Usually, larger acts equals quality lighting. Not in this case. Not only was the venue poorly lit, but there was a constant red glow on the performers. Add to that, the stage was about 5 1/2 feet high with the entire front portion lined with speakers that stood about 1 foot. Getting anything other than a waist up shot was difficult to say the least. All in all, this may have been the toughest show I’ve shot yet. At the same time, difficult lighting and a challenging stage setup make nailing that quality shot that much more fun.

About the gig:

I used the 24-70mm lens for all 4 performers, cranked the ISO up to 1600 and shot wide open at f/2.8. At times, I had my shutter speed down to 1/80 sec, which is usually waaay below what I normally shoot at, but I had no choice. I tried to time my shots when the red lights were turned off or when a shot of white light was added to the stage. A D300, D700 or D3 would be so nice in environments like this.