Kirstiekins Blogs: Concert photography

I have always enjoyed photography - from a small age I much preferred being behind the camera rather than in front of it. However, although I enjoyed it, I never really thought I was any good at it, I did it for fun, as a hobby, something to do! It wasn't until I started using my photos within my art coursework a few years ago, that someone said to me 'hey, have you ever thought about doing this professionally?' and although, the thought sat and festered in my mind for a few years, I never really wanted to pursue it. I have shot a few family weddings, parties/events for some friends and a few society things at uni, but nothing that has made me want to devote a large amount of my time to photography - that was until I discovered concert photography.

Last Monday I went to see Christina Perri, and discovered the lapse rules the KoKo have about DSLR cameras. Most venues prohibit fans from bringing them in, unless you have a press pass, but just in the brief moment I discovered this, I counted six or seven people around me with DSLR'S that had much bigger lenses than my 75-300mm. It was at that point I decided, I would bring mine with me on the Wednesday when I saw Tonight Alive at the same venue.

After about an hour of debating myself, I packed my camera into my bag and headed to the venue. The security people didn't even bat an eye lid at it when they checked my bag, and after finding a good spot, and messing around with the settings, I was ready to attempt my first lot of concert photography.

In all honesty, figuring out the settings was the hardest part of the evening. Shooting under red light is hard. Shooting with strobe lights, is hard. Shooting in really dark conditions, isn't so hard, BUT it's harder with all of the above, and people bashing you about every two seconds. It's also hard, when you have left your bad ass 75-300mm lens at home - but I made do with what I had and what I knew, and I couldn't be more happier with how the photo's turned out.

The whole experience has made me rethink my earlier views on taking on photography professionally. Obviously I still need a lot of practice, but I really enjoyed doing it, and I want to do it again soon. It may have helped that the band I was shooting - Tonight Alive, are one of my favourite bands, and I had some weird adrenalin going on, because I had gone on my own, something i never would have done before, so yay me for that.

Anyway, I know they're kinda shit, but I'm proud of these photos. New possible careers for Kirstie, woo!

The Summer Set were a great support act. I can't remember if I had heard any of their music prior to the gig, but I have youtubed them since, and they aren't too shabby! You should check them out!