Any person who has attended a concert will know how difficult it would be to use a regular point and click camera set in auto mode to take great pictures. In order to be able to take good pictures when it comes to concerts, a lot of things need to be looked into. And in addition, a lot of preparation also goes into ensuring that some decent pictures can be clicked which do not look too bleached thanks to excessive flash light or end up looking to dull and dark to be able to make out anything at all. So here are a few pointers on what needs to be considered while getting ready to enter into concert photography.
The one thing that needs to be ensured is that enough research is done to identify the kind of concert it would be. This would mean to say that it would be a good idea to know if it would be a sit down affair or whether there would be a lot of movement involved. Similarly it would also help to know whether the concert will be done indoor or outdoor. All this is especially important as using flash light while taking photographs during a concert is not highly recommended and enough preparation needs to be done in order to be ready to take concert photographs even if it involves dim lighting, bright background lights and frequently moving band members.
Since using a flash needs to be moved into the least considered option, while shooting pictures of a concert, the two most popular ideas include either increasing the ISO settings to high in your digital camera or reducing the shutter speed. Reducing the shutter speed will be a good idea if you are certain that the performing band will have restricted movements while performing. However, if that is not the case, then a better idea would be to use higher ISO settings to ensure that maximum natural light is captured while shooting the pictures.
While shooting for concerts, an ISO setting of 400 or higher can be used, as this will ensure maximum light sensitivity without having to use a flash light which can act as a distraction. However, in order to have the ISO settings changed to 400 or above, it would be better to set it from auto mode to manual mode so that you can adjust the setting higher or lower depending on the availability of light. Starting with 400, the ISO setting can be increased up to 1600 or above depending upon the lighting available to ensure that great pictures can be shot. However, since a higher ISO setting also leads to grainy pictures, it would be a good idea to have a couple of shots clicked simultaneously which will allow the best shots to be used.
Pictures with noise or grains can be looked at as unique and creative in their own way, but if that is not the result that is intended, then the photographer has a choice of software programs which will help reduce the noise or remove it to some extent to provide the desired result.