Photographing Concerts: Getting Into the Flow

There's a rush that comes with photographing performers. In the heat of the moment, your adrenalin is pumping. The music gets into your soul and the dance begins. Your eyes are constantly scanning the club, you're watching lines of other photographers/videographers, and you're ducking/maneuvering to avoid being in the shot while getting "the shot."

When you have the luxury of getting to shoot for more than 3 songs, you're able to quickly evaluate the shots to make sure everything's working for you. As the note from the last song fades, you pack up your gear and swap stories with the rest of the team. It's amazing getting to see the angles/shots that others get and that you've gotten.

Last night I had two options - my Canon 30D outfitted with my 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens and my Canon 5D outfitted with my 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM lens. I wasn't happy with the images I was getting from the Canon 5D setup so I traded the lens and put the extra camera body/lens away. While the exposures were ok, the sharpness wasn't what I wanted. I'm glad I came prepared and was able to switch. Some shots from last night's performance of Jake Morgan's band are live. (Ran out of scratch space on my hard drive - have to do some cleaning.)

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.