BEST SETTINGS FOR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY

[@CircularWaffles]

This video is actually super helpful, I've been super anxious about messing around with RAW VS JPEG editing and at no point did I realize there was settings you can put in place to have BOTH versions available when taking pictures. Going to a concert this month and next month and I'm now really excited to have the option of both. Really appreciated also the comparisons between indoor and outdoor concert photography WITH the visual examples to go with those explanations. Just wanted you to know you did a very good job of being informative and knowledgeable, so thank you for that!

[@mleachphoto]

Aw, I'm glad the video was helpful for you 🙂

[@julianbaldieri]

Very helpful Marc...I'm soon to be shooting photos of gigs in an indoor environment with very low light levels in a village hall throughout the coming months...your video tells me everything I need to know. Thank you so much!!

[@mleachphoto]

Nice one! Glad this could help 😁

[@___spellxcaster___3711]

thanks man, looking forward to shooting my fav local band reunion show here soon!

[@mleachphoto]

@@___spellxcaster___3711 Have fun! 😁

[@LOVECATO1]

I am sure once I get to my 20th+ concert I will have settings down pat! But heading to my 6th and 7th concert and as a security blanket I love to re: listen to your video.

[@tracymac7428]

A lot of time when I'm shooting a concert I'll just leave my iso on auto. Pretty much I set my camera to the same settings as you mentioned. Seems to be my "tried and true" settings, even when I'm up and down with the shutter, i always go back to the same lol

[@mleachphoto]

You're just right!

[@alexxmaleny1947]

How does it pick up so much light tho without a flash? I can’t wrap my head around photography without a flash for concert photography. Thanks :))

[@alexhdz512]

I’m into real estate photography but I’ll be dipping my toes into concert photography this coming week. This video definitely helped me prepare a bit more for it. Thanks for sharing this info!

[@mleachphoto]

Glad to have helped :)

[@brentnicolet2239]

I just bought a Cannon EOS. Of all the music videos I’ve seen yours is the best because it’s done in the newbie’s photographer way. I learned a lot. I’ve subscribed and smashed the like button. Thank You Brent

[@mleachphoto]

thank you so much Brent, glad you enjoyed!

[@zetacrucis681]

Excellent clear advice. You deserve a hell of a lot more subscribers 😉

[@mleachphoto]

Aw thank you so much!

[@nolynnekatedonesa6762]

Great vid! Gained a lot of techniques! Will try this tom for my band shoot. 🎉❤

[@mleachphoto]

Glad you enjoy, have fun on your shoot!

[@vlvetred]

tysm for this i have a concert i’m going to tmr and my photography class in hs lets us rent out cameras and i really needed this tysm!

[@mleachphoto]

@@vlvetred you're welcome, enjoy!

[@kiansdrivinguk]

Marc, thank you so much for this video! I'm a beginner concert photographer from South Wales and I shot my first concert on the 4th of June. It went great thanks to some of these tips I've gained from your videos. I used a Canon 60d and a set of 18-50mm f/2.8 lens, a lot of the photos turned out quite blurry and grainy, but I got some good ones using your recommended settings. Cheers!

[@mleachphoto]

Happy days Liam, glad to hear you got on well 😁

[@AngelaSassoPhotography]

thanks for this! ive been shooting for 10 years but i havent shot a night venue/lighting concert since before covid so i wanted to make sure i was all set up still mentally and i am! still trying to decide what 2 lenses to use but thanks for the help! 50mm for sure and i suppose my 18-175mm

[@mleachphoto]

@@AngelaSassoPhotography nice one! Glad the video has helped 😊

[@jonmatthewsphotos]

Thanks Marc, shooting my first live band in a few weeks. This was useful.

[@mleachphoto]

Best of luck!

[@PaulMcilwaine]

Great new video Marc - Happy New Year!!!

[@mleachphoto]

And to you Paul, thank you!

[@666davekerr]

Another excellent, informative video . Excellent work

[@mleachphoto]

thank you sir!

[@NotLaykin]

This video was soooo helpful!

[@mleachphoto]

Glad to be of service ☺️

[@Lily-r7b]

What setting do you recommend for fast shooting a concert! I have the cannon power shot sx740 hs and am using it for a concert mainly red low lights? Any tips will be appreciated love the video!!

[@mleachphoto]

The tips I give in this video will still apply to that camera, providing it has manual options 😊

[@LOVECATO1]

Thank you for this video. Going to my first gig with the highlight band being my daughter’s. After several videos you succinctly validated what I was planning. Planning on my 28-70 f2.8 and my 70-200 f2.8. Do not have anything wider yet.

[@mleachphoto]

Have fuuun! 😊

[@paulcain548]

Great tips. Got a festival coming up in a park near me so this was very helpful. Thanks 👍🏻

[@mleachphoto]

Rock it!

[@walbertthewalrus3667]

amazing video, doing my first deathcore shoot this Saturday. Youre gonna be a big help ❤️

[@walbertthewalrus3667]

What would be the best setting for a straight 50mm lense?

[@James-vg9qt]

How'd it go?

[@jessicamillsom6568]

So helpful!

[@mleachphoto]

@@jessicamillsom6568 glad the video helped! 😊

[@alexxmaleny1947]

This was insanely helpful, thankyou so much

[@danielfulop]

Do you prefer high ISO, or consciously underexpose RAW and bring back exposure in post (LR)?

[@mleachphoto]

Can depend on the situation. Normally I like to underexpose in photography, but quite often I like I overexpose for gigs, especially if there's alot of lights.

[@afargreencountry6324]

Marc, Very helpful videos. Been studying photography for 18 months. First gig coming up in a very big venue. So Manual, I have an R5 mirrorless and F2.8 and F4 lenses and will start at ISO 1600-3600. Would you use Spot metering on a righting area near the subject and then focus on the subject?

[@mleachphoto]

@@afargreencountry6324 unless you're shooting ISO auto (or anything auto) I would never worry about metering.

[@afargreencountry6324]

@ OK great! Thanks for your very quick reply! Keep posting video! Thanks.

[@samanthagaddis8785]

Wow this was so great!! Thanks so much. I really needed this

[@mleachphoto]

Glad to be of help :-)

[@huntsman4212]

Good to know some base lines - ISO has been adding too much noise to my photos but I just got a f/1.8 50mm lens for my canon eos 700d and I'm keen to put that to the test with the wider aperture, vs my kit lens where ISO auto adjusts to 6400.

[@JoseCorona-n8q]

how should i set my settings to get some good video from a concert? i want to be able to catch good audio. i’m new to using a camera it’s a zv e10 with a deity d4 microphone

[@charlottecrossyyyy]

Thank you so much for this! Wish I would have seen this before going to my first gig shoot 😂 this will be super helpful for next time though!

[@mleachphoto]

Glad it could still be some help ☺️

[@Psyclonus7]

A couple of questions: I'll be shooting RAW at an upcoming show. For white balance, coukd i just keep it in auto and adjust later in post? Would auto ISO work or just keep to your suggested parameters? The show itself is indoors.

[@mleachphoto]

Great questions! Since you’re shooting raw it doesn’t matter too much about white balance. I always keep my white balance at daylight, so I have a level to work with. As for ISO I would experiment. I don’t trust auto ISO for gigs too much, because of how much light changes so quickly. Plus I prefer to change it myself, means I have control over the style of shot I want. All about experimentation 😁

[@gundamaction1201]

Sometimes you can’t have big apertures when you are far away from the stage. Especially with those huge concerts places in Asia (currently living in hong kong), I have to use telephoto lens to capture the action for my work. These lenses mostly have smaller apertures like F5-F7.

[@mleachphoto]

Exactly this :-)

[@LOVECATO1]

Very much appreciate your video, in fact, reviewed it 2-3 times in recent weeks. For what it is worth, beginners such as myself can’t always get to a concert, I have been practicing at home to get to know my camera. Have used two family members, several feet apart with low light and even blue light from a filtered torch (flash light). My Nikon 850 is very comfortable with an ISO of even 10K, which lets me use f 4.5 to get both people in focus if they are close enough. Good practice to know your lenses and camera.

[@mleachphoto]

Practise makes perfect! Glad you enjoyed the video, keep it up 🙂

[@michelle-h]

If you can, go to a local gig, so local bands around you! I bet there are plenty! You can ask if you can take photos of them for free and just practice. See if they’re okay with it, but honestly I bet they will be haha!

[@mleachphoto]

@@michelle-h this!

[@michelle-h]

@@mleachphoto 😊

[@waynebelfast]

Hey Marc, great to see you back on KZbin. One thing you didn't cover that I'd be curious about is what focus mode you use. Single point, dynamic, auto area, etc? Right at the beginning I defaulted to single point, but I keep meaning to experiment with the other modes.

[@mleachphoto]

Good question! I tend to mostly use wide or zone focusing. Single point if it's extra tricky.

[@trekkeruss]

I shoot for a band, and have covered over 40 shows at venues all over the USA. What works for me is leaving my shutter speed at around 250, always at max aperture (F2.8, but I often shoot with a 100-400mm F4-5.6), and auto ISO. My focus is usually wide AF-C, but i override and use the touchscreen focus to pick my point when I need to keep focus on eyes and where the AF can get confused with mic stands, wires, drum kit, etc. I process with Topaz Labs DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI; they have often helped save or make a good image even better.

[@mleachphoto]

Nice!

[@dylanberesford2980]

Thanks man, really helpful. Think I'll be alright doing video with a 30mm 1.8 on an A6500?

[@mleachphoto]

Thanks! I'd say you will do just fine 🙂

[@merttyson7271]

Hi Marc, thank you for these videos they are fantastic. Should I setup Face/Eye AF on? or off for low light live music? And what would be best for focus area?

[@mleachphoto]

Face/Eye AF is NEVER turned off on my camera 😜 definitely helps! Most of the time I use wide or zone focus areas... Mainly zone.

[@Alexa-i6k8u]

I’m going to a concert in 2 days and going to take pictures with my canon rebel t7 and 50mm f/1.8 lens. (First time using at a concert) I’ll be in the 6th row but hope to move closer! Do you have any additional tips for me? I am nervous my pictures will come out bad

[@mleachphoto]

This is a perfect place to start, you will do great!

[@Alexa-i6k8u]

Thanks! Hoping to get some awesome pics of Alanis 🤘🏼

[@roelmulderij311]

Thank you for your video! Can you give me some advice? I’ve done some concert photography, but I keep struggling with the camera I have right now. I have a Canon 6D, which only has 11 AF points. Would it be worth to upgrade to another camera, like the R6? Or is it better to purchase a good zoom lens? Because the zoom I have is 75-300mm f4-5.6.

[@mleachphoto]

Up to yourself Roel! That lens isn't the best for low light, and it's always good to have fast glass for gig stuff. Though you could get a new lens and still have the same problems with the camera. R6 is a hell of an upgrade where you will see big improvements!

[@roelmulderij311]

@@mleachphoto thanks for your reply! I do got two prime lenses (35mm f2.0 and 50mm f1.8) but I think I might go for a better zoomlens (25-70mm f2.8)

[@yabelson]

@@mleachphoto The R6 is better than the 6D in many forms (auto focus etc.) but having shot with the 6D in concerts i believe it handles high ISO better than the R6 does. getting a better zoom lens is a must, though - the 75-300/4-5.6 is a basic lens and is not that sharp, a 70-200/2.8 would give you a lot of use and is tack sharp and handy, i almost always have one on one of my bodies. b.t.w, the R5 mk II should be released anytime now, i'd wait for it and get the R5 mk I that will probably have a price drop, its great for concerts (i use it a lot myself).

[@Griff.photography]

@@roelmulderij311I’m a canon guy but getting into concert photography I’m really loving the Sony a7s III. It’s amazing in low light and auto focus is quick. 24-70mm lense is the best

[@sempringham3868]

This was a very useful video, full of practical advice, along with convincing rationales. I usually do studio/portrait photography, so the ISO and shutter speed sit in one place while the aperture might get changed. The idea of a flexible ISO is obvious once you think about it, but it hadn't occurred to me before now. (Duh.) Thanks very much. I've liked and subscribed. By the way, if you shoot Canon, do you have any advice for the picture style to use. Again, I usually use Portrait for the gorgeous skin tones, but I'm thinking I should use Standard for nightclub shoot I've got coming, because it's sharper. Any thoughts?

[@mleachphoto]

Glad you enjoyed the video ☺️ as for the picture profiles. No matter what camera brand, I always set to standard (unless I'm recording a video). I prefer to add those profiles afterwards, especially cause I shoot RAW.

[@LOVECATO1]

Since I last commented several months ago I have become more proficient in both LrC and PS. Another bigger gig coming up next week and wonder what your feeling is about new AI denoise? Haven’t shot in low light since I have experimented with denoise. If possible I would like to try f 4.0 as it seems to give me a better depth of field. That might mean pushing the ISO up a bit. I think my Nikon D850 can handle that. Again appreciate your video.

[@mleachphoto]

The new denoise option in LrC is wonderful! Does a fantastic job, but I don't do it on every shot.

[@jway202]

Any recommendations when using spot metering?

[@mleachphoto]

Honestly, I never really tend to worry about metering at gigs.

[@jway202]

@@mleachphoto just manual set and shoot and adjust as needed then. That’s basically what I did with my first two concerts I shot. Satisfied with my results from that one. Shooting my third concert next week. Trying to freshen up my settings and heard metering with spot a lot recently.

[@alexxmaleny1947]

Will your lens effect how you can set these settings? Ex. Shutter speed or aperture? My camera with its current lens won’t go down past f4.

[@mleachphoto]

Yeah you will find you need to compensate somewhere. Majority of the time I just raise my ISO.

[@HeyItsCharlie]

Hi! Thanks for this video, Its really helpful! I was wondering If you had any camera suggestions for concert photography that are under $500? I wanted to get a Canon Rebel T7, but another camera channel on KZbin said it wouldn't be good for concerts. I mainly need something that's gonna do better than a phone camera and not get all blurry. Now I have no idea what to get because everyone I talk to suggests cameras that are over $700. I'm just starting out and don't have the money like that for a camera! I would really appreciate your suggestions! Thank you!

[@mleachphoto]

Glad you enjoyed the video. While the entry cameras won't always be the best for concerts, they are a great place to start. Some of my best photos were taken on a Nikon D40! Something along the lines of that camera will be more than enough to get your fundamentals going 🙂

[@HeyItsCharlie]

@@mleachphoto okay thank you so much!

[@anzhelikaosmanova3789]

Hi Marc! Thanks for the video! Do you have recommendations on a mirrorless camera + lens that one could use to take a picture of a speaker on stage in low or generally unpredictable light? My challenge is taking a picture of myself remotely when I’m on stage, so ideally, it needs to have a Bluetooth feature 😅

[@mleachphoto]

Hey there! Something like a Sony A6400 or Canon R10 would be perfect. Both have flippable screens so you can still see yourself! Lens wise, there are opens from Sigma (16mm or 30mm f1.4) would be wide enough focal length and aperture wise

[@shotbydcole]

@@mleachphotohey Marc what about a Sony A7sii?

[@mleachphoto]

@@shotbydcole certainly a great camera for low light work. It swayed more to video more than anything. For similar money, I would sway more to the A7 III. Muuuuch better performance for stills.

[@MarceloFernandez1967]

Great, Marc Leach, but… and metering mode?

[@mleachphoto]

Honestly, not something I ever too worry about!

[@elijah-wilson-music]

Helpful, thanks :)

[@mleachphoto]

You're welcome!

[@NIVEREDICAO]

Ty sor helped me alot

[@mleachphoto]

Glad you enjoyed 😊

[@hermanlopez2945]

Thanks for sharing.

[@mleachphoto]

Thank you for watching!

[@jananechvatalova8263]

I don´t know if anybody asked this before, if so I am sorry, but....Do you play with exposure number while photographing or just leave it as it is and deal with it in post? Thank you. Great video BTW, I really enjoy your channel, keep it up.

[@mleachphoto]

Majority of the time, I keep my exposure as is. Maybe change the ISO depending on the light, but otherwise, I keep to the same.

[@jananechvatalova8263]

@@mleachphoto Thank you so much for the quick answer.

[@doihaveto3430]

everything i ever needed haha

[@mleachphoto]

Glad to have helped!

[@Lucas-vj8rr]

Auto iso is most important setting Rest in manual 250-2,8 Lost a lot of time before when i set iso manual

[@mleachphoto]

Glad to hear this works for you!

[@zachshoupnotshoop7374]

is that a Mr Pickles shirt😂 from Adult Swim?

[@mleachphoto]

T'is indeed!

[@AlphaILEC9]

Nice video!

[@mleachphoto]

Thank you! 😊