Live venues are not controllable environments for photographers. Shooting inside your own studio or taking indoor shots within a confined environment provides more control.

Not only can you set up your own lights and filters, you can “direct” your subjects to accurately capture the essence of any particular moment. Live venues will not afford you any such luxuries. Before shooting a live event, keep in mind the following:

image by Adrián Pérez

Research

Experience and get a feel for live performances, festivals, NYC Broadway musicals and stage plays before you attempt to photograph them professionally. Attend a few rehearsals and pay close attention. Take notes on where you should set up and what scenes would make for a striking photo. Think about how you would shoot the event that’s unfolding and pay close attention to staging.

Make an Outline

Be spontaneous and go with your gut, but have a contingency plan. Have an outline of your ultimate goal and follow some guidelines to make sure you walk away with some great shots.

JPG Magazine mapped out 10 tips that can help you stay on track and get the shots you want. These tips work for photographers at all levels, and you can tweak the list to fit your needs:

• Get close.
• Don’t stay in the middle.
• No flash.
• Shoot in shutter priority mode.
• Use center-weighted exposure measuring.
• Use manual white balance, the auto setting can over correct.
• Use manual focus, especially in dim lighting.
• Capture movement, don’t be afraid of a little blur.
• Shoot performers in action and at rest for balance and story telling.
• Shoot tons of images.

Challenges

Focus on lighting for various images and shots. Live events are typically lit so everyone in the venue can clearly see all aspects of the show. Determine light sources that are much brighter than you’re used to, and adjust camera settings accordingly to get the best possible shots. This is particularly important for concert photography.

For more intimate shows and performances, arrange a photo call to see a tech rehearsal of the entire show. Use this time to test lighting techniques. Also, become familiar with where certain lighting cues fall during the performance. Therefore you’ll know what to expect on the night of the show.

Live performances are in motion; you must prepare for “action shots” to capture the true essence of a particular moment. Your photos should tell a story without words. Capturing the wrong shot at the wrong moment could insult the most riveting live performance.

Live performances include one particular volatile element: a live audience. Live audiences can be unpredictable and interfere with quality shots.

Pay close attention to the colors that are on stage in front of you. Plays typically include a wide variety of different colors in both the sets and costumes. Make sure that you capture the look and feel of those colors as accurately as possible to help capture the spirit of what is unfolding.

Happy shooting!