Lowlight: He only played one song - but it did last 20 minutes...
Fill in: This exclusive performance was for a private international showcase and as a complete philistine, it was a wonder I was even allowed in the same room as this Guitar virtuoso.
The brief is to get snaps of who is there preferably with the artist and the performance itself, however this is not as straight forward as you imagine. Exclusive is the word so you can't be snapping away from where ever you fancy waving your arse at a room full of VIPS. You have to pick your spot and stay there - out of the way. It is also usually acoustic, so the camera shutter sounds like a dustbin lid clanging. for this performance despite the song lasting 20 minutes I was only allowed to shoot the first minute.
Tech Spec: This is a quick switch situation so although photo opportunities are few and far between, you need two cameras ready to go. One for grab shots in a darkened room. I tend to push up the ISO to 400 to make the most of any available light and shoot on 1/30 second at F4. This blurs the background. The other for very low light - ISO 1600 or more and aperture wide open. I use a 50, 85 or 135mm prime as they open wider and are less obnoxious than a whacking great F2.8 zoom. Luckily in these situations, the artist does not move much so if you haven't got it in the bag in the first minute you really aren't trying or are just being greedy.
No comments:
Post a Comment