Nikon SLR Cameras

What are good camera settings for concert photography?

Stephanie
Stephanie

I'm trying to get good shots when i'm at concerts (i'm new to this stuff too) and i have a nikon d3000 but i don't know what settings to use, cause the settings seem to change like the aperture will be too high or too low, then i get it perfect and as soon as the camera moves the settings don't look right for the photo. So what settings should i be using, and should i be using a flash or something?

screwdriver
screwdriver

Short answer don't use Manual Mode, use Aperture Priority (A or Av) instead), then your always assured of a reasonable exposure, of course shutter times will have to be long and apertures wide (low f number) if the light is low, so keep an eye on that, if necessary open the aperture (watch where your focusing as depth of field will be narrower, especially close to the subject) or raise ISO, noise in your shot from using a high ISO can be reduced in post processing (or even eliminated), but blurred shots from long shutter speeds can't be used.

If you have a long lens take that with you, oftentimes the act is well lit, if you can fill the frame with the spotlit part of the scene the amount of light in that shot increases to normal daylight levels, you have effectively 'cropped' the darkness out of your shot, but you will have to watch for camera movement as a telephoto lens whilst magnifying your view also magnifies camera movement by the same amount.

Nobody here can tell you the exact settings that will work as we don't know the lighting levels, that's where your experience will come into play, but that experience does take time to gather.

sagara
sagara

At a concert, there's no magic setting. It is especially difficult because of the complex lighting situtation and it. To make matters worse, lighting situtations are likely to change every second.

The first step is definitely imagine what kind of images you want. This step and every subsequent step gets easier with more experience. Then, position yourself in a place to get those images. Assuming, you arent an official photographer who has access to the rehearsal, you have to know the music and anticipate lighting changes as the music plays.

When you know all that, then the relevant settings become a consideration. The last thing to consider is timing. Don't miss the light.

Note
Most commercial concerts do not allow dslrs. Check with the organizers first or risk getting booted out.

SimSam
SimSam

There's no "good" setting for any type of photography.

You need to choose the setting that is best depending on the available light, or the type of photo you wish to take. There's no way to tell you the settings to use in advance. Sometimes settings will change on a per photo basis.

If you are having problems with exposure - use the exposure meter, put the camera in Manual Mode or Aperture priority. Read up in your user manual on how to use those modes.

Markus Imhof
Markus Imhof

- Don't use a flash. Serioulsy. Leave it at home.
- set up the sensitivity (DIN value) as high as you will tolerate
- use a lens with a wide (low number) aperture
- now metering will be difficult, especially with the changing light and high contrast between spotlight and environment. I'd go for fixed aperture (as wide as possible), automatic time and spot metering (as narrow as possible) and hope for the best.

All this provided that you got permission to take pictures at this event from the event management. Otherwise, you won't even be able to take the camera with you.