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The Best ISO To Use For Low Light Photography

Todd — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:29 +0000

Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers. 1/160 and f/2.8 at ISO 6400 with the Nikon D700. I've printed this image 20"x30" and you know what? It looks fantastic.

These days, just about every digital camera better than your iPhone has a user-selectable ISO range. While choice may be paralyzing, there’s always the concern of image quality as well.

Since live music at indoor venues is often very dimly lit (by relative photography standards), I often get asked about what ISO I shoot at for live music photograp15hy, or what camera sensitivity I recommend for live music in general.

Here’s my answer on what the best ISO sensitivity to use is for low light photography shot in any kind of photojournalism capacity.

Optimal Image Quality

For low light, high ISO work, there’s really no such thing as “optimal” image quality. When there are constraints on lighting, time and position, it can feel as though almost every aspect of photography is one of compromise. Image quality is no exception – especially when you’re shooting at the opposite end of the ISO range from a camera’s “best” performance.

Blur or Noise?

Given the aforementioned technical constraints of live music photography, proper exposure for shows often comes down to a simple choice: Blur or noise?

This is essentially a consideration between using a lower ISO and compensating with a slower shutter speed, or using a higher ISO and a correspondingly higher shutter speed, albiet with the consequence of increased digital noise (and other drops in image quality associated with high ISO).

All things being equal, my personal take on this dichotomy is that I’ll take noise over blur any day of the week. If high levels of noise is the worst thing someone can say about your images, then it means you did everything else right.

My Preferred ISO Settings

Personally, I prefer to shoot between ISO 1600 and 3200 whenever possible with my Nikon D3 and Nikon D700. The reason for this one-stop range is that it offers very high quality in terms of acuity, color fidelity and lower noise levels while still offering a good degree of “speed.” For the venues and types of lighting I shoot, this range of sensitivities generally works perfectly with my f/2.8 lenses.

That said, I also shoot above ISO 3200 whenever I need the speed for my work.

My very first “big break” image of Radiohead printed double-page in SPIN was shot at ISO 6400 with the Nikon D3. There’s no concern of noise in print, even at a stop above my “sweet spot” range for that camera.

I’ve printed shots from the Nikon D3 and Nikon D7000 even larger, up to 20″ x 30″, and they look awesome.

The Best ISO To Use

Ultimately, the best ISO to use is the one that properly exposes your subject. Though it’s beneficial to have a preferred, “go-to” range of ISOs that one uses under optimal conditions, we all know that low light photography is so often anything but optimal.

The main takeaway of this post is that there’s no perfect or best high ISO setting.

If anything, I recommend shooting with and testing your camera at various settings and getting a feel for the quality that each setting will render. This will allow you to make the most informed choice based on the image quality required for the show, client and/or assignment.

Conclusion

Forget about a concern for noise, shadow detail or contrast – the best high ISO for you to use is the one that gets the job done. For almost all real world applications where you actually need high ISO performance, use whatever setting it takes.

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Photos: Willie Nelson @ The Pageant

Todd — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:04:35 +0000

There are some musical acts that never seem to get old. I’ve photographed Willie Nelson four times now, but even though the show hardly changes, it’s always a thrill. After all, the man is a legend.

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

Nikon D3
Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

To be honest, Willie Nelson doesn’t do a whole lot on stage, but he does it all right – photographically speaking. And having been around as long as he has, it’s no surprise that Willie Nelson is a pro in front of the camera.

First, he uses spotlights. He’s lit up like a living legend (which, of course, he is). He allows photographers up close and personal for three solid songs. Despite constant vocal duties, he takes time to step out from behind the microphone for every song. He points, he gestures and he waves.

Now, these are all really little things in the scope of the whole performance, but what they add up to is that they make Willie Nelson photograph fantastically. Total pro.

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Preview: The Fray @ The Pageant

Todd — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:00:07 +0000

Here’s a quick three-image preview of The Fray from last night, staring Isaac Slade, who must run on Energizer batteries the way he runs around the stage.

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

Nikon D3
Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

Full set coming up soon. In the meantime, check out the preview of Dia Frampton if you haven’t already!

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Preview: Dia Frampton @ The Pageant

Todd — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:40:55 +0000

Quick preview of Dia Frampton from tonight’s show with The Fray before I hit the sack. Whether her fans know her Meg & Dia or The Voice, there was big love for this talented singer and line out the door when she did a meet and greet after her performance.

Photographer’s Notes:

Cameras Used:

Nikon D3
Nikon D700

Lenses Used:

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

Full set soon as well as snaps from the Fray!

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How to Shoot Better Concert Photos With A Point & Shoot Camera

Todd — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:51:43 +0000

You’ve seen it before. A sea of point and shoot digital cameras and cell phones held aloft during concerts, snapping away for posterity. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve done it yourself.

Here are five simple tips for making better live music photos when you’re shooting from the crowd, especially with a cell phone, P&S or other consumer camera. Take it from me, a professional music photographer. If I were shooting my favorite band from the crowd at a gig, this is what I’d do.

Trust me. I’m a professional.

1) Get Closer

Professional music photographers almost always shoot from the front of the stage, if not on the stage itself. This is not a coincidence – the best rock photos are so often made up close and personal.

If you’re a fan shooting from the crowd, getting as close to the stage as possible improves your chances of making great concert images. The ideal spot is often right at the security barricade at the front of the stage if there is one, otherwise along the stage itself.

A close position to the stage not only gets you (and your camera) closer to the action, which is essential for high-impact images, but it also reduces distracting elements in between you and the band. You know, stuff like heads, arms, and people in general.

2) Turn Off Your Flash

The flash on your P&S is minuscule at best. There are basically two scenarios with a small, on-camera flash like those on P&S cameras:

The flash is so weak it’s not even going to light up the stage.
If you happen to be close enough (think first couple rows), it’s going to kill the stage lighting and generally look awful.

More than likely, if you use flash and you’re shooting from the crowd, you’re just going to get a great photo of the back of someone’s head.

Turn off your flash for the best results capturing the stage lighting as the lighting designer – and the band – intend. This is especially true of your position is far away from the stage.

3) Wait Until The Lighting Is Brightest

Your P&S camera has a much smaller sensor than that of professional DSLR cameras, and, as a result the image quality is generally much worse. This is particularly true for low light situations. One way to compensate is to try and time your images for when the lighting is brightest on stage.

Waiting until the lighting is up will help make for less blurry and better exposed images. Moreover, attention to timing will help with making better photos in general. If there’s any design to the lighting at all, the brightest lighting will often correspond to highlights in the song when the musicians are doing interesting (photogenic) things.

4) Shoot A Lot

One “secret” of professional music photographers? We generally shoot a lot – perhaps hundreds of frames for a single band if the activity and lighting on stage are diverse. Shooting more individual images not only can help compensate for technical aspects such as motion blur, but shooting more in general will increase your chances of bringing home memorable images, if only by virtue of a little luck.

5) Use Both Hands on your Camera

Camera shake is often a big problem with low light photography, and concerts are no exception. Compact cameras often suffer even more badly from camera shake since they’re light weight and held out at a distance with support. This goes double for a cell phone.

Using both hands on your camera and tucking your elbows into your body will provide better stability, which will make for clearer images in low light.

6) Share Only Your Best Images

You’re only as good of a photographer as you show others you are. If you only shoot one amazing photo from a concert, you’re an amazing photographer based on that one image. It’s all the other blurry, poorly exposed and mis-timed snaps that make people think you just got lucky.

The dirty secret of many types of photography, including concert photography, is to shoot a lot. After all, you don’t have to show anyone the bad photos – or at least, you shouldn’t.

7) Put Down Your Camera

This is a serious recommendation to just put down your camera, stop photographing, and just to enjoy the show. (Especially if you see me at the concert – I promise you, I’ve got it covered!)

You might not have as many images to prove it, but by putting down your camera, you might just enjoy the experience just a little bit more. And after all, isn’t that the point of live music?

Recommended P&S Cameras

Canon S100: This camera is tiny and has relatively amazing performance for a P&S. Totally pocketable.
Panasonic LX-5: This camera splits the difference between the tiny Canon s100 and the bulkier Canon G1 X – great image quality, great lens, in a small package.
Canon G1 X: It’s pretty huge for a P&S, but the image quality is fantastic and the manual controls will make for much better shooting if you’re really going for it.
iPhone 4S: For a phone, the iPhone takes great photos. And chances are, already have this camera phone. And if you don’t, use whatever phone you do have. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you.

Conclusion

And there you have it. Six tips to help you make better concert photos with a P&S and one bonus suggestion to help you get the most out of a show.

If you shoot from the crowd, do you have any suggestions to share in the comments section?

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