Dark Photography School

Introduction to the rule of thirds

Symmetry plays one of the most important roles in determining the aesthetic quality of a photograph. As a rule, you generally want to avoid placing the subject of the photograph dead in the center of it. For some reason, we prefer edges and lines that appear in thirds rather than halves. That is to say that you the want focal point (subject) to be either on the right or left, 1/3 or 2/3 of the distance from the edge. Likewise for horizontal lines. This is known as the rule of thirds, as illlustrated by the crude drawing below:

Exceptions to the rule

There are exceptions to the rule of thirds, and one of these examples is the (appearance of) the convergence of paralllel lines. The point at which parallel lines appear to meet is known as a vanishing point. Frequently, you will be dealing with imaginary vanishing points because the parallel lines will stop before they actually meet. Regardless of whether or not they appear to meet, a good way to create a striking photo is to center that point.

Imaginary vanishing points

When you are dealing with imaginary vanishing points (the lines end before they appear to meet), you want to make sure there is at least something that draws the eyes where the point would be. A good focal point for this scenario would be people. By leaving the shutter speed slower than 1/10 of a second, I was able to blur them while in movement.

EXIF: 800 ISO, 1/4 sec., f/4, 35mm focal length, flash off
Read the rest of this entry…

Under ideal conditions you want a tripod, but in many instances there isn’t enough room to lug one around. A monopod is another option, but even that can be problematic in large crowds. Many venues/bands simply won’t allow flash photography as it’s distracting, especially with many of them going off. Your only option: handholding in what is normally very low light conditions.

Please note: not every concert is the same. All venues are slightly different, and all shows have different properties with regards to lighting, effects, etc. This article tries to make some generalizations, but obviously some of the advice presented here can be adjusted according to the situation. In many cases it’s an unknown with regard to what the club or venue will allow you to carry in, what the lighting will be, and how crowded it may be.

Lenses

Do you have a 50mm f/1.8 lens in your arsenal? If not, it should be your next purchase. They are made by both Nikon and Canon (and I assume others) and as far as lenses go, very inexpensive. I bought mine brand new at a local camera shop for $90. Having an aperture of f/1.8 really opens the possibilities. If you don’t have a “nifty fifty”, you want to bring your widest-angle lens. Having a wide angle lens makes it easier to photograph in low light, as more ambient light is caught by the sensor, requiring a shorter exposure time. A telephoto in low light conditions with no flash or tripod is pretty much out of the question, unless it’s outdoors during the day. I am also making the assumption that you have a digital SLR camera.
Read the rest of this entry…