Gig Photography Talk & Discussion

Looking for slides for the talk I gave at Photocamp Leeds 2011? Click here to download as PDF (13MB).

In October 2010 I ran a session at Photocamp Bradford {2010} on live music (gig) photography which encompassed etiquette, equipment (both expensive and inexpensive), postprocessing, self-promotion, and common pitfalls and how to fix them. We didn't have enough time to cover everything and had to gloss over quite a bit of stuff - however it was a useful session for some of those who attended and many discussion points were raised. Also quite a few folks didn't come to it because of clashing session tracks, or just because they weren't at Photocamp in the first place.

With that in mind and after gauging interest, I have decided to repeat the session but combine it with Q&A and some hands-on experience if you want to bring your own laptop with Lightroom on and a few of your shots.

Who It's Aimed At

If you want to photograph gigs (signed or unsigned) in any size venue, want to pool ideas, learn new stuff, share tips and hints, and generally not be shy about participating, you'll probably get something out of it. It is an informal event aimed at amateur and semi-pro photographers; I will try not to make it too advanced and instead put things in layman's terms.

That said, if you already do this in a professional capacity you may still find you learn something ;)

Other Notes

• I am hoping to have a projector and screen there so I can demonstrate how I do stuff (such as mitigation of red saturation, etc.)
• This isn't going to be a 'training course', and the agenda/track of the session will change as required - if you have anything in particular you'd like covering, please note it below.

What You'll Need

• Pen and paper if you want to take notes.
• Photos: A couple of images on a memory stick or card, I'm going to have my own laptop there so we can troubleshoot a couple of delegate photos if we have time. This isn't an exhibition/showcase (yet!) so please don't worry about bringing stuff to show off, failed/bad photos to troubleshoot is a lot more fun :P
• Camera: there won't be any specific requirement to bring your camera but if you want to do so and maybe work out how to carry out particular functions then that's probably not a bad idea.
• Laptop/notebook/iPad: If you want to bring a laptop and your copy of Lightroom, Photoshop or what-have-you, it can be fun to fiddle with things while discussion is taking place. This will be hands-on, plenty of discussion!
• Moo Cards: I find events like this can be good for swapping contact details and making new acquaintances who do the same sort of thing, I carry some cards from Moo to swap which saves jotting down contact details.

Where/When/Cost? How Do I Sign Up?

One of the venues I photograph frequently has kindly allowed me to run this session (please support them by buying a Coke or two!). It will take place at:

The Hop, Bank Street, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. (Google Maps link)
Sunday 21st November 2010
4:30pm - 7pm
Under 18s are welcome but will be required to leave at 7pm. Children aren't, because they'll probably get bored.

Depending on hands-on demand it'll be fine overrunning, but this is how long I expect the 'main bulk' of the session will take.

There is no charge for this session! I am doing it because a lot of my friends have been getting into this aspect of photography and would be happy to help everyone. There are plenty of venues and gigs to go around, and I am perfectly happy to promote good gig photography etiquette.

Places are limited so you must pre-book, please. Although the venue will seat more people, I'd prefer to keep this to 15-20 places so first come first served (and please if you can't make it for whatever reason, I won't mind but do ask that you tell me in advance).

In the unlikely event that this becomes booked up quickly, I will keep a waiting list in case other attendees drop out.

More About My Photography

I am a semi-professional freelance photographer; it's not my main job. I use a variety of Canon kit but mostly my 5D Mark II and 50D, and a range of lenses.

I do a lot of gig photography: local and national music, theatre, concerts, live events. Most of my stuff appears on photos.jml.net and in the past I've photographed acts as diverse as Paleday, Franz Ferdinand, Jimmy Somerville, The Cribs, Mumford & Sons, Dolly Rockers, Scooch, East 17, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Tight Fit, ABC, Dr Feelgood, Chew Lips, Tom Robinson, John Cooper Clarke, Mark E Smith & The Fall, Pet Shop Boys, Eureka Machines, Dr Blue, ZZ Eliminator, Heather Small, Mike Read, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Runaround Kids, Rosie Doonan, Urban Strings, Telegram Sam, Jonny The Firth, Antonio Lulic, Shrood, Piskie Sits, Steve Lamacq, Urban Cookie Collective, Delorean Drivers, Paul Morricone, Shrood, Laura & The Tears, Royal Showdown, Vessels, and lots more.

I've done events including both 2009 and 2010 Pride London events under an official press pass, and you'll find my work appearing in regional and national publications such as The Independent, The Times, Wakefield Express and NME as well as local fanzines and music mags.

There are lots of examples of my work on photos.jml.net and my Flickr page.

 

 

 

 

© 2013 Joel Rowbottom