Live Performance Photography Inspiration by D.M.Paulen

Rogue Inspo | Lights, Color, Rock & roll

9/9/2017

Live Concert Photography Inspo

by Rogue Photography.x | D.M.Paulsen

The story of Rogue Photography started with a bit of rock n' roll. Born a creative through and through, I also took to playing guitar as a form of expression. I was enamored with energy of rock n' roll culture.

So when I picked up my first DSLR (Nikon D3000 to be exact) I naturally wanted to explore a world I loved through a new scope and perspective. The benefit of this was my immediate exposure to low light photography. It definitely proved a challenge, but through repetition and getting to know the limits of my camera in different venues, I was able to soon capture some great moments.

I would later put my passions to use by taking these photos for Tunage Magazine -- an independent online music digest for up and coming artists managed by myself and a group of creative peers. When Tunage Magazine was in its prime, we would share bi-weekly updates on local musicians and artists that brought the Southern California rock n' roll scene to life.

I also would photograph for The Daily Titan during my college years in CSUF. This gave me the incredible opportunity to meet some of the most creative minds I've come to admire as a musician.

Things I learned While Photographing
Live Shows:

It's all about the subject. A performer that emotes is going to give you an impactful image. If the lead singer is more mellow, seek out some great moments from the spunky bass player!
Venue lighting can make or break you.
A venue with colorful lighting makes it easier for you to do your job -- paint an image of the evening's energy.
Bring the lens with the best aperture range and expect to bump up your ISO (try not to go any higher than 800, or you'll start seeing noise in your photos). However, no matter how "casual" you expect the performance to be -- leave your tripod at home. Out of respect to the audience and other photographers, you don't want to be that one guy who is hogging up all of the space.
Try playing with the angles of the instruments. I know it can be hard to move around at times, but I highly recommend exploring angles with the means that you do have. It's easy to start feeling like your composition is getting stale with the same guitar poses. Using a lens that can zoom past 200mm is really helpful for this. Remember; you can also get creative with composition during post.