Instant Inspiration (9) – Concert Photography

Streets of Nuremberg

7 years ago

Olympus PEN-F with m.Zuiko 17mm f/1,8 | 1/60 sec @ f/2 ISO3200

Olympus PEN-F Concert Photography — Olympus PEN-F with m.Zuiko 17mm f/1,8 | 1/60 sec @ f/2 ISO3200

In time for the weekend here is a new edition of my “Instant Inspirations”, something for you to try to overcome photographers block or if you simply want to give your photography a new angle. This ninth episode should inspire you to combine photography with music. How about using your camera to capture some fond memories of a memorable concert? For a bit of how-to, lots of photos and links to some previous episodes of “Instant Inspirations” continue reading after the jump…..

The other week I went to a concert taking along my inconspicuous PEN-F with the m.Zuiko 17mm f/1,8 attached and the m.Zuiko 75mm f/1,8 in my pocket. The 17mm (relates to 34mm in full frame format due to the m4/3 crop factor of 2) is my favorite lens for street photography and served as the wide-angle glass for the concert, while the marvelous 75mm (150mm full frame, normally my go-to portrait lens) was used for close up shots of the musicians.

Olympus PEN-F with m.Zuiko 75mm f/1,8 | 1/160 sec @ f/2 ISO200

Just to put things into perspective, I was in the audience about ten rows from the front, translating to about 15-20 meters from the artists on stage. ISO 3200 was the max ISO I used on these photos and I went down to 200, which is quite amazing for indoor shooting with a mirrorless system.

Olympus PEN-F with m.Zuiko 75mm f/1,8 | 1/160 sec @ f/1,8 ISO320

My Olympus PEN-F with the 17mm and 75mm primes is a great combo to shoot concert. And while you would probably not be able to take your DSLR into the venue the PEN-F is small enough to fly under the radar.

Olympus PEN-F with m.Zuiko 17mm f/1,8 | 1/40 sec @ f/6,3 ISO3200

But regardless of the camera you use, capturing the vibrant atmosphere of a concert is a challenging photographic task. Of course you need to check if cameras are allowed at all. Photography for personal use is normally not a problem. Besides, if you don’t want to take your camera into a big concert you can start small. Go into a local club and ask if you can take photographs of the session of a local artist. Or ask the artist himself. Especially the ones starting out themselves might even be interested in getting some photos of their performances. Get out of your comfort zone and try yourself at photographing a musical performance. And hey, besides having a chance at some interesting photography you might also enjoy the concert itself.