What You NEED To Be A CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHER

[@andrefelixstudio2833]

Nice video with good information I do a lot of what you said when I shoot a live music shows!

[@mleachphoto]

Thanks for watching!

[@ReadIcculus93]

1st thing you'll need, prayer. Pray the venue or the band has decent lights lol Or bring enough batteries for your flash to light a football stadium.

[@mleachphoto]

@@ReadIcculus93 not far off lol

[@waynebelfast]

I was shooting at 12,800 ISO when I shot a gig in Love & Death. That was fun.

[@mleachphoto]

Dang girl!

[@jurgenwittmann2905]

12.800 ISO was not fun. It took much time to denoise about 50 pics with Topaz Denoise AI. I'm happy when I can stay max. ISO 3200, but sometimes the front light is too bad.

[@dylanthiessen]

I've been using an APSC-sensor camera (Fujifilm X-H1) and it's worked out very well for me. That said, I've had to crank the ISO at times, but hopefully a couple new lenses (Fuji 16-55 f/2.8 and 50-140 f/2.8) will reduce the need for that. Thanks for the suggestions!

[@mleachphoto]

Still a great camera and lens selection!

[@simonp37]

I managed to work as a music photographer / photojournalist with relative cheap gear. You don't need expensive fancy stuff. I immediately jumped on the Canon EOS 7D, with good ISO range and 8 frame per second shooting, which could capture some great moments, when things were happening fast. But that back "back in the day". Now I just have a Sony A7, but it doesn't seem like these mirrorless cameras are too much up to the task. It's newer than the EOS 7D, full frame and still takes amazing photos - but it's not a good concert/sports camera. Plus, you'd probably be outdoors a lot, with rain, so you don't want your expensive gear to be soaked. Still, we improvised rain coats for our gear with plastic bags and duct tape. It helps a lot to be a bit fearless. I was always on the bit more cautious side, but hung around a photographer who didn't fear anything. So I had some great moments getting on stages on larger festivals, where we weren't supposed to be. But many times, the security wouldn't ask too many questions, if you had a badge and lots of gear on you. Just don't get in the way of the crew and musicians. Always try to be invisible and don't disturb people in their work.

[@mleachphoto]

@@simonp37 great advise!

[@brokeboiiflashy2083]

Sending love from France thank you a lot brother !

[@mleachphoto]

🇫🇷❤️🤘

[@t816c]

Really enjoyed your video! Restarting my photog passion with music photog as my niche. Just starting out with bar gigs to dip my toes in water but i think your tips are still very useful! Cheers mate from Philippines

[@mleachphoto]

Thank you so much! The best way to get yourself out there 😊

[@krismcclain]

Just found this video!! Thanks for sharing. I’m just starting concert photography

[@mleachphoto]

Nice one, enjoy your journey ☺️

[@HappyNerdPhoto]

This is such useful info! I'm wanting to start adding concert photos to my portfolio! It sounds like so much fun and I feel like its a great opportunity to makes some sweet art.

[@mleachphoto]

Thanks for the comment, glad the video helped ^_^

[@knife9721]

Awesome video, super helpful

[@mleachphoto]

Thank you, glad to have helped 🙂

[@PaulTakesPhotos]

Ear plugs! I found that out at my first concert shoot a few weeks ago... Metal music...very valid tip :) Fast lenses for lowlight is a must and the iso handling of your camera matters too. Cool video!

[@mleachphoto]

Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed the vid 😊

[@andytattmedia]

Great video mate!! earplugs are no.1 !! Agreed!

[@mleachphoto]

Glad you enjoyed brother! ^_^

[@behangmotief]

I tend to go way higher in ISO just to get more atmosphere. :)

[@mleachphoto]

Gotta be done!

[@gbollo91]

Great video mate!

[@mleachphoto]

Thanks dude 😊❤️

[@blankasteiner7982]

Great video, thank you Marc! :)))

[@mleachphoto]

Glad you enjoyed ☺️

[@georgriedl9042]

Thank you! Greetings from Austria!

[@mleachphoto]

Howdy from Northern Ireland ☺️

[@RockNewsUK]

How do you make money from it? How about a video on that?

[@mleachphoto]

Cheers for the suggestion!

[@DavidSimchock]

The best way to make money photographing music is to say “no” to the artists, festivals , producers, publications, venues, etc that ask you to shoot for free (ie, for the “exposure”). Far too many music photographers are willing to “work” for free. Don’t be that guy/gal. Get your images to a consistently very high quality level and ask/demand to get paid.

[@brunafeltrin2635]

Hi! Nice video! Question: what do you think about the lens Tamron 28-75mm f 2.8 for gigs?

[@mleachphoto]

Hey Bruna, great question. It's a fantastic lens for gig photography! So sharp and so quick for focusing, and that was even on an A7 II.

[@brunafeltrin2635]

@@mleachphoto Thank you for your reply! Yeah, I recently got these lens and I’m still getting use to it! I also have an A7II and I hope to get many cool pics from that! 🤗

[@mleachphoto]

@@brunafeltrin2635 Glad to help! There is a review of the lens in my review section, feel free to check it out ^_^

[@PraveenKumar-tn3dg]

What about white balance which one you prefer sir

[@PraveenKumar-tn3dg]

Sir

[@carlmcneill1139]

I started wearing earplugs at concerts way back in the early 90s. Do you ever under expose your shots if the lights are really bright, to preserve the highlights? Sometimes you have high dynamic range scenes where the band is in low light but you have all those cool rays shining through the fog they're blowing out.

[@mleachphoto]

It can vary tbh. I'm more of an under exposure type of guy for most things. But over exposing can look pretty good in some cases too!

[@carlmcneill1139]

@@mleachphoto Jefferson Starship is performing at the Helen Keller festival tonight and I'm getting a pass to take pictures inside the fence. I have taken pictures of small bands but they don't take stage until 8:30. This will be my first major band to take photos of and I want to do it right. I'm not a professional but I do consider myself advanced. I mostly did landscape and milky way photos with some portraits here and there. I mostly shoot in manual mode. I have a 24-70 I can use when I'm up close but I'll probably use my 70-200 the most. This event is at a park. Everyone brings their own chairs to sit in. It's only $5 to get in but you can sit in one area of the park and not pay and you can still hear everything.

[@mleachphoto]

@@carlmcneill1139 all the best!

[@eugeneessandoh9867]

Hi please do we use apeedlite in concert photography?

[@mleachphoto]

Most of the time, no as it's not allowed. For local bands it's okay, but bigger names it's not.

[@MarceloFernandez1967]

Great

[@mleachphoto]

Thank you so much 😁

[@kacha2290]

Hi. Are you recommending shoot in MF or auto focus?

[@mleachphoto]

Try both! Auto focus would be my main choice overall. But sometimes mf can help in more difficult situations 😊

[@deebee2754]

I just realized - are those DALEKs on the shelf behind you?

[@mleachphoto]

They are indeed ^_^

[@anitacorwin4929]

Do you have a particularly favorite lens you like to use?

[@mleachphoto]

That is an answer I can never pin down lol

[@frankifinch225]

Shhhhh

[@mleachphoto]

Um, no?

[@leanadora75]

Do you think 30yo is too late to become amusci photographer ?

[@mleachphoto]

NEVER EVER EVER!

[@leanadora75]

@@mleachphoto Thanks !! In my head im like.. if i start now, why would they take me, a 30yo something with a newish portofilio when they can have a 20yo something with 5 years of portofilio ahha

[@mleachphoto]

@@leanadora75 it's never too late to start :-D

[@topportret]

i am 59...

[@joelqvisuals4578]

I started at 32. Go for it!

[@rbolwell]

Do not offer to send photos. If they want them, they pay!

[@DanCohoon]

If you can't shoot hand held at 1/8 of second you are not trying. Tack sharp is boring, blurry is best. Use a pint glass as a tripod.

[@mleachphoto]

These!

[@DanCohoon]

Ear Plugs 100%

[@nelsono4315]

while improvements have been made in crop sensor bodies I would highly recommend a full frame body. Full frame sensors handle high ISO much better. Another thing is a 17-40mm lens on a full frame body is a 17-40mm lens. On a Canon crop sensor body that same lens is actually 27-64mm lens. Don't be afraid of using a lens like the 24-105mm f4. Yes, you want to have f2.8 or faster lenses but don't let f4 scare you. If the lights are constantly changing shooting in manual mode can be tricky. Either shutter priority or aperture priority might be easier for handling rapidly changing lights. Give Auto ISO a try and see if it works for you. You can set the aperture and shutter speed and let the camera choose the ISO based on the light. So basically shooting in manual with Auto ISO. One less thing for you to worry about. I prefer lenses with a fixed aperture as opposed to kit lenses with variable aperture.

[@mleachphoto]

Great tips!

[@1slkss]

Or you could park your lens at its max aperture, set your ISO as high as needed to cover even the lowest of light & highest of your expected SS, then simply just adjust your SS to fit your needs & style choice. Todays cameras can handle ISOs at or above 12,800 with little to no grain issues.