If you are an adventurous shooter, like myself, you may want to push the envelope a little. Just as the sun goes below the horizon (and just before it comes up) there is a supreme 15–30 minutes of light that is extremely soft, yet surprisingly vivid. If you are someone who has an affinity for shooting automobiles this is an especially important time of day for you. When white balanced properly, you can make a great after sunset shot look like it was produced in the studio. Even though this light is amazing, there generally isn’t a lot of it so make sure you practice a little self discipline and bring your tripod.

The following image was produced by George Menge. Capture was as the sun was going below the horizon on a slightly overcast day. ƒ8, 1 second, ISO 100, Nikon D80, Erie Canal Guard Gate 2, Waterford NY.

Our specific example is on a slightly overcast day resulting in extremely soft shadows. On a sunny day the light will be golden yellow with very long shadows. The light at this time of day is always more diffuse. Highlights on automobiles are always much more pleasing during these hours.

Special note: It has come to my attention that the tugboat pictured here, Frances Turecamo, as well as the barge it tows are both in severe jeopardy. The tug and its barge are nothing short of historical landmarks and need help to be protected. The article was brought to my attention by Fred of Tug 44, an independent niche documentary photographer and tugboat enthusiast.

Happy Shooting!

Image © George Menge

Let us first take a look at some of the factors that make this so difficult.

1. At this time, no venue that I have been to, allows you to use a flash.
2. The light is constantly changing.
3. Most venues only allow you to shoot for the first three songs.
4. Musicians move fast, and you have no light for high shutter speeds.
5. Usually you are stuck in the pit, dealing with screaming, flailing crowds.
6. There is no time to think about your shot.
7. Timing is key, you have to be on the trigger as the musicians pause their motion.

No flash means a high ISO speed and low shutter speed to compensate, usually 800 or 1600 (CCD sensor cameras don’t do well with high ISO speeds) and a grainy final product. The odds are, with the current technology, you wont be making posters or double page spreads out of concert images.

If you use an automatic mode you will severely decrease you chances of getting the shot you want, so I highly suggest working in manual. The automatic modes adjust their settings for every shot you take and with the light changing (sometimes every second) your exposure settings will change as well. For example, if the singer has a tungsten spotlight on him that suddenly switches to a color, and the lights behind him come on, your camera will instantly try to correct the exposure of the subject by adjusting to a longer shutter speed. This will highly over expose the background lighting and create motion blur of the subject… and you just lost your shot.

When a photographer has just three songs to complete the assignment, he or she has to determine the exposure as fast as possible. In order to freeze the motion of the show, I will usually start with a base of ISO 800, ƒ3.5, and 1/200th of a second. At The House Of Blues in Las Vegas for The Great Pit Ball benefit concert, the camera was struggling. One would think a venue like The House Of Blues would have better lighting, but it just doesn’t. (which doesn’t matter if your just there to see the show). During the show my settings were ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, and 1/60th of a second (with image stabilization on).

White balance, the other concert nightmare. Behind all of those fancy colored filters is either white or tungsten light. In my experience some cool results have come from shooting in daylight mode under these tungsten lamps, however most stage lamps are of tungsten balance. Always use either the tungsten or daylight setting for consistency, you can always tweak the RAW file later and synchronize the rest.

Once you have an acceptable shutter speed and white balance, bring your discipline to the table and get ready to rock. The hardest part is capturing the moment where the musicians aren’t moving, this moment lasts only fractions of a second, and you have to predict it. (Hint: Some of the best shots come from high points in the song where the singer is carrying a long note.)

This is the only situation where I will work my fingers to death changing which focus point I use. Since my subjects are in constant motion, the focus mode of the 1Ds Mark III is set to AI Servo. Your drive mode should be set to the fastest frame rate possible (5 fps in my case), if you have a gentle enough touch, you can take one shot at a time in this mode anyway. Compose, wait for the moment, depress the shutter and hold until you think you have the shot. Do not look at your LCD after you have a good exposure number, you don’t have time for that, recompose and go for the next moment. By the time you are here… the first song is over, two songs left to get the shot you want.

There is no using a tripod or monopod in larger venues, time to turn yourself into a monument of steadiness. Chances are, if your like me, you are breaking the hell out of the “shutter speed rule of thumb” at this point. Steady yourself, put your dominant foot forward, lean against something, lock one of your elbows, ANYTHING to make your body more steady. If you are close enough to the stage, rest your camera or lens on something and fire like crazy.

In some smaller venues, you may be allowed to use a tripod or a monopod but considering the motion of your subjects you will still have to be conscious of your timing. For film, experiment with high ISO films to see what you like, Ilford Delta 3200 for example. Shoot sharp and have fun.

Happy shooting!

The basis of this article is to educate amateur photographers on how to make a model more comfortable in front of a camera, and with you. Most of this is common sense if you are a respectable human, but the scumbag GWC’s out there don’t have a clue, and will more than likely ignore this anyway.

Our purpose is to enlighten you on ways to make your shoot better before the model even shows up, and keep the momentum going throughout the shoot. These techniques are especially helpful for models you have never worked with before.

1. Look like a professional.
   This does not mean you have to dry clean your suit so relax. You should, however, have everything set up and ready to go when your model gets there, you wont distract her by fumbling with light stands while she gets dressed.
2. On the subject of escorts.
   This seems to be a touchy subject for a great number of models and photographers. One thing models need to be aware of, if a photographer had killed or attacked someone in the past, you would have heard about it, if you want to bring an escort do it, just don’t bring a man. I don’t care if you think he will be okay, or if you think you will be okay with him there, you won’t. Men are judgmental, and you will have in your mind that he is looking at you, judging you while you are modeling. As if that wasn’t enough, you will always look at him to see if he is judging you. Bring a girlfriend if you have to have an escort, or the shots will turn out like crap. If for some strange reason you MUST bring your boyfriend, bring him in so he knows where you are and introduce him to the photographer, and then send him on his way until you are done. 99.9% of shoots with amateur models that have a male escort present, are failures.
3. Music.
   I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! Music is the key component to making a model relax (it can help you as well). Usually I try to ask the model ahead of time what kind of music she likes the most, (some will tell you “everything” but try to narrow it down.), and set up a playlist that follows that genre. If you are feeling ambitious, and have half a brain, you can control the ambiance and direction of the whole shoot with the right playlist. It doesnt matter if you have to bring an ipod and some cheap speakers, or open a car door. Don’t shoot without music, ever.
4. Don’t be a jerk.
   So… You think you’re God’s gift to photography? Sorry my friend, if that were the case you wouldn’t be shooting amateur models without pay. None of us are God’s gift to anything, and we all have something to learn from each other. The model does not care about the snowplow that buried your mailbox, or that your puppy had to potty on your shoes, leave the attitude at home.
5. Don’t hit on your models.
   Chemistry does happen, and we all make mistakes, but to maintain a professional atmosphere it must be controlled. You cannot make advances at models, ever. If you have a working relationship with a model, and it gets personal, the best course of action is to terminate the working relationship. “But what if she hits on me?” Fine, decide which relationship you want to sacrifice.

Whatever you do, be professional and protect your reputation, some days its all you have to count on. Stay safe, have fun and… Happy Shooting!