says. If you’re there to do a job, particularly in dance, it’s
incredibly dangerous for the dancers if you get in their way.
If you cause an injury to a dancer you are likely to never work
in that theatre again!
When Herzfeld shoots with an audience in the theatre he’ll
organise for a few seats to be left free around him so he doesn’t
discomfort the paying public. In those circumstances, he says
he uses his D3S because it has a silent mode, and most festivals
and theatres will request it. When you go to a theatre, make sure
you know who is who and who controls what – for instance, stage
managers, or company managers.
Penel adds that most theatres prohibit the shooting of
performances except for professional photographers when they
are hired by the studio or theatre. When there are children
involved you’ll also need a “working with children” certificate.
Roenfeldt notes rock music concert photography is a lot
different from any other style in terms of the permissions and
authorisations you may need to obtain. Most venues will not
let you just bring in an SLR camera. Local bands appreciate
getting images of their performances, so contact them. For
bigger shows you will need to be shooting for a publication or
for the band themselves. He says novices will have to sign photo
release forms which might state they can only use their images
for a certain publication at a certain time. He cautions, “Some
release forms are ridiculous and basically you give up all your
rights to the photo.” Make sure you read any contracts carefully
before you sign them. And remember, you’re there to document
the performance, but don’t get in the way of fans who have paid
good money to see their favourite bands perform. ❂66 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015
EXPERT TIPS Shooting Live Performances
ABOVE
Bert McCracken of
The Used. Canon
5D Mk III, 16-35mm
f/2.8 lens @ 16mm,
1/320s @ f/2.8,
ISO 1600. Photo by
Sammy Roenfeldt.
RIGHT
“I used one flash
head with a grid
at camera left,”
says photographer
Philippe Penel.
“This image was
taken as part of a
series for a band
and they were after
a very stylistic look
in black and white.
I asked the player
to start playing
to avoid getting a
look that was too
staged.”
Fujifilm S2, 24-
70mm f/2.8 lens,
1/125s @ f/11,
ISO 100. Black
background. Shot
in RAW, medium
image manipulation,
sharpening.