Taking cameras to show

[amitface]

So I'm seeing Mute Math this weekend, and I'd like to get some pictures. I'm completely new at this..

I have a basic Sony digital camera. I will not use flash, because that can piss off both the band and the audience.

Any advice?

This was the most vague thread in the world and I probably come off as an idiot haha, but oh well.

[evasivetear]

well...i taped vedera and them when they came to boston

and lots of people had cameras, with flash, at the show

i'm pretty sure they're completely fine with it.....the venue is the only thing i'd worry about. find out if they allow cameras and if they do, you're set.

[Gnomad]

Just bring it in. Most small clubs never check. I always bring a camera to a show, nobody gets bothered by it. Besides, the only cameras they get all pissy about are video cameras. If you just want some pictures, they're not going to kill you for it.

[evasivetear]

the only time i had a problem bringing my camera to a show was when i went to see dredg when they were touring with coheed this last year.....coheed's managment apparently got lots of sand in their collective asses and wouldn't allow any sort of digital cameras into the show...

[zah]

The only problem with never using flash is that most (if not all...) of your pictures will come out dark and/or blurry. Venue lighting makes it pretty impossible to take clear and bright color photos. I've taken my camera to a few different shows, and even when I'm up front somewhere (first few "rows" of people), the non-flash pictures came out crappy. Sometimes those types of photos come out really neat though, but that's only if you do it intentionally. Heh. Just don't expect nice quality shots with no flash.

I understand your concern about pissing off the band (but fuck the audience - as long as you're not being an obnoxious asshole, they can shut up), but if they didn't want flashes going off during a show, they'd ask for NO CAMERAS beforehand. If you're not going to be snapping consecutive photos, using flash once in a while should be fine. It's not like you're holding the camera right in front of the band members' faces.

Added after 2 minutes:

By the way, I have a Sony Cyber-shot w/ 4.1 Mega-pixels.

[evasivetear]

i highly doubt the flashes affect them that much.....i mean...they usually have their own lights flashing around them just as much, and the stage lights blaring down on them, they can barely see the crowd half the time....so...adding a flash to that **might** almost not even be noticable

[rhurja]

the only time i had a problem bringing my camera to a show was when i went to see dredg when they were touring with coheed this last year.....coheed's managment apparently got lots of sand in their collective asses and wouldn't allow any sort of digital cameras into the show...

Yeah, I had a similar experience, I had to jump through hoops in order to photograph a recent C&C show.. It's important to remember though that it's not always down to the band, a lot of the time the restrictions come in from the venue, or the promoter, or even the security staff who mightn't be fully briefed about what's allowed and what's not..

amitface, if you don't use flash you won't attract attention to yourself, and you should be able to shoot through the whole set..

[zah]

i highly doubt the flashes affect them that much.....i mean...they usually have their own lights flashing around them just as much, and the stage lights blaring down on them, they can barely see the crowd half the time....so...adding a flash to that **might** almost not even be noticable

Right, I agree. The only times I have seen or heard about band members getting peeved by it is when the guy is lurking around the front, CONSTANTLY snapping photos with the flash. And a lot of times, this is the same guy that's got some state-of-the-art camera and an extra flash to boot. So, really, don't worry about it. I highly doubt it's gonna piss anyone off unless you're obnoxious about it.

[evasivetear]

Yeah, I had a similar experience, I had to jump through hoops in order to photograph a recent C&C show.. It's important to remember though that it's not always down to the band, a lot of the time the restrictions come in from the venue, or the promoter, or even the security staff who mightn't be fully briefed about what's allowed and what's not..

amitface, if you don't use flash you won't attract attention to yourself, and you should be able to shoot through the whole set..

on that tour it was coheed's managmen that was being the dicks...fact

i can only assume it was due to the fact that they were trying to sell a live dvd...and who's going to buy a live dvd if they can take their own photos/video of the show?

it makes sense to me....just too bad that they wouldn't let me in with my camera, even though it wasn't a video camera

[amitface]

Wow, way more replies than I expected.

zah: I have a Sony Cybershot, but 3.2. I guess I'll see how the lighting is inside before I make my decision.

As for the venue, on Ticketmaster, it says:

Items not allowed: Weapons.

And that's it, so I'm not worried about bringing it in.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Hopefully the pics turn out nicely and I can share when I get back.

[rhurja]

on that tour it was coheed's managmen that was being the dicks...fact

i can only assume it was due to the fact that they were trying to sell a live dvd...and who's going to buy a live dvd if they can take their own photos/video of the show?

it makes sense to me....just too bad that they wouldn't let me in with my camera, even though it wasn't a video camera

Yeah, I can imagine that happening alright.. With taking photographs at shows, I've had more bad experiences than good. One of the nice exceptions was dredg, I'm glad to say..

[BuddyGoodness]

I never tried bringing my camera, it is pretty big though. Fujipix S9000

[hooBus2]

I never tried bringing my camera, it is pretty big though. Fujipix S9000

Mmmm, that's the camera I'm looking to upgrade to. I have an F700 and really enjoy it. But the sheer power and versatility in the 9000 is outstanding when comparing, since it has more of a professional quality. That wide angle lense is also sucking me in more. Anyways, your thoughts ? Positives / negatives that you've experienced, etc.