Newbie: Need tips for using Ilford 3200 film for nightclub/band photos

[missmotta]

I was told by a friend to try using this film to take photos of bands in a small nightclub setting. i will be able to get pretty close to my subjects, and the stage lighting will be some help. i'm just tired of blinding people with my flash! are there some good fstop sht.speed guidelines? Thanks. MM

[another view]

Same way you wind up on stage, practice...

I've used this film for shooting bands both at ISO3200 and ISO1600 but make sure that it is developed accordingly. This film is pretty contrasty, so it doesn't have the latitude of Tri-X. In other words, exposure needs to be very accurate. The actual shutter speeds and aperture settings that you use will be determined by the light level, and just be sure to meter carefully. If the lights are changing it'll be more interesting.

Don't plan on every shot being perfect, and maybe some that are over or under exposed will still have a good look to them even if it's not what you intended (been there...). Assuming that you have a camera that lets you adjust the ISO settings, take some meter readings with the camera set to ISO1600 and see if you get a useable aperture/shutter speed combination. If you need the additional stop from ISO3200, then use it. Probably easiest to shoot all rolls at the same speed so they don't get developed incorrectly. If you can't adjust the ISO speed of the film with your camera, be sure to check the manual to see what speeds the camera reads. Some cameras will only read up to ISO800 or 1000.

Good luck, it's not easy doing this but you can get some really excellent shots. I always liked shooting bands (I play in one too) because it was such a challenge.

[missmotta]

thanks for the help. My camera's ISO does go up to 3200. It gets a bit confusing concerning light-metering because my camera is shutter-priority and the display in the viewfinder is an LED showing the Fstops(either in auto or manual mode). It drives me batty, as I am used to a built-in meter that has a little needle that shows the correct shutter speed. I guess I should get myself a handheld light meter and try to learn how to use it! But it's true.... it's fun to see what i will end up with. Thanks again

[another view]

Even if the lighting doesn't change, your settings will if you're trying to get the person's face properly exposed. They move around on stage and just a step in any direction can have a big effect on the amount of light falling on them. Add lighting controllers and it makes it exponentially harder... Even when you get used to it you won't hit 100% with exposure but like I said you might be happy with some of the incorrect exposures.

Depending on how your camera meters, you might be best to underexpose a little bit. With film I was usually OK but with my digital (not as good of a metering system) I usually use center weighted instead of matrix metering, and 1/2 stop underexposure. This is from experience with that camera but it gives you an idea of what might work best. Fast prime lenses are almost a requirement (like a 50 f1.4) but with ISO3200 you might get by with an f2.8 lens. If you only have shutter priority (and not aperture priority), try using that at 1/30 or 1/60, time movement carefully and go from there!

[missmotta]

The show was last night, and I did keep my aperture(mostly) at 2.8 and the shutter at 60, with occasional forrays into 30-land just to practice holding my breath and shooting at the same time. ha ha
There was alot more backlighting than I would have liked, but when I get the film processed I will put a few up(If they are worthy....) thanks for your help!
Oh, i also got some street shots in on the way home with some 1600. I'm almost afraid that I let too much light in, but we shall see. It's all about learning. Can't wait till setting the aperture/shutter is like second nature!!

[yogestee]

Hi missmotta,,,shooting bands, theatre and stage is one of the most challenging photography one can do for a few reasons..Stage lighting is not designed to be photographed it is a visual effect not for photography..Stage lighting is either very dull or very high in contrast which films just can't cope with..Also if you are shooting in colour you can get weird colour shifts due to the mostly tungsten light sourses..

I used to shoot dress rehearsals for a local professional theatre group..I only shot in black and white because colour was a hassle due to the colour shift and then there was not a colour film fast enough to handle stage lighting..I shot Kodak TriX 400 pushed process to 1600ISO with great results..Sure the results were grainy and contrasty but this added to to the effect of the production..The cast and crew bought hundreds of dollars worth of prints each show..BTW I did my own processing and printing; and after many hours of experimentation got it down to a fine art..

I used a Nikon FE2 and later a Nikon F90X with only one lens,,a Nikkor 85mm f1.8..I found I was shooting at around f4.0 to f5.6 at 60th and 125th..I would sit back and watch the lighting for a few minutes and get a rough idea how the stage was lit..I would take a meter reading of a mid tone grey area and use that as a guide..Skin tone is good for a start..After a while I could judge when to open up or stop down to get a good exposure..Setting your camera to manual is vital..Even after shooting many shows over a 10 year period I would still have negatives that were unusable..

Some advise,,,,,shoot and shoot and shoot until you get it right..When you get it right shoot some more..

Jurgen

[Axle]

I recently used a roll of Delta 3200 at an outdoor parade event (lots of telephoto shots, so high shutter speed was needed) and I was pleasantly surprised at the results.