[Leica] Re: [Rollei] Jazz Photography

[Jeff Spirer <jeffs@hyperreal.org>]

At 03:32 PM 2/5/98 -0500, Marc James Small wrote:
>I've been asked to do some publicity shots of local jazz musicians.
>Needless to say, I am afloat in equipment.  These guys (male and female, of
>course) play in dingey bistros, so lighting may be a problem.
>Black-and-white 8x10's are to be the final product, and no flash if
avoidable.
>
>Any thoughts?  No, I'm not going to spring for a Noctilux for the job, but
>I do have a Summilux.  I also have a Hasselblad and a slew of Rollei gear.

I've done quite a bit of this and people seem to ask questions about this
kind of stuff regularly.  So here are some tips I wrote up a while back:

1) No matter who asks you to shoot, call the club and make sure it's
cleared.  I learned about this the hard way, a band asked me to shoot,
never told the club, and the club refused to give me a photo pass.

2) Assume that there will be less light than you expect.  Assume that, no
matter what you have been told about flash, someone may tell you that it
isn't allowed.  Take fast film and fast lenses.

3) Depending on the kind of club it is, and how crowded it gets, assume
that your equipment is at risk for both theft and damage.  I have had beer
poured into my camera bag (not on purpose), my camera hit so hard the
focusing screen popped out of its bracket (also not on purpose), and a
monopod nabbed (obviously on purpose.)  Hold the camera over your head when
you're not shooting if it's crowded.  Take a backup body.

4) Prefocus, especially if there is someone is doing lighting during the
show.  I have had spots come and go so quickly there was no time to focus.  

5) Same thing with exposure.  If there is a spot and you are going to shoot
with the spot on, assume it will always be at the same exposure level every
time it's on, because you probably aren't going to have time to set
exposure.  This is especially critical if you are using a non-spot meter,
since you will be often be looking at a small amount of bright area with a
lot of dark area around it.

6) If you are allowed flash, try using a domed mini-slave for some shots.
Too many shots of a bright face or face and torso with a black background
are boring.  I put the slave on a piece of equipment toward the back so it
doesn't bother the musicians.

7) For publication, don't worry about using slide film.  Most music
magazines, and some other publications that carry concert shots, are used
to using prints.

8) Remember that the customers paid to see the musicians perform.  The club
cares more about getting their patronage than what you are doing.  Courtesy
and respect goes a long way.  (Well this is probably true of most
photography except reportage, but many photographers don't seem to
understand this.)



B&W Photos: http://www.pomegranates.com
Color and B&W Photos: http://www.hyperreal.org/~jeffs/gallery.html
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