Lupe Fiasco Concert at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, VA
Recently, I have been exploring how to create better photography in low light within 10 minutes or less. I have become rather fond of pictures with a silhouette effect or minimal light on the subject. The mood is more intimate and you strip away distractions in the scene to just take in the life of the image. I had the chance to capture some great pictures of Lupe Fiasco for my birthday celebration! Although, I didn’t have a wider lens on-hand, I think I managed to take some awesome shots with my standard Canon 18-55 mm kit lens.
I am learning in my photography journey, that I enjoy photographing concerts. The energy is amazing and I have been trying out new techniques to get to the front row against the stage. It’s a balancing act of not being rude but still standing your ground to get that unique shot. I find it exhilarating and I’m happy to have these keepsakes. The Lupe concert was great for networking as well. I met a few great people in the front row and two unofficial bodyguards.
I find that photography has in some ways made it easier to engage with others in conversation. I am not particularly shy but this art form definitely brings on a calming effect as you work to attain a great shot.
Tips:
- Lower the speed and stabilize your camera. Lowering your shutter speed will allow more time for light to travel into your lens to illuminate your photo. However, lowering the shutter speed less than 30 seconds will cause considerable camera shake. At this point you should use a tripod. At this concert, I obviously couldn’t bust out a tripod and tell everyone to give me space. Instead, I locked my elbows into my chest and timed my shots in between when no one was pushing against me (thanks bodyguards). There is still distortion in my images but since the subject is in motion, I feel it adds to the mood and works. Fast moving subjects will require a faster shutter speed or the blur will be too substantial if you are not looking for an art effect.
- Take video. When all else fails just shoot some video footage. Sometimes you need a few minutes to figure out what settings to try next in manual mode. In the meantime, focus your camera and then turn off the autofocus button on the side of your lens. Next, switch to video for a minute or so. You will have some great video and get to capture still shots from the footage later.
- Take care not to increase ISO too much. ISO adjust the light sensitivity. Many photographers advise on raising it in low light situations. I have found that this will contribute to noise (graininess) in your photo if you don’t have a lens suited for low light (ex:50mm) I tend to keep my ISO >800. Play with this setting to see the best result while shooting. You will most likely have some amount of noise in low light shots.
- Don’t bother with on camera flash. The flash on your camera will deteriorate the mood. We want those shadows!!! Use a bounce flash or off camera flash depending on the situation. You may need to diffuse the flash or angle it (using an assistant is ideal).
- Go for the lowest F-stop available for aperture priority. This will open up your lens to allow more light plus blur the background. I love the bokeh effect it creates.
- Shoot in raw format. Do yourself a favor and take extra memory cards. Raw image files are large but will allow you to save images that .jpg format would destroy. I use raw and .jpg format so I have both files at once. This tip is a lifesaver and I can easily adjust levels in raw format.
What do you enjoy about low light photography?
Which photograph did you like the most? Which camera lens do you prefer for low light situations? Contact us for a photo shoot at your next event. Join the conversation below by leaving a comment then sharing on social media. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on CEL3 Media events and promotions!! Photo Credit: All images in post by CEL3 Media All Rights Reserved
Recent Comments