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#1
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Advice for taking concert pics
I have a Nikon Coolpix 990 and am planning to take it to a 4-day outdoor
concert next week. I have used it in the past and have gotten great pictures during the daytime but once it gets dark, the quality goes way down. Most pictures are too dark. I'm not an expert on the camera but I do know how to adjust most of the settings. What settings would you suggest I try to adjust in order to capture better pictures with those conditions? My seats are in row 15 this year so I am really hoping to get some good pictures. Any advice is greatly appreciated. |
#2
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Advice for taking concert pics
taking pictures at a concert with a point and shoot camera is pretty much a
hit or miss deal. you really need a DSLR, shoot at around ISO800@60 - or better yet get a good spot meter "Jeff Marcum" wrote in message ... I have a Nikon Coolpix 990 and am planning to take it to a 4-day outdoor concert next week. I have used it in the past and have gotten great pictures during the daytime but once it gets dark, the quality goes way down. Most pictures are too dark. I'm not an expert on the camera but I do know how to adjust most of the settings. What settings would you suggest I try to adjust in order to capture better pictures with those conditions? My seats are in row 15 this year so I am really hoping to get some good pictures. Any advice is greatly appreciated. |
#3
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Advice for taking concert pics
"Jeff Marcum" wrote in message
... I have a Nikon Coolpix 990 and am planning to take it to a 4-day outdoor concert next week. I have used it in the past and have gotten great pictures during the daytime but once it gets dark, the quality goes way down. Most pictures are too dark. I'm not an expert on the camera but I do know how to adjust most of the settings. What settings would you suggest I try to adjust in order to capture better pictures with those conditions? My seats are in row 15 this year so I am really hoping to get some good pictures. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm by no means an expert, but I do go to my fair share of concerts, and I try to take pictures whenever they are allowed (and sometimes even when they aren't). The few tidbits of information I've written below don't always apply in every circumstance. Take LOTS of pictures. Use the flash if/when you can - yes it ruins the "natural" lighting, but then at least the picture will have a good chance of coming out sharp. Also use stage lighting to your advantage; usually you can time the lighting choreography, as they will use the same sequence through the chorus or the first/second verses of the song (in this case, it also helps to be familiar with the artist/song), so on the brighter lighting sequences it's possible to take very good pictures without the flash. Knowing the venue also helps sometimes. And probably more important than any of the above - get as close as you can. Sometimes it's possible (even if you're on the 15th row on a reserved seating concert) to leave your seat for a short moment and make your way near the stage to take a few close-up shots. Taking a good picture is a no-brainer when you're 10-20 feet from the stage. Then you don't have to rely on constantly using maximum optical zoom and longer focal ratios. As far as settings go, try manually experimenting with different shutter speeds and see how low you can go while still being able to take a picture that is sharp enough for your needs. Most consumer digicams have very high noise levels at higher ISO settings, so don't usually like manually setting it any higher than ISO 200. But that's something you can try out as well. If you don't mind a bit of post-processing, you can do wonders with Photoshop/Elements i.e. USM, Neat-image. hth, Terence --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.688 / Virus Database: 449 - Release Date: 18/05/04 |
#4
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Advice for taking concert pics
Great tips. Thanks for sharing
"Terence Gui" wrote in message m... "Jeff Marcum" wrote in message ... I have a Nikon Coolpix 990 and am planning to take it to a 4-day outdoor concert next week. I have used it in the past and have gotten great pictures during the daytime but once it gets dark, the quality goes way down. Most pictures are too dark. I'm not an expert on the camera but I do know how to adjust most of the settings. What settings would you suggest I try to adjust in order to capture better pictures with those conditions? My seats are in row 15 this year so I am really hoping to get some good pictures. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm by no means an expert, but I do go to my fair share of concerts, and I try to take pictures whenever they are allowed (and sometimes even when they aren't). The few tidbits of information I've written below don't always apply in every circumstance. Take LOTS of pictures. Use the flash if/when you can - yes it ruins the "natural" lighting, but then at least the picture will have a good chance of coming out sharp. Also use stage lighting to your advantage; usually you can time the lighting choreography, as they will use the same sequence through the chorus or the first/second verses of the song (in this case, it also helps to be familiar with the artist/song), so on the brighter lighting sequences it's possible to take very good pictures without the flash. Knowing the venue also helps sometimes. And probably more important than any of the above - get as close as you can. Sometimes it's possible (even if you're on the 15th row on a reserved seating concert) to leave your seat for a short moment and make your way near the stage to take a few close-up shots. Taking a good picture is a no-brainer when you're 10-20 feet from the stage. Then you don't have to rely on constantly using maximum optical zoom and longer focal ratios. As far as settings go, try manually experimenting with different shutter speeds and see how low you can go while still being able to take a picture that is sharp enough for your needs. Most consumer digicams have very high noise levels at higher ISO settings, so don't usually like manually setting it any higher than ISO 200. But that's something you can try out as well. If you don't mind a bit of post-processing, you can do wonders with Photoshop/Elements i.e. USM, Neat-image. hth, Terence --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.688 / Virus Database: 449 - Release Date: 18/05/04 |
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