Concert Photography: Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve added a FAQ page that touches on a few of the more recurrent questions I receive about shooting shows, including answers to how I got started with concert photography, advice for becoming established, who I contact for photo passes, and more.

You can check out the FAQ at its new home:

http://ishootshows.com/faq/

Aside from this static page, I’m putting the finishing touches on a complete concert photography tutorial that addresses, in depth, many of the logistics and technical issues of concert photography, so stay tuned for that, too.

About the author: Todd Owyoung is an internationally published music photographer specializing in concert photography and band portraits. He also grills a mean steak.

Contact Todd for image licensing and assignments wherever the rock show lives. You can also get in touch with Todd via Twitter.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 17th, 2008 at 4:24 pm and is filed under Photography Tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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Andi says:

February 17, 2008 at 5:23 pm

That’s an interesting static you created there. I’ll definitely check this from time to time.

I really like the way your site develops. Your idea to combine a blog with cool sets of photos and detailed information on the shootings is brilliant. Now that I got a magazine backing me up I’ll definitely try to catch up to you with my own blog ;)

Todd says:

February 17, 2008 at 6:25 pm

Hey Andi,

Thanks for checking out the FAQ, I’ll be adding more content to that site as the site continues to grow.

Also, thanks for the support of ishootshows.com! When I started ISS six months ago, I wanted to create a unique site that offered something I hadn’t seen elsewhere: a combination of content that would appeal to fans, people who enjoy images, and also other concert photographers.

I’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing more of your work, and congrats on the magazine backing! I think that’s the single best way to go for constant passes, so that’s great news.

G says:

February 17, 2008 at 6:42 pm

good idea.
about gear, well…
gig/dj shoots needs specially good materials.
trust me, u cannot have the same results with a 350D + whatever lense then with a 5D/1D with 24-70 70-200.
the facts are heeeeere

damn i can’t wait to get my 5D/70-200 … and U.K. contracts.

:-\

Good luck to u, Todd,
be sure i’ll be followin everything (:

February 17, 2008 at 8:35 pm

Hey G,

I’m sure you’ll love the 5D, it seems to offer great quality up to around ISO 1600-3200. And for the DJ stuff, it seems like the 16-35mm f/2.8 would be great for getting in close and wide for your live DJ work.

Good luck with the contracts coming through, hope it works out.

And thanks for the support, I appreciate it. Let me know if you have any suggestions of ishootshows.com as I move forward with content, too!

February 18, 2008 at 7:26 am

Thanks Todd. I shot my first assignment for my webzine, metal.de (a big player in the metal online scene) yesterday. Not as much light as I had hoped for, but I think I nailed some shots. Unfortunately I won’t be able to post them on my blog and flickr until friday afternoon, but I’ll make sure I include some information on the conditions at the venue until then.

Best regards.

February 18, 2008 at 9:22 am

Andi,

Nice, hopefully metal.de will be able to set you up with some nice gigs.

I haven’t shot much metal in the past, but the last few months have brought more metalcore bands here. Very tough to photograph without flash. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the shots.

Cheers.

LISA says:

February 25, 2008 at 7:37 pm

Thank you for your FAQ. The information is priceless!

February 25, 2008 at 8:01 pm

Hey Lisa,

Glad the info is helpful to you, please let me know if there’s any other general stuff you think I should include.

Lori says:

February 25, 2008 at 8:12 pm

Hi Todd,

I’ve been visiting your site for a few months now, and I really enjoy looking at your work. I’m not sure if this is the proper forum for my question for you, but I’ll put it out there anyway: I took some pics at a Foo Fighters concert last week in Philly (LOVE them!!!) and, although the pics were originally intended just for my viewing pleasure as a fan, many people have been urging me to look into selling them to a magazine. Do you have any tips for me–someone who works in finance and takes photos strictly as a hobby–with respect to that?

Some of the pics are on my blog, so feel free to check them out.

Thanks!

February 25, 2008 at 9:43 pm

Hey Lori,

I’m glad to hear you enjoy the work, thanks very much.

Regarding the Foo Fighters, did you sign any sort of photo release? I know that for this tour, the Foos had a very strict release that basically denies the photographer any right to the image.

That said, if you didn’t sign any release, you absolutely have the right to sell the images. You own the copyright as the author.

Due to the restrictions placed on photographers who shot this tour, you might actually be in a good position to sell to publications due to the limited competition.

One thing you could try is contacting the photo editors of magazines inquiring about upcoming need; if they’re running a story in the near future, they might keep your contact info handy. Another way to go would be to contact the sales directors and directors of photography at image agencies at syndicate entertainment shots. They should have a good pulse on the need for since they receive image requests from publications.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions in this regard.

PS: Were you in the pit for these shots? They turned out great!

Peter says:

March 17, 2010 at 9:58 am

A question about selling prints. Do you need permission to may sell prints from bands like Metallica, KISS etc? Did you have to make arrangements with the managements to may do that or is that not necessary for personal use?

Cheers