Rock the Night Away

Light Meter by Lisa K. Berton

Who doesn’t love a live concert! Something that Disneyland does extremely well is to bring in local bands to perform in Tomorrowland. They all cover popular songs that you’ve heard on the radio since the dawn of rock ‘n roll. Each band has their own set of fans and you’ll find them along with everyone else dancing and singing along.

Have you ever tried to photograph a concert with a point and shoot camera? It’s not very easy because the lens doesn’t focus fast enough and there is a slight delay from the time you depress the shutter button until the image is recorded. In the end the result is usually a blur.

Here are a few tips to help you get better shots.

Get close
If you’re allowed to walk right up to the stage, do it. The closer you are to the action the greater your chances are for a clean shot.

Don’t use a flash
If the band is decently lit with spotlights from the front and the colored gels are behind him/her try shooting without the flash. The result is a more dramatic image with colored rim lighting.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS, Manual control 1/60, f4, ISO 800, no flash

Wait
Timing is everything and you’ll need to anticipate what’s going to happen. When the musician stops hopping about and calms down, grab the moment. Slow down the shutter a bit if you have manual controls to allow more light in through the lens. If you’re on Auto the camera will make decisions for you and there’s only a 50/50 chance that it’ll get it right.

Crank up the ISO
It’s true that when you boost the ISO (film speed) the photo will have noise (rougher looking than film grain) but you can fix some of it in post production. A faster ISO makes shooting faster in low light.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS Shutterspeed Priority 1/60, f3.5, ISO 800, no flash

These photos are of the band Sandbox.

October 18th marks the annual CHOC/Disneyland Walk in the Park, a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital of Orange County. I’ll be taking part for the third time in this fantastic fundraiser. CHOC treats every patient regardless of the family’s ability to pay. These are kids who may require regular treatment, testing, and medication. Please consider supporting me as I walk. Any amount you can contribute makes a difference. Thank you. Click here to donate. If you’d like to walk and join my friends and I, select Team Fairy Godmothers when you sign-up and then drop me a note.