Packed!

I was originally going to leave this one out, however after flicking through the images I thought it might be worthwhile showing you guys the diversity of my work, and hopefully some useful tips for shooting in a busy environment. As suggested by the title, this post is about photography in packed venues.

As a Music Performance photographer, I enjoy whacking the Telephoto lens on and catching those expressive shots of the artist on stage. But there are just some things that throw a spanner in the works, for example, what is the artist isn’t on a stage? Or if there is nowhere to shoot from without the audience being in front of the camera?

There are a few things that can work, depending on the mood of the subject, however if this is the situation you may not have much of a choice.

So to point out the obvious, if the artist is not above the crowd (not on a stage), then try to fight your way the front, as a photographer it is also easier to gain a pathway in busy venues. Make sure you HOLD THE CAMERA ABOVE YOUR HEAD when relocating, this not only means everyone can see your the photographer and generally clear a much less resistant path, but it also means you won't get a drink spilled on your camera or bump into people with your kit.

So health and safety speech over, what can you do to get that shot, should you be unable to get to the front.

Let me take you back to an event I covered a few months ago. This event was a Hip Hop night. As you can imagine, the Hip Hop night attracts a colossal crowd of disorderly delinquents.

The first technique I use is called "f*ck it", it's a great attitude to have, instead of getting worked up about how I am going to do it, I just don’t worry and snap away. We all strive for that crystal clear shot, however, sometimes breaking the norm can open up new barriers and get you thinking again.

Remember the venue I mentioned in a previous post, the dark one that made life hard work...well this Hip Hop night was at this venue. So dark and hard to shoot venue, with a packed crowd...technique 1 indeed.

Technique 2, a difficult one, relying on not only your skills as a photographer and opportunist, but other people too....Luck to put it simply. This technique is just composing the shot of the artist, regardless of all the people in the way, and then waiting for a clear path. A completely clear frame is a rarity, however with some quick reactions and cropping, this technique can be surprisingly effective.  

The last technique, that I can think of, is raising the camera above everyone else. I have used this technique so many times, and had great success. The issue with this technique is it is blind. I never use live view on this technique, so I have learnt to fire with fair accuracy. With a wide angle lens, this technique can have a nice appearance, and add feel to the busy scene.   

If you have any questions or would like to ask something, please email me at ajthomasphotography@live.com

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