to see if the main subject looks way too dark but LCD isn’t as much help with that. You have to learn to read your LCD so that you know how what you are seeing translates when viewed on the computer.

Background It is important to watch the background and try to get it as uncluttered as possible. At times this can mean moving slightly to the left or right. My preference is to be on the left of the stage when the show starts and to shoot across towards the right. After getting the shots I like, I will move across to the right if possible. Working the band Scott – As I mentioned in the Shooting Time section, I like to try to concentrate immediately on the main band member(s). Making sure you have some good, solid shots in the ﬁrst song of the most identiﬁable people in the band is crucial. Then you can go on to the other band members during the second song and then some of the “extras” in the third song or go back to the main performer just to make sure. If you have extra time and more than three songs pay attention to any sort of “signature moves” that a performer may have. Certain singers, for example, like to pull the microphone away and give a great facial expression when holding a long note. If you know the song you can anticipate this and be ready to capture that moment. If there is a notable solo by one of the musicians such as a guitar player it is also good to know when that is going to happen so you can capture that person at just the right moment. If you are concentrating on the bass player or keyboardist during a guitar solo then you are probably missing out on some great photographs. Also, notice the small stuff as well… What are the graphics on the guitar like? What kind of shoes does the singer wear? Does one of them have any interesting and notable tattoos? Pay attention to the details of a band and it can really open your eyes!

Work the room There are times when you will be able to shoot all night. This is particularly true when shooting in bars, small clubs and at festivals. If possible, work the room. Having all your shots from the same angle can start to look pretty boring after a while. I know that this isn’t always possible but wen it is look for interesting angles and sight lines. Try to capture the whole stage or whole room. Shoot from the sides, the back, the front and anywhere else you are allowed to go. Just remember that you need to be safe and not break any of the house rules.

Interaction Scott – Having some sort of small “interaction” with band members can really make for some great photographs. If you are photographing a large venue show with a real famous and seasoned band, then they tend to know that they are being photographed in the first three songs and may actually play to the camera more than the rest of the show. Some performers are very in-your-face and if so, shoot a lot! Some performers are more subtle about it and it may take a bit of time to get some sort of direct eye contact from them. You’ll probably catch on to what the situation is going to be right away. Some photographers feel that they need to be the “fly on the wall” and not be noticed. You can be noticed by bands and that’s okay just as long as you aren’t doing anything wrong or being intrusive. There is a fine line. If you feel like a performer gave you a show (and only you) and you got a good shot in there, a quick thumbs up to say “thanks” is always a good idea. It lets them know you got some good stuff and that small amount of communication can go a long way. Interaction is great when you are in the moment and it is just happening, but don’t try to force it or you may find that you aren’t going to be hanging around for too long in the photo pit!

Shooting sequences When you combine high speed advance with large capacity memory cards it lets you shoot sequences really easily. What this means is that instead of taking one shot, I take three or ﬁve in quick succession. This gives me a better chance of getting the shot I want / need. Two things to keep in mind when shooting like this: Try not to ﬁll the buffer to capacity because then you have to wait for it to clear before you can take the next shot and could miss something cool and don’t mistake quantity for quality. You still need to make sure that when you press the shutter release button it is with purpose. There is also a second reason to shoot sequences and that is when the band performs something that works photographically as a sequence. This is much easier to do when you have studied the band and know what they are going to do.

Emotion – Timing – Instruments I try to capture the emotions on the musician’s faces and at times the emotions on the fans faces. It could be the sneer of Billy Idol during Rebel Yell or when a band member reaches out to the audience or they reach back. It’s all about the timing here, watch carefully and be ready to shoot. When it comes to the instruments, try not to cut them in half, especially the guitar headstocks. Think about what a guitar manufacturer wants to see, and I bet it isn’t their instrument chopped off half way up the neck. Focal Lengths Different focal lengths can really change the look and feel of an image. The same shot taken at 24mm will look very different at 200mm. The longer focal lengths tend to compress the images and show a lot less of the background. Experiment to ﬁnd the look and style you like best.

WHAT NOT TO DO The number one thing not to do is annoy the security working the show. They can and will have you removed. Their job is hard enough without you making it worse. Stay out of their way at all costs. Most of the time they know that you are there to do a job and will act accordingly.

NO FLASH !! When it comes to shooting bigger bands and venues, the usual rule is no ﬂash at all. EVER. When you are shooting in a small bar, there are times you can get away with it but if you start to rely on using a ﬂash, you will be in trouble when you get to shoot bigger acts.

Remember that the fans who paid top dollar or waiting in line all day to be up front are going to be behind you. Be polite and try not to get in their way too much.

Don’t break the plane of the stage. This is something that I was taught when I started shooting bigger shows. A publicist came and told us that the photo pit was ours but the stage was his and not to use it to store our gear or to lean on or even to break the plane of the stage. It is something I have done ever since and have never had a problem with any security or publicists since. AFTER THE SHOW The show is over. Now what? I do three things simultaneously.

1. Download the images from the memory cards to the computer. 2. Clean and store my camera gear and lenses 3. Write a thank you email to the person I got the pass from.

Since the actual downloading can take a while I use that time to wipe down my camera bodies and clean the lenses. Some concert environments can be a little hazardous to your gear. Make sure any sweat, beer, water and other unidentiﬁed liquids are removed the camera and lenses are wiped clean. I also pull the batteries and replace them with a fresh set and recharge the used batteries. This means that my gear is ready to go at a moments notice. I know that my camera is clean with a good battery ready to go.

Part of networking and getting access to shows is being polite and professional. It pays to send the person you got the pass from a thank you email and to let them know when the images will be ready for viewing. I try to make sure that I have the images ready as soon as possible. This shows that you are serious, polite, professional and when you treat people that way, they will treat you the same way.

POST PRODUCTION

SCOTT DIUSSA My post production process is always evolving. I keep it pretty simple and my main thoughts are to get the images in, edited and out to more than one location. I use Photo Mechanic to “ingest” images to an external HD and I embed information such as copyright info, location, subject and date and time into each image which makes searching much easier later. I then set a number to each image to sort them out from the rest. I mark the great individual images, good sequences and then the really bad ones. From there I store my best images on a Photoshelter account for safe keeping and sharing with whomever I need to send them to. I don’t really delete the bad ones however. I save those and use them to put together teaching examples.

After I have everything sorted I work on individual images that I may want to make prints from in Nikon Capture NX2. I may lighten up or darken certain areas and use the control points to make minor adjustments. I don’t want to go too much and make the image look like a totally different situation. I like to keep it pretty close to the original. I do like to use the high pass sharpening in NX2 and “paint” it in speciﬁc areas of the image to really give it some “pop”. If I have to spend too much time working on an image I then ask myself if it is a good image to begin with.

Lastly, I make sure that I have an exact copy of my image HD as a backup. Since I use portable hard drives I always have two of the same size. I use a program for Mac called Super Duper to constantly update the backup drive and leave that one at home when I travel. But, with the amount of images that I shoot and the size of the ﬁles I’m starting to get a rather large collection of hard drives so I am researching a few alternatives.

ALAN HESS I use a combination of three software programs in my postproduction work right now.

The basic ﬂow goes as follows: 1. Create folder with the shoot name and date, for example Steel_Pulse_09052015 2. Create a subfolder called Raw_Files in that main folder 3. Import the Raw images into the Raw_Files folder using Photo Mechanic and add pertinent information-using the IPTC Stationary Pad 4. Quick cull of images in Photo Mechanic 5. Copy the selected images remaining after the cull in step four into a new folder called Picks 6. Import the Picks folder into Lightroom to make main sorts and edits 7. Use Photoshop to make any big edits 8. Export photos as needed from Lightroom This process keeps the images from a shoot in a single main folder and makes it easy to access the images later.

Import / Ingest : There are many different ways to get you images from the memory card into the computer. You can plug the camera in to the computer using a USB cable that usually comes with the camera but that uses camera battery power and can be rather slow. You computer might have a built in card port like the Apple MacBook Pro which has a built in SD card slot or you can use an external card reader. I use an external card reader for the CompactFlash and XQD cards that my camera uses and the built in slot for the SD cards from the D750. I use Photo Mechanic by a company called Camera Bits to do my importing. This program does three things really well, it imports the images really fast, it allows you to add your copyright and shoot information to the ﬁles when being imported, and it allows you to start sorting the images as they are imported. Photo Mechanic was designed for photo journalists who need to work fast. The ﬁrst thing to know is that in Photo Mechanic, you do not import images, you ingest them. The Ingest window of Photo Mechanic allows you to pick the source, the destination (including a backup) and allows you to add data using the IPTC stationary pad.

The main IPTC information: • Caption. This allows you to put in a description of the image that will be attached to the image from now on. • Caption Writer. This allows the news organizations to know who created the caption. • Headline. This is the shorter headline data ﬁeld that usually is very similar to the caption but can be changed depending on your needs. • Keywords. These are the key words that will be associated with this image. • Location. This allows you to specify where the image was taken and when. • Photographer info. The info about the photographer including how to contact them, website info and a copyright page if they have one.

This info can be saved so it can be used again at a later date. For example I have generic IPTC stationary pads for each of the different venues that I shoot at so that the info doesn’t need to be entered more than once.

The first sort : Objectively sorting and rating your own images is really tough. This is because as photographers we are emotionally invested in all our images, even the not- so-great ones, and have a hard time getting rid of them. I firmly believe that the best way to pick out the images worth spending some time editing and possibly showing others is to go fast and be brutally honest. That is why I do the first sort as soon as I can and with Photo Mechanic, that is as soon as the images start to be imported.

When I ingest the images, I have Photo Mechanic automatically open a contact sheet which shows me the current images being imported. That way I can start to weed out the out of focus, the really badly composed and the mistakes that are a part of every shoot. As I go through the images, I select the ones that are going to be thrown away. These are the shots with no redeeming qualities at all, the shots that will never be used for anything.

The next step is to go through and pick out the images that are worth giving a closer look. These don’t have to be great but they do need to be good. The images that survive this sort are the ones that will be imported into Lightroom and further sorted and edited. If I am working for a client that wants a lot of images then this sort is fairly relaxed, but if I am trying to cull the images down to just a few great ones, then I get rid of more images here. The key is to go fast and don’t look back. When I am in doubt, the image is included since it can always be removed later. These are the steps I follow to do my sort.

1. I start with the ﬁrst image and double click on it in the Photo Mechanic contact sheet which opens the preview window. 2. Press the letter F for full view and am ready to go. 3. Pressing the left and right arrow keys lets me start to scroll through the images, those that I like, are selected as winners by pressing the 1 key. 4. When I have all the images that I like color tagged as winners I close the preview window to get back to the contact sheet. 5. I then change the sort to Color Class which groups the winner images together. 6. Select all the winner images and click File > Copy/Move photos which opens the Copy Option dialog menu 7. I make sure that I choose the “Picks” folder inside the Band_Name_Date folder 8. I also make sure that the images are being copied and not moved. I want to make sure that the originals stay in the RAW_Files folder as well since that is backed up separately and I consider that the negatives that if needed i can go back to at a later date 9. Click Copy to copy the images to the picks folder.

I now have a folder of picks from the shoot that are worth editing and it is time to move over to Lightroom.

Using Lightroom to sort and edit : There are seven modules in Lightroom: Library, Develop, Ma, Book, Slideshow, Print, and Web. But before we can start working out way through the different modules, you ﬁrst have to get the images into Lightroom. The import module has been improved greatly improved with each version of Ligthroom and can not only import your images, it can add IPTC information if needed.

The import menu is divided into four parts, on the left you pick the source for the images, either a memory card or images that already exist on the drive. In my workflow, the source is the directory of Picks in the band folder that was created in Photo Mechanic earlier. The center top of the screen allows you to pick the way you Copy / Move / Add the ﬁles while the middle area is where you can select the images to import and the area on the right is where you can tell Lightroom where to save the images. Since I have already imported the images to the computer, I just add the ﬁles to Lightroom which doesn’t take much time.

Since I entered all the information when importing the images using Photo Mechanic it attached to the images but you can do it here instead and skip the Photo Mechanic step if you want.

Once the images are in Lightroom, the real fun can begin. The two most important modules in my workﬂow are the Library module and the Develop module and then the export menu.

The Library Module : The library module allows you to sort and rate your images, it allows you to add keywords, change metadata and even allows you to do some quick editing. Each image can be rated by using a star system from no stars all the way up to ﬁve stars. You can also give each image a color label but most important to me is that you can ﬂag the images as a pick. This is the one step rating system that I use when sorting my images, either they are good enough to be a pick or they are not. Since I already have done an initial sort in Photo Mechanic, this is where it becomes a little tougher. I study each image to make sure it really is the best possible then mark it as a pick. The real key here is to make sure that the photo shows the performer in the best light, the best pose, something that they will look at and like. I always assume that the performer will see the images, even if in reality they don’t. But sometimes they do and it can lead to more work or less work, depending on their reaction.

The Develop Module : The Develop module is where the edits take place. The cool part of this is that edits are not set in stone until a photo is actually exported and even then, you can go back to the original and change the edits without losing any of the image data. The Develop Mode in Lightroom is the same as the Adobe Camera Raw module in Photoshop. My workﬂow steps are as follows: Crop, Lens correction, Basic exposure adjustments, sharpening and noise reduction, then I add any effects that are needed.

Adobe Photoshop is an amazing program that allows users to edit their images on a pixel by pixel level. My main use for Photoshop is to remove things from the photo. I don’t do this when photographing for a newspaper or any of the wire service but usually when I am shooting for a band or creating prints. Many time it is just something in the background that could not be avoided or cropped out in any other way. For example, if a water bottle is sitting on an ampliﬁer I will leave it, but if that water bottle is getting struck by the light and drawing the viewers eye to the wrong thing in an image, then I will remove it. There are a myriad of way to remove objects in Photoshop, from paining over the object or using the clone tool to replace the object with a blank area and a method that works well for one image might not work for another.

When in doubt think Black and White When I started shooting concerts, the highest ISO ﬁlm available was black and white and I really enjoyed using it. With the advent of digital photography, the line between color and black and white is blurred. The same digital capture can be used to create a color image or it can be converted to a black and white image. You can set the camera to capture in black and white and some photographers do this, I would rather convert an image to black and white in post production.

Black and white conversion can also help save and image that has bad color, but it is best to start with a good color photograph before the conversion and not just use the conversion as a crutch. The best way to convert images to black and white is to use a specialized application, like Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 which works with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Exporting : All the editing that is done in Lightroom is non destructive, that is none of the changes are permanent until you export them. For example, you import a RAW file, crop the image, adjust the exposure and reduce the digital noise then you need to actually do something with the image. You now have to export the image in a form that can be used like a JPEG or TIFF file. For example, the images for this book were all processed in Lightroom and exported as TIFF files. This is done in the export menu.

The export function in Lightroom is really powerful and since you can save the set of output parameters as a preset you can apply them to different sets of images. For example, since I take photographs for the Valley View Casino Center, the events I cover might change, but the settings stay the same. I have created a preset (VVCC) that allows me to bring up those output setting quickly. The export menu consists of the following: 1. The location of the exported files where you add a subfolder and even have the exported files back into the image catalog. It is also possible to pick the “Choose folder later” option which allows you to create generic presets. 2. The file naming menu allows you to rename the filename on export. 3. The file settings menu allows for changing of the file type, file quality the color space used and can also limit the file size to a specific size. 4. The Image sizing menu allows the exported file to be resized. 5. You can add some output sharpening here depending on the final use of the images. 6. You can minimize the embedded metadata and write the Keywords as Lightroom Hierarchy. 7. If needed you can also add a custom watermark and tell the application what to do with the exported images

I believe that one of the keys to my success, as a concert photographer is that I only show my best work. I always believe that the subject of the photos is going to see and judge those images. I never send out, post on my website, or share via twitter, any image that I don’t think shows the musician at their best. I believe it is one of the reasons that I am invited back to shoot by the musicians themselves. They know that I am shooting they will get images they are happy with.

VIDEO! YES VIDEO When we talk about video and concert photography, those to pieces usually don’t ﬁt well together. Most venues will always say “no video allowed”. So, why are we mentioning video? If you have an opportunity to work with a band to do some sort of formal music video then your experience of shooting still images in a concert environment will certainly be essential for getting good video. You can approach video one of a few different ways…

1. If you can have a camera that shoots video in a live concert environment then the most important thing to do is to shoot whatever song you need to from beginning to end without stopping the camera! What you are really looking for there is one consistent track to base everything from. You need that consistent song to be there or it just won’t work. So, never hit STOP while you are videoing a song in a concert. Then, when you know you have a full songs with good audio levels you can then concentrate on “B Roll” shooting during other songs. This can consist of both video and still images of details. If you are shooting during a different song than the one you are going to be editing to try not to include too many shots of the musicians hands playing instruments. It will be too hard to probably edit the timing of those later. Try to get more generic shots like facial expressions and lights and work with racking focus in and out to create some cool effects. You can use all of this B Roll to cover up the bad areas of video in the original clip. With some editing effort it’s possible to come up with a single song that looks like it was shot with multiple cameras.

2. If you have one camera and can do multiple takes of the same song that makes shooting video much easier than a single take like described above. Just make sure you have the band play to the same soundtrack over and over and then use that same soundtrack as the basis for the music video. Then all you need to do is to have the band just keep playing the song over and over and you need to shoot a different band member or different angle each time. Then you can use a multicam editing feature in a video editing program to cut between the different camera angles. This a much more controlled environment as compared to option 1. Remember that if you are using stage lights keep them on and consistent and not have them moving too much. There could be continuity issues between takes if the lighting is changing dramatically and may cause some big editing issues.

3. The more involved way of shooting is with a multiple camera setup. The advantage to using more than one camera is that the band doesn’t have to play the song as many times as in option 2 and you can get more consistency between clips to make editing easier. The hard part about doing this is to not have one camera get in the shot of another camera. So, each camera operator has to have a plan for where they need to be and what they need to shoot on each take of the song. That takes a lot of planning between photographers who are shooting. Also, when using multiple cameras it is very important that all of the settings on each camera are set the same (if the are the same brand) or set very similar. You can’t correct for too much sharpening or incorrect white balance in video like you can in still photography. Also, you need to make sure that all of the frame rates between the cameras are the same or you’ll run into editing problems later. Don’t let one camera be at 24 fps and the other be at 30 fps and expect it all to match up in your editing program.

Shooting music videos can be very challenging but they are a great learning experience as well. They will put to the test everything you have learned about concert photography and capturing images of musicians and take it to a whole, new challenging level. If you have a camera that does shoot video… it’s worth a try. You may really have a great time shooting. It’s the editing that will take time. You can’t learn to edit if you don’t have a project.

ALAN HESS Alan Hess is a San Diego-based commercial photographer specializing in concert and live-event photography. He has photographed hundreds of concerts three songs at a time. The wide variety of bands that Alan has shot include: Anthrax, Billy Idol, Black Eyed Peas, Black Keys, Bruce Hornsby, Carrie Underwood, The Dead, Death Cab for Cutie, The Grateful Dead, Jackie Greene, John Legend, Marilyn Manson, Peter Gabriel, Rush, Slayer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steel Pulse, Widespread Panic, Willie Nelson, Ziggy Marley and many others. Alan's work has been published in a variety of online and print outlets, including: Dead.net, Jambands.com, Jambase.com, Mill Valley Herald, Pauserecord.com, Philzone.com, Photoshop User, Rat-dog.com, Relix Magazine and Vintage Guitar Magazine. His images have been used by musicians for various CDs, posters, and other promotional work. His images have been used by guitar and pedal manufacturers for promotional work and can be seen in international adds in Guitar Player, Guitar and Bass and other magazines. Alan currently acts the house photographer for The Valley View Casino Center, a large concert and event venue in Southern California and for the Laughlin Event Center in Laughlin NV. When he isn’t out shooting concerts, he is writing and editing photography books. He has written ﬁve digital ﬁeld guides, the iPad Fully Loaded series, the Night and Low Light Photography Photo Workshop, Pet Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, Mastering Nikon Speedlights: A Complete Guide to Small Flash Photography and the Creative Lighting System and the top rated concert photography book; All Access: Your Backstage Pass to Concert Photography.

SCOTT DIUSSA Scott Diussa is a photographer, teacher, musician, traveler and part-time writer. Scott is a graduate of the Southeast Center for Photographic Studies at Daytona Beach College in Florida. His photographic background started with weddings, portraits and architectural photography but quickly changed to teaching photography at the Disney Institute at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. From there he joined the Nikon “family” and is currently the Manager of Field Operations for Nikon Professional Services.

Scott has been photographing concerts since 1994 and has photographed bands such as Nickelback, Poison, Cheap Trick, Accept, Y&T, Dokken, Slaughter, Anthrax, Testament, Hinder, Papa Roach, Night Ranger, Warrant, Skid Row, Styx, Eddie Money, Yngwie Malmsteen, Danger Danger, Blues Traveler, Black Veil Brides,Reo Speedwagon and Trans Siberian Orchestra. For more information about Scott visit www.scottdiussa.com and for information about Nikon Professional Services go to www.nikonpro.com.