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AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 65
ABOVE
Anthony Takataka, DC Academy,
Sydney. Nikon D610, 80-200mm lens,
1/400s @ f/2.8, ISO 5000. Shot in
RAW, very little image manipulation,
sharpening and noise softening.
Photo by Philippe Penel.OPPOSITE
Artist Emma Phillips, photographed
in studio. “I used one large soft box
at camera left,” says photographer
Philippe Penel. Nikon D610,
24-70mm f/2.8 lens @ 35mm, 1/250s
@ f/18, ISO 250. Shot in RAW,
medium image manipulation,
sharpening and noise softening,
removal of skin blemishes.therefore having the effect of slowing the movement down,”
says Herzfeld. “If you use a wide angle and you’re sitting in
the front row, you have to pan the camera much further and
more quickly to follow the same movement.” He recommends
enthusiasts don’t use filters for any reason because “you don’t
want anything in front of the lens to hamper the light struggling
to get through”.
Roenfeldt ref lects that the biggest mistake novice performance
photographers make (and he confesses to being guilty of it at the
start) is being “trigger happy”. Take your time, he counsels, have
your camera at the ready, look for the right moment and then
take your shot. For rock performances, you need a camera where
you feel in easy control of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.
Shoot no slower than 1/200s for live music situations, he says.
A high shutter speed is the key to capturing an artist in a fast
movement shot. The aperture he normally works with ranges
between f/2.8 and f/3.5, and he sets the ISO accordingly.
The faster the lens the better, especially when you start out,
because you’ll be shooting smaller shows where the lighting and
the ambience changes continuously. A 50mm f/1.8 is a good
lens to begin with, being relatively inexpensive, but good in low
light. “As much as you may want to use f lash, do not use it in
live performances,” he says. “It’s distracting, it ruins the vibe
of the show, and the capture is not true to the show itself. Find
ways to make the show’s lighting work for you.” If he’s shooting
with f/2.8 at 1/200s and the image is still dark, he will bump
up the ISO rating. Don’t be afraid of some noise in the photos
if it means you can shoot with a higher shutter speed, he says.
Roenfeldt always uses evaluative metering and shoots in burst
mode, especially for moments such as a jumping shot, where he
can snap action in progress.
Etiquette
In a darkened theatre you obviously want to avoid blazing away
with f lash, but you should also turn off infrared. Be respectful
to the performers and the artistic team in general, Herzfeld