A little help with concert photos

[-ST-]

I posted this in another thread, but since I'm looking for some help and input, I'm quoting it in here.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, observations, and suggestions.

This is from a recent community jam concert (one in a series) that I'm running. I could really use your help with these photos.

1. Do you have any suggestions (technical or other)?
2. Do any of these evoke an emotional response when you look at them?
3. Should I be working (harder) to correct for the multicoloured LED stage lighting? Or is it okay to keep the weird colours because they are part of the environment (musicians on stage)?
4. I'm using the FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II so I can get these shots from a distance (and crop deep) to get these environmental portraits. Should I be using my FE 50mm F1.2 GM or 16-35 F4? I haven't wanted to get right up in the performers' faces.

Sorry for the double post.

Lindsay

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 4000

Cynthia and Philly

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 3200

Philly

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 173.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 5000

Mark

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 3200

Alice

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 3200

Suzanne

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 5000

Bubba & Danielle

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 3200

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I liked the post before, but didn't comment. The shots are fine, what are you unsure/unhappy with?

My two cents: the solo shots are the better results (example: Lindsay, Philly) because the difference in lighting sometimes makes the two people in frame a different exposure or color temp (Cynthia & Philly, Bubba & Danielle) and its distracting... except where it actually helped to isolate a single artist (Alice). I guess that's a round about way of saying I liked the tighter crops?

 

[Richard A]

I think these are pretty good to be honest. I wouldn't be trying to change the light. In mixed coloured lighting like this you could play with it forever but anyway I think it looks fine. That's how it was at the time you took the photos. I think I would be sticking with the 70-200 for most of your shots. The only other comment I would make is that I think the 1st shot (Lindsay) and the 3rd shot (Philly) are a bit too tightly cropped for my tastes.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

They are super pics. I'm amazed that you are getting such nice results at 1/80. I seem to remember old photo lessons about 1/60 being enough to capture a little movement, but... it doesn't! I aim for 1/250th. But then that loses the nice touches like the motion blur of a hand.

For colour temperature and skin tones, i try to balance actual complexions with ambience. If I can't manage actual, i aim for realistic/complimentary. On that basis I would warm up the very cold skin colours in your pics.

They are all lovely. The double-bass player, among the captured moments, is wonderful.

Supporting music and organising events: a great work. Salutations

 

[-ST-]

Thanks for all the feedback. You've given me a lot to think about.

I liked the post before, but didn't comment. The shots are fine, what are you unsure/unhappy with?

My two cents: the solo shots are the better results (example: Lindsay, Philly) because the difference in lighting sometimes makes the two people in frame a different exposure or color temp (Cynthia & Philly, Bubba & Danielle) and its distracting... except where it actually helped to isolate a single artist (Alice). I guess that's a round about way of saying I liked the tighter crops?

There are ceiling pot lights (white) above the stage and three multi-coloured LED light strips facing the stage. They are not synchronized. So, I ended up with many shots that looked like this.
Mark is facing up toward the ceiling lights, and Russ is lit by the right LED light bar.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 2500

I could spend a lot of time masking and adjusting the white balance, but manipulating colours is tough and time-consuming work for me.
Do you think going to black and white is better? Of course, I wouldn't expect this to go over as well on social media, but I kind of like this.

Mark and Russ (B&W)

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 2500

I think these are pretty good to be honest.

Thank you.

I wouldn't be trying to change the light. In mixed coloured lighting like this you could play with it forever but anyway I think it looks fine. That's how it was at the time you took the photos.

I'm torn about this. For people who were there and saw the weird lighting, I think they'll be okay with the uncorrected images. For promoting the events to people who weren't there, I'm less confident about leaving the colours as the camera caught them. I shoot raw, so I'm not dealing with the camera's interpretation when saving as jpegs.

I think I would be sticking with the 70-200 for most of your shots. The only other comment I would make is that I think the 1st shot (Lindsay) and the 3rd shot (Philly) are a bit too tightly cropped for my tastes.

Could you say more about "a bit too tightly cropped"? Maybe I should be considering that in my wildlife photography. I lean toward filling the frame with my subject (especially with small birds).

Here are a couple more shots of Lindsay and Philly with more generous crops, showing with and without work on the colours.

Lindsay (no colour correction). I still had to crop fairly tightly to omit some distracting things in the frame.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 4000

Lindsay, after some work on the colours

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 4000

Philly (a wider crop), no colour correction

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 85.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/100 sec
• ISO 3200

Philly, after a little work on the colours

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 85.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/100 sec
• ISO 3200

They are super pics. I'm amazed that you are getting such nice results at 1/80. I seem to remember old photo lessons about 1/60 being enough to capture a little movement, but... it doesn't! I aim for 1/250th. But then that loses the nice touches like the motion blur of a hand.

Here are a couple more at 1/80 sec
Russ, getting caught up in the moment as ...

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 4000

Alice sings "Tiny Bubbles" in the background.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/80 sec
• ISO 5000

For colour temperature and skin tones, i try to balance actual complexions with ambience. If I can't manage actual, i aim for realistic/complimentary. On that basis I would warm up the very cold skin colours in your pics.

That's a lot to consider. Most of my photography is outdoors, and I don't spend any time on colour in post. This is a whole new world for me.

They are all lovely. The double-bass player, among the captured moments, is wonderful.

Mark, the double-bass player was a lot of fun. I was lucky to catch him in a moment of unbridled enthusiasm.

Supporting music and organising events: a great work. Salutations

This new music-related project is now competing for my photography time.

@AlphaWorld
Hey, Tony,
I have an A1 II on order, and I'm hoping it will do better at focusing in these low-light situations. I'm optimistic that the better IBIS (in-body stabilization) will make a difference. What do you think?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

The more photos I see, the more I can see how much fun the artists were having, kudos for capturing that. I can see you had your hands full with the weird lighting though. B&W was worth a try, maybe Jazz lovers might be in-tune with that aesthetic. On the solo shots of Phil and Lindsay I prefer the color corrected versions; it makes it so that the side LED colors were merely accents rather than overpowering.

 

[Richard A]

I do think the looser crops of Lindsay and Philly look better. The change of lighting on Lindsay looks pretty good but the one of Philly just looks weird to me now. You have introduced a really strange colour to his hat and shoulder. Bear in mind that I thought the lighting was ok initially though.