This show was a little insane. First of all, there are the 14,000+ screaming fans filling the Scottrade arena. Then there’s the 6′+ stage and a very narrow (single file) photo pit. And then there’s the fact that Justin Bieber could probably have a pretty good career in track if he weren’t one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
Say it with me: Bieber Fever.
Photographer’s Notes:
Justin Bieber is fast. I don’t know if it’s his sweet kicks, but this kid can sprint. The stage setup for this show doesn’t help, either, because the stage is high enough and the pit so narrow that the angles are a little tricky.
Luckily, Justin is a pro, and he comes to the front of the stage enough during the first and third songs that you can’t feel too left out. During the second song, Bieber performs on a riser at the back of the stage, but there’s pretty good action to be had aside from that.
Cameras Used:
Lenses Used:
For me, the stage was so tall that the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 was pretty useless – 24mm with the full-frame Nikon D3 was just fine. The two-lens kit of the 24-70mm and 70-200mm was perfect, and I didn’t want for much else.
If you’re shooting this show, come prepared for lots of movement from Justin – he works the whole stage, but it’s pretty safe to just stay in the middle and play zone defense.
The lighting is so bright that I honestly could have shot this concert with the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 that I just reviewed, so the technical considerations for this concert are pretty low. Gotta love a good production!
Regarding the request for a close-up of Justin’s hair, here you go.
Comments & Feedback? Let ‘em rip.
Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought of this post.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 at 12:40 am and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2010, arena, bieber fever, concert photography, justin bieber, live, live music, music photographer, music photography, performance, photos, scottrade center, st. louis, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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A little @JustinBieber for all you late-night/early morning Beliebers… http://ishootshows.com/2010/11/10/photos… Shooting notes coming in the morning.
@toddowyoung wow what a photo op!! Pics look stellar!
@toddowyoung omg lyk todd i waz totes waiting for this post. #beliebers4eva (Honestly, I have been checking ISS for this. I’m curious. Ha.)
@toddowyoung lol i can’t even. i can only imagine the weird stats/analytics you’ll find after a few days of those photos being up
@sokane1 These Bieber photos may go to the ends of the internet, but this tour has been going long enough, not sure if there’s big demand.
@toddowyoung I’ve sold some prints, but not as many as I thought. He wears the same thing every night, so everything looks the same.
@delineated Yeah, I figure there’s saturation. & they seemed pretty flexible w/ passes (3 junior high girls were shooting!), so there’s that
@toddowyoung plus, Robert Caplin pretty much has a lock on the fans…he’s got a bazillion of them following him.
Wow.
What does it matter if they were “junior high” girls?
Doesnt automatically mean they’re bad photographers.
That’s pretty shitty.
Who said anything about anyone being a bad photographer? I said that the tour was being flexible with photo passes, the implication being that there’s a huge volume of images made on this tour already for fans to check out. Including those made by junior high girls, high school seniors, and probably a few college freshman.
@toddowyoung very true. great shots regardless! interesting to hear the access they granted for the pit.
I think we need a 100% crop of just for the exquisite texture of his hair.
This.
Done. Not a “100% crop,” but you get the picture.
Oh god, that lesbian hair! My lesbian friends are right!
Having never heard a Justin Bieber song before, I was in a bar in San Diego this summer, heard a song on the stereo and decided to Shazam it to find out who that girl singing was. Turned out to be the Bieb.
Since he was running around so much, I’m guessing you’re above 1/250th, probably closer to 1/320 or 1/400. What ISO were you pushing? Man, I love that you always bring it, no matter who’s performing. Great shots!
Yeah, I was shooting at a luxurious exposure relative to most concerts. I could have shot this at ISO 400, easily. But he moves around a lot, so I was working around 1/500 or so.
Mind=blown. Although, I am surprised to see a few hairs out of place. Someone’s falling down on the job. Haha.
Photos: Justin Bieber @ Scottrade Center http://bit.ly/aPzemU
A little @JustinBieber for all you late-night/early morning Beliebers… http://bit.ly/9AREZH Shooting notes coming in the morning.
Photos: Justin Bieber @ Scottrade Center: Bieber Fever. Catch it. Cameras Used: – Nikon D3 – Nikon D700 Lenses Used… http://goo.gl/fb/n8oVD
There sure are a lot of good shots here… are you sure you didn’t catch The Fever? LOL!
Nice shots and you can’t beat the lighting of a big production show, right?
Hey Eric, thanks for the comment – and thank you very much for the detailed shooting notes you sent me before the show.
I really dig that wide, almost panoramic shot of Justin you have center stage with the whole backdrop and his dancers behind him.
Looking forward to the shooting notes. I’m shooting this show tonight in Louisville.
Nice shots as always, Todd. The lighting looks great!
Hey Paul,
Just added the shooting notes. Just leave a comment if you have any specific questions, I’ll try and hit you back before your show.
But I will say that the production value is huge, so there’s plenty of light.
The best song out of the three to shoot is the first – the second, Bieber was at the back of the stage, and for the third, the background lights are pretty dead, so it’s almost 100% spotlight.
Thanks for posting the notes! I think between yours and Eric’s I have a good idea of what to expect for tonight. I do love the big production shows that you get to shoot from the pit (like Taylor Swift). I think I’ll primarily be using my 17-55, but may switch over to the 70-200 for some of the second song.
The 17-55mm will definitely be your main lens for the first song and probably the third song. The second song for my show was kind of a wash since he was so far away.
for all you bieber fans – http://bit.ly/bRcP6C #photos #concert
Feeling a little deaf just looking at these photos. Photos: Justin Bieber http://ishootshows.com/2010/11/10/photos… #bieberfever
@toddowyoung oh you know you’re going to get like a million hits on that post now haha
@toddowyoung nice work on the Bieber….
@toddowyoung not a fan of Bieber but those shots are awesome! I’m surprised your not fully deaf I can imagine his fans were very loud, lol.
@toddowyoung just realized you’re the first photog who has me looking at Bieber pics on my own accord. well played. #bieberfever
I like the fact that just below Justin Bieber there is: “You may also like: Preview: SLIPKNOT” :-)
Ha. Yeah, the suggested links aren’t so accurate on these Justin Bieber photos. The only accurate overlap I see is with American Idols Live.
You must really love your work: from Roger Waters to Justin Bieber :D
Even that great job, your pictures trully smell you know what you are doing!
I do love my work. Roger Waters, Justin Bieber, or shooting the Walkmen in a tiny club – it’s all a blast.
I hope you did not misunderstand me: I love your job too! :D
And my sincere thank you for keeping this blog on: is just great to see your shots.
Hey Todd,
Shots look great!
I will be shooting him in December. From reading over your blog and a few others, it’s pretty clear I should use a 70-200. I’ve got an 18-55 and a 55-250. In your honest opinion, do you think I should look into renting a 24-70 to go along with a 70-200, or do you think I could get away with the 2 lenses I already have? You’ve seen the show and know what the distances look like when dealing with him, so I figured I would ask for your opinion on what to use!
Thanks man!
Hey Ben,
Lens choice depends on the body you’re using, but since you mention the 18-55mm, I assume you’re shooting DX. In that case, your best bet is something like the 17-55mm for the stage-front action. But technically, the show is so bright that you could use the 18-55mm, too.
The 24-70mm would be good, but not sure if it’d be wide enough for your needs – it depends on your shooting style.
Hi Todd.
Were you covering this show for a media outlet? Or were you just shooting it for yourself? Did you go through Melissa Victor for a pass, or through the venue?
Hi Lex,
I was shooting this show for a media outlet – credentials were arranged by my editor. Melissa wasn’t the contact.
Feeling a little deaf just looking at these photos. Photos: Justin Bieber http://bit.ly/9AREZH #bieberfever
Can I get back some street cred if I post Jónsi photos after yesterday’s Justin Bieber snaps (http://ishootshows.com/2010/11/10/photos…)?
@toddowyoung I definitely laughed at the watermarking on his hair.
@toddowyoung It isn’t your fault if Bieber is photogenic. Plus… photo revenue is revenue regardless.
@toddowyoung You definetely need at least three Slayer shows to get the Bieber out of the bloodstream again – exorcism might work too ;o)
@toddowyoung I don’t know, let’s see a photo of your hair today. Must assess the damage and confirm the fever has not taken over! =]
@toddowyoung recovering your street cred is paying rent. i once shot raven symone!
@toddowyoung your street cred might be hurt, but your mortgage will be paid. Valid trade-off.
@toddowyoung nope.
@toddowyoung No shame in my mind getting fantastic shots of one of the biggest acts in the world! And that hair… :)
Can I get back some street cred if I post Jónsi photos after yesterday's Justin Bieber snaps (http://bit.ly/bEgeN8)?
lol RT @toddowyoung: Can I get back some street cred if I post Jónsi photos after yesterday's Justin Bieber snaps (http://bit.ly/bEgeN8)?
Forgiven. RT @toddowyoung: Can I get back some street cred if I post Jónsi photos after yesterday's Justin Bieber (http://bit.ly/bEgeN8)?
????????? QT @toddowyoung Can I get back some street cred if I post Jónsi photos after yesterday's Justin Bieber snaps http://bit.ly/bEgeN8
Cool, that is so cool Todd. What an awesome job you have. LOL. I bet you had fun. Men, shooting concert for a job, wow. Thanks for sharing, those shots are all awesome. Yeah, I thought you use your new 24-120mm F/4, but the you are right, the two F2.8′s you have are just awesome.
thanks Todd, Have a good one. Keep smiling.
RT @toddowyoung Photos: Justin Bieber, Scottrade Center | ishootshows.com http://bit.ly/9AREZH
RT @toddowyoung Photos: Justin Bieber, Scottrade Center | ishootshows.com http://bit.ly/9AREZH