Chaso DeChaso wrote:
> I will bring a monopod,
> but I don't anticipate being able to utilize a tripod
> in the crowded environment. I will be using a PZ-1p
> and ZX-50 with FA 28-105 Powerzoom, FA 24mm/f2.0, FA
> 50mm/f1.4, FA 135mm/f2.8, and one AF-500FTZ flash
> between the two cameras.
I've had great results with a monopod and my 200mm f2.8. Generally for
band shooting I take my 200, my 24mm f2.8, my 35mm f2.0 and (before I
killed it) my 50mm f1.4. For shooting the whole band from near the edge
of the stage, a 24mm is very useful. If there are a fair number of
people at the show, it's likely that you will have only two places to
shoot from: very close to the band and much further away from the band.
The 50 is great for shooting individual band members while close to the
stage, and then your 135 will be useful for shots of individuals from a
bit further back. If you're going to spend most of your time close to
the stage, I suggest putting the 50 on one body and the 24 on the other.
> I suppose, in particular, I
> am wondering about the effects of the brightness of
> the stage lighting, something I've never dealt with.
> For instance, ought I rely heavily on spot-metering of
> bright areas with little supplemental light, or ought
> I meter more broadly and/or fill non-spotted areas
> with significant flash (perhaps bounced - I haven't
> checked the ceiling yet)?
Flash is evil. ;) Those spotlights are giving you fabulously dramatic
lighting, so use 'em! Here's how I usually operate: I show up at sound
check to scope the place out (if I haven't been there before) and ask
whoever's on the lights to put them on just like they will be at the
show, then I get out my hand meter and take incident readings in the
paths of the lights and determine my exposure that way. In the days
before I had my hand meter I went right up on the stage and took
readings with my camera off of anything that looked to be about middle
grey (it was my ME Super, so no spot meter). If you're shooting b&w,
remember to halve your ISO cuz of them pesky tungsten bulbs.
Sound check also gives you a chance to see what the band are doing on
stage...how they're standing and moving and so on. It's a good time to
scope out the best location for the shot of the whole band. Sometimes
trying to find an angle where you can see the drummer's face is next to
impossible. Also, it's a good time to find stategically places pillars
or poles or short walls or the like that you can brace against or use as
cover in case of a bar fight. No, really, you can use them to get
closer to the band without blocking the view of people in the audience.
> Should I attempt to utilize
> a depth of field that includes all the musicians
> (which seems daunting, at least in closer shots, given
> the great distance between musicians in relation to
> their distance from me)?
For the shot of the whole band, yes...this is where the 24mm comes in
handy, since you can get a huge amount of depth of field at what are
still reasonably bright apertures, and (provided the band aren't moving
too much) you can get longer exposures without camera shake. For shots
of individuals I tend to work wide open or at most at f4 with the 200mm.
> Also, what film speeds might
> be most effective?
For b&w I've been shooting Fuji Neopan 1600 when there's enough light
(and what you've described does sound pretty bright) or Ilford Delta
3200 pushed to 6400 or 12,800 when it's really dark (though I've heard
horror stories about pushing Delta in T-Max developer, so if you're not
doing your own processing I'd check to see what your lab is developing
in). For colour, when I was shooting neg I liked Fuji's Superia 400 and
800 a lot for this kind of stuff because they both gave me good,
detailed dark shadows and really emphasized the colour of the lighting.
In terms of grain they are nearly identical, so if you're only taking
one of them with you I suggest the 800. Whatever you do, don't try to
'push' them: while most of the image will look fine, the dark blacks
will unfortunately creep up out of the range of black and into an ugly
murky coloured tone. Yuck.
Lately I've been shooting Provia 400F pushed to 800, and wow, it's great.
> I suppose I will use the coward's method and shoot an
> excessive quantity of film in a variety of ways. The
> auto-bracketing will get a workout. Sorry about the
> long post, and thanks in advance for any tips.
Autobracketing shmautobracketing! The shot you want will come and go,
and you'll have two extra frames of nothing. Using a spot meter or
setting your exposure ahead of time will be just fine. Plus, if you're
shooting neg you have that latitude too. Burning lots of film is always
good, though. I often find that once I'm out of film I see one more
shot that would be just terrific, if only I had more film. This happens
also after I've seen one more shot, broken out the emergency extra roll
and used it all up...then I see ANOTHER shot...and so on.
Hey, good luck, and let us know how it goes!
-Aaron
p.s. here's a shot that's Ilford Delta 3200 pushed to 6400 using the
200mm f2.8 wide open at 1/60 on a monopod:
http://www.aeforge.com/portfolio/a_reynolds/content/Bobby/Bobby.jpg
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