What cameras and lenses did I use to photograph Angie De Poitrine?
Introduction
On the 11th of March, I had the pleasure of photographing Angine De Poitrine for their first sold out London, UK show. I had pit access for the first 2 songs - no flash, then the luxury of taking shots from around the venue for the rest of the show - although considering it was sold out, there wasn’t much room to breathe! I took 2 cameras and 2 lenses with me to capture the photos you see below. In this article, I’ll discuss what I used, the reason behind it and if I had to do it all over again, would I use the same equipment!
The Venue
When organising photography equipment before any show, I always consider the size of the venue and whether I have been there before. Things to consider;
How big is the stage
How high is the stage
How many performers are there
How big is the photographers pit
These are questions which help to understand how wide angle you need to shoot. It’s a tricky nature having to change lenses in the pit (although I did do this on the night), incase you get crap on your sensor or you get knocked and it comes straight out of your hand. In a perfect world you’ll have more than one camera with you, with a different lens of each, but you can get sone lenses which are extremely versatile to help you get a desired look.
Camera 01 - Leica Q2
Concert photography fanboys (and girls) will say that this is a ridiculous camera for concert photography. It’s a fixed 28mm focus length - which is actually pretty plain for events. It’s not closeup for expressions or details, and it’s not wide enough to get an entire band or a subject if they approach your camera. But that doesn’t stop me loving using it. It’s a F1.7 lens, which is great for low-light and it is also one of the sharpest (and quickest) lenses I’ve ever used. It’s 47.3MP and so it’s excellent at cropping in post and the colours are stunning. It’s not the most versatile, but I exclusively use this is a 2nd camera/ backup.
This camera can be picked up for around £2,000
Camera 02- Canon 1DX III
Now this camera is my workhorse. Eventhough it’s only 20.1MP compared to the 47.3MP, it’s extremely reliable. Added with a CFexpress card which writes at 1200MB/s, compared to other sony cameras which takes high speed SD cards which write at 200-300MB/s - this thing is fast. And also the fact it works with EF lenses, which I do consider old due to the introduction of the RF mount and are bigger, heavier and typically slower AF, I still think the tradeoffs are minor for a professional grade camera. I use this for all kinds of photography and it’s never let me down yet. I even shot a documentary using this as a B-Cam as the video elements are also superb.
This lens normally retails for around £2,000 second hand.
Lens 01 - Tamron 24-70mm F2.8
As mentioned above, with a venue this size, having a versatile lens is a must. The Tamron 24-70 is in my mind the perfect focal length for moving targets and allowing you to capture a range of different shots without having to change lenses. It’s fast (at F2.8) and with image stabilizer features, allows you to get well exposed shots in low light conditions. It may not be the newest and sharpest lens out there, but it does the perfect job in this scenario.
This lens normally retails for around £500 second hand.
Lens 02 - Tamron 15-30mm F2.8
So above where I recommended not to change lens and take a second camera instead? Well at this concert, I changed lens in the pit. When you have coverage for the first 2 songs and spend time in a jam-packed pit to change you lens whilst the action is happening, it takes time and comes with risk. However, with only two of them on stage, standing in similar positions for the show, I wanted as much variety with my images as possible, so I made the decision to change my lens to shoot at 15mm. I’m super happy I did as now I have a photoset ranging from images at 15mm, 28mm up to 70mm. I wanted to also use this lens for crowd shots, but that became tricky with a sold out venue, so I opted for using the 24-70mm instead for these.
This lens normally retails for around £300 second hand.
Conclusion
In summary, choosing the right equipment is key to capturing effective photos and it all comes down to planning. A photoset will get tiresome if there isn’t variety. And it’s always effective to capture the crowd as well as the talent. Be prepared, take spares and ultimately assess the situation when you get there. Covering the support act will be a good test of equipment for the main act.
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