Someone asked me this while I was shooting the Atlantis Music Festival. He was concerned about the fact that I did not have a flash on my camera. This is true. I saw a lot of photographers and every one of them had flash on their camera. I shot most of this show with my 50mm 1.4 Nikon lens and no flash. I shot wide open at the highest ISO I could so I could get as fast a shutter speed as I could. I had a lot of shots that worked and a lot of shots that could have used some flash. So, do I know what I am doing? I really haven't a clue. I do what I like and I am fortunate enough that I do not rely on someone buying my photographs although I wouldn't mind if someone did.
I post this example because a flash on my camera would have reduced the wonderful pink tones in the guitar player's hair. The pink is from the lights and her hair is perfectly blond. What a great effect and we just need to know how to look for it. I think that in clubs like this we are fortunate to have all of this wonderful directed light often of beautiful colors.
Neither approach is right or wrong. With everyone doing the same thing, sometimes it pays to do something different.
2 comments:
Two great points there Steve - the light is usually a big part of the atmosphere in a place - shooting with flash brings your own atmosphere and you can lose something in the process. I love the style you are shooting these in - wide open, high ISO. You'll be buying a D3 to get the ISO 6400 soon ;)
Doing the opposite of everyone else is always an interesting tack too - particularly like you said as you aren't trying to please a market. I like to hear what people tell me how something 'should' be done and use that as a key to try to it that way and also the 'shouldn't' way as well.
the pink is great too - something else to try is shooting them in the 'wrong' white balance too.
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