How to photograph young musicians

How to get great shots with available light

Film and Tripod
These are two things to consider together. If you use a tripod, you can use slower film with less grain. I always use a tripod. I am paid to produce consistently sharp photos that can be enlarged for publication to at least 8.5x11. I might be able to get sharp photos most of the time if I use extremely fast film but most clients can't be convinced that golf ball-sized grain is an asset. Also, trying to get sharp photos most of the time is a bad goal. I aim for sharp photos every time because if I don't, the perfect shot will invariably be the fuzzy one and then what do you do. This not to say that I get sharp photos every time but that is my goal. I also shoot for hours on end and the camera starts to get heavy so it's nice to have it setting on something. With a lens set at f/2.8 my shutter speeds normally work out to about 1/30-1/125 with 400 to 800 speed film. That is fast enough to stop any normal movement on stage but not fast enough to stop the small camera movements that occur when I hand hold the camera. The rule of thumb in this regard is to use a shutter speed equal of greater to the reciprocal of the lens length. If you are using a 200mm lens, the minimum shutter speed you should use is 1/200 sec. (Actually, the rule of thumb among photographers is to use a tripod and forget the other rule of thumb.) If you really think a tripod will make you look like geek then you probably can get good results handholding shot but you will want faster film. In my experience if you combine a fast lens with ISO 1600 film you can get shutter speeds around 1/250. Your pictures will have some grain but fast print film is quite good these days and a sharp, grainy picture is much better that a blurry grainless one. If you use an inexpensive 85 f/1.8 you could potentially get fast enough shutter speeds with 400-speed film. Combine a tripod and an 85 f/1.8 and now you have real flexibility. You can stop down your lens to increase the depth of field or you can use even slower film and have very little grain and sharp results. The film I use for almost all my work with music schools is Kodak T-Max 400. Rarely do the schools spend their money on color publications so it's rarely a problem if I only shoot black and white shots. Processing and proofs are also cheaper with B&W film than color (professional processing not drugstores or mini labs. More on that later) and you don't need to worry about pesky color issues like light temperature or those ugly, distracting orange curtains. T-Max 400 has very tight grain for its speed. It also pushes easily, which means you can shoot it at 800 or 1600 if it's darker than you expected. If you want color, try Fuji's NHGII 800. It's a little expensive but it is pure magic. Also Fuji's press 800 is a fine film that is very forgiving under theatre lights

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