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The school holiday concert; love it or hate it, we all experience it and every year there's a room full of parents, grandparents, and friends who are trying to capture the cuteness in a photo.
Speaking Of Holiday Concerts: Aren't We All Guilty Of This?
My guess is, though, that most of their pictures don't turn out as well as they planned.
Here's the reality: the lighting at most school concerts is dismal and you are usually too far from the stage to get a great shot. Crappy lighting and too great a distance creates a set of circumstances that most cameras just can't cope with.
If you have a point and shoot camera, your flash is going to illuminate (at most) the 10 feet in front of you. The result? You'll take a great shot of the backs of other parents' heads. If your point and shoot has a great zoom on it, chances are that it doesn't have a low aperture, such as f2.8. Add no flash and a smaller lens opening, and you've set yourself up for a shutter speed that's too slow to keep the image in focus. (Even if it was on a tripod, your subject is going to be moving, so you're going to get motion blur.) Raising your ISO may not even help to compensate for the shutter speed.
Photography 101: What The Heck Is ISO And Why You Need To Know
If you have a dSLR, you might have a slightly better chance (unless you're prepared to be THAT parent with the giant camera and the speedlight flash who walks right up to the stage to take the shot).
Still willing to try? Then follow these guidelines:
If there's space between you and the stage, follow the concert etiquette for parents: move up to that space just before it's your kids' turn to be on and stay low. If you need to stand up or kneel to get your shot, DO IT QUICKLY and get out of the way.
Another option would be to use your camera to take a video - cameras are more forgiving in low light on the video setting. There are also editing programs that let you capture a still photo from a video, so you may have more success that way.
While we all love capturing these milestones, remember that you could always choose to just sit back, focus on your kid, and really enjoy the show. There will be other moments to photograph.
Happy shooting!
Image Source: Flickr
Are you all set to begin your holiday shopping, but stuck on what to get the photographer in your life? Don't panic! This gift guide is for you!
I’ve compiled suggestions for all levels of photographers to help solve your shopping challenges. Hint: Feel free to leave this post (or last year’s guide) strategically open on your computer if you’re the photographer and you think your family needs a nudge.
The most flexible tripod ever and other great gifts for photographers
For Anyone:
For the Mobile Enthusiast:
For the Point-and Shoot Photographer:
For the DSLR Photographer:
Happy shopping, everyone! You're sure to enjoy the smiles when your special photographer opens his or her gift!
Photos by Photojojo