# Does Anyone Take Concert Photos Anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377 "2010-11-03T22:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/21 "2010-11-04T19:03:39Z")
> [@Ms\_Boods](#): > > In all cases, however, I had permission and/or a press pass, and used an SLR with several lenses, no flash – when you take those sorts of photos, you get to stand in places off-limits to the fans, which also helps to get better shots and angles. I was always pretty good about not getting in people’s way, but one thing that always annoyed me (and annoys the pro photographers who are there on paying gigs; I am not a professional) is when you set up your light metre, and someone with a flash camera snaps one off, ruining your shot. Yes, using no flash means you need an SLR on which you can crank up the ISO and still get a decent picture. And it’s amusing to me to watch a large concert, or a football game, and see the little flashes in the stands, when the best the flash will do is light up the backs of the heads in front of the person taking the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/22 "2010-11-04T19:43:15Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > I sometimes take a couple, but they’re usually not very good. (I swith off the backscreen and the flash and use the viewfinder so as not to inconvenience other people. (Which might account for why they’re not usually very good!) That should actually make them better. Your flash (even on an external flash) isn’t going to light up the stage, so you’re better off leaving it off and letting the camera compensate for the darkness on it’s own (stop up the aperture, increase shutter time, raise ISO). But you have to hold it _really_ still. > [@Meurglys](#): > > Now they claim they don’t want good quality pictures taken, so they ban ‘proper’ cameras, even if some phone cams might be more powerful! (i.e. more pixels) > It depends on the venue; my partner has to check her camera at some venues but not others. It’s not the megapixels they’re worried about, it’s the lens. A 10MP cell phone is going to take garbage pictures at a concert compared to a 5MP camera with a 70-300mm f/2.8 lens. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/23 "2010-11-05T12:02:44Z")
I take your points, it’s just that if I need to look through the viewfinder, I lose some height by not holding the camera up and have to shoot past people’s heads, etc. so the picture I take might be technically better, but it’s more likely to be miss anything interesting! ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/24 "2010-11-05T19:43:22Z")
I sometimes do, not so much as a keepsake (that’s what soundboards are for) but rather to send some friends a mass pic message that says something like “I’m at Phish, SUCKAAAAAAS!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/25 "2010-11-06T01:16:46Z")
One of the most fun experiences I’ve had taking concert photos was at a Bob Mould show a couple of years ago. I decided to get a little arty. I set the shutter speed of my camera to a second or more, and I intentionally moved the camera around and jiggled it and whatnot. It worked particularly well with the opening act because the singer was moving and dancing around quite a bit, giving me some really interesting motion blurs. It worked out OK with Bob, although the most interesting shot that I got from that part of the show was of his bass player (who I was a lot closer to). ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/26 "2010-11-06T15:00:43Z")
> [@Ms\_Boods](#): > > Saw Doctors; . Love the Saw Doctors! I never used to take photos at concerts (I could have snapped some _amazing_ ones back in the old days.) It did not even occur to me, though I did own a little Kodak Instamatic back then. I’m really there for the music, but I do take the occasional photo now, maybe in part because I now go to far fewer concerts. Got a sad one of Shane McGowan, and some nice ones of Gogol Bordello at Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. Also the Avett Brothers in Savannah. But they are just keepsakes, and I can’t imagine having a camera out the entire time. Sometimes people get so caught up in the zeal of immortalizing everything that they forget why they’re there in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377/27 "2010-11-09T11:13:08Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes, using no flash means you need an SLR on which you can crank up the ISO and still get a decent picture. And it’s amusing to me to watch a large concert, or a football game, and see the little flashes in the stands, when the best the flash will do is light up the backs of the heads in front of the person taking the picture. When I was shooting in colour, I went for 1600 speed film, and 3200 for b/w, and got some lovely shots and effects. I also had some really wide lenses to let in as much ambient concert light as possible for some neat photos. The issue now is little digital cameras – I really enjoy playing with mine, but yer, they’re useless at sporting events and shows, because unless you’re one of those people who shove their way up to the front and climb all over people’s laps to shove the camera in the star’s face,\* the performer’s head will end up at about a pixel high. (Or you end up with shaky film footage with better clarity on the drunks stood near you than the music from the stage. But go’head, put it on youtube anyway.) \*This was edited down from an amazing stream of consciousness rant which went a bit astray from the topic at hand! > [@Caprese](#): > > Love the Saw Doctors! Yer, they good, ain’t they. Most of my photos are from the free St Patrick’s Day concert they did in Trafalgar Sq a few years back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-take-concert-photos-anymore/559377.md?page=1)