first time ever shot at a concert

[MichaelBarry]

I've had my first dslr (a200 + 18-70mm kit lens) for 3 days and last night I went to a concert of my friends and I took some photos.

this is my first time I've ever shot at a concert with a dslr and so it would be nice to hear some suggestions as to how i can improve.

at the beginning I cranked up my ISO to max, 3200, and just accepted the ridiculous noise because i didn't take into account the bright backlighting but half way through I metered from the bassist's body, locked the exposure, recomposed and refocused and took the photo (with a much lower ISO - 400) and this got better results.

the order of the photos goes from left to right like:
1 2
3 4
5

anyway please give me some suggestions thanks.
p.s I thought the grain looked better in B&W

 

[PeteB]

You did well there, you have some nice shots and you captured the vibe pretty well. Good to see you're not scared of high iso.

 

[sonor]

Impressive - good atmospheric shots. I think the b&w ones work better...I like a bit of grain myself.

 

[iBookG4user]

They are some pretty good shots, although there is a lot of noise in the first two even at the small resolution. You may want to consider getting a fast prime lens if you shoot concerts frequently such as an 85mm ƒ/1.8 or a 50mm ƒ/1.4 depending or another lens depending upon how far back you'll be in the concerts. But it is well done for your first concert

 

[Abstract]

Impressive - good atmospheric shots. I think the b&w ones work better...I like a bit of grain myself.

I don't mind grain either. Sometimes, particularly for band photos, it can look really nice. However, that only really applies if you're not there to shoot photos for the press or something. They like clean photos.

I guess the secret is to practice. Also, I think spot meter is the metering method of choice, although you can also use centre-weighted if your camera is able to adjust the size of the weighted area to be as small as possible.

Also, I think shooting on Shutter Priority is the best method, with the shutter set to around 1/100 seconds. Go for a bit faster if the band moves around a lot on stage. Combine that with Auto ISO, and don't touch anything. Leave the aperture as wide as possible.

 

[bartelby]

For a first attempt they're bloody good, except the last one. Which is ok, I don't mind softer images.

The B&W ones are my favourite because of the grain.


Well done!


How old are your mates?
The bassist looks pretty young...

 

[MichaelBarry]

How old are your mates?
The bassist looks pretty young...

Well I'm kind of in with the young manchester unsigned music scene (play in a band and attend their gigs too) and I'm 16 along with the bassist (totally coincidental that the photos were taken on his 16th birthday).

 

[xIGmanIx]

I've had my first dslr (a200 + 18-70mm kit lens) for 3 days and last night I went to a concert of my friends and I took some photos.

this is my first time I've ever shot at a concert with a dslr and so it would be nice to hear some suggestions as to how i can improve.

at the beginning I cranked up my ISO to max, 3200, and just accepted the ridiculous noise because i didn't take into account the bright backlighting but half way through I metered from the bassist's body, locked the exposure, recomposed and refocused and took the photo (with a much lower ISO - 400) and this got better results.

the order of the photos goes from left to right like:
1 2
3 4
5

anyway please give me some suggestions thanks.
p.s I thought the grain looked better in B&W

The B/W is the best. I like the grain as well they just have a better energy.

 

[hector]

Great shots, I like the first one a lot! Very cool.

Thanks for the advice Abstract

 

[joepunk]

Read through Flickr's Concert Photography Group FAQ

And or Secrets of Killer Concert Photos Revealed

I would suggest using Aperture Priority if the lighting is very dynamic. Other wise learn the ways of Manual settings.

I like the B/W shots the best.