The Secret to Concert Photography

In the few years I have been doing photography, the overwhelming majority of the people who are ever aware that I take photographs only know it because of concert photography. From what I have witnessed, taking concert photographs usually yields one of two category of responses. Because most people have tried taking pictures at a concert with a point and shoot or a phone, they know what a normal old photo looks like as opposed to one taken by an amateur or professional. Consequently, you have a large portion of people who are astounded at the photography because they compare your photos to the ones you took. There's a great deal of excitement and appreciation for the photos. The other group have the mindset of "yeah, it's all the camera". The truth about concert photography lies in the middle. So, if it isn't all either in the technology or being extraordinarily talented, what's the secret? What's the one thing that is most important? Is it how you set your camera? Your gear choice? Reflexes? Photography knowledge?

The secret is to be fearless, to know you are going to fail and continue to shoot anyway. I know, kind of a lame answer, right? How is this any different than other photography? Isn't practice and trying different things important for all photography? Here's why it's different: in concert photography, you are guaranteed to take bad photos. It's inevitable. No, not every non-concert photo you take is going to be good, but you are going to have so many more passable shots. After a concert, you are looking at a good sized number of photos that simply aren't worthwhile. The proportion of bad photos to good photos is so much larger than most other types of photography, and that ratio is even worse when you are first starting out. As such, it's possibly the easiest type of photography to be discouraged about. THAT is why the persistence is important. You have to accept the psychological beating that the bad photos deliver and keep going. Are all the other elements of photography important? Yes, but the fear of failure is something that works its way into your performance.

What outcome can this lack of confidence yield? Well, you don't want to continue to take bad pictures, so you start to think too much. Maybe you think that you need to take fewer, better photos. In general that is a good thing, but when you are starting out, it isn't so simple, and the end result is just taking fewer photos, which leads to fewer good photos and even more frustration. You spend more time fiddling with settings on the camera and less with your eye on the stage. You wait for the lighting to change and then you miss. You keep focused on a given area and the singer doesn't return to that focal range. Any number of things happen that keep you from getting a shot. An imperfect shot is better than no shot at all. At the very worst, it's a bad shot, you delete it, and you have zero pictures, just as if you didn't take the shot. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Perhaps there are other important topics to go over, but those will be for another day. The instant I start talking about other important elements to concert photography, the most important element discussed above loses some of its significance, relatively speaking. The fearless attitude is the one thing people should take away. Go out there, take pictures, move around with confidence, and act like you are taking some great shots. A positive attitude can go a long way, and if nothing else, it will make you look less mopey while at the show.