This afternoon and evening I am photographing the St Ann’s Hospice Festival Choir, augmented with other singers, at the Royal Northern College of Music.
I was at the rehearsal in the afternoon and am at the concert in the evening, starting 7.30.
St Ann's Hospice choir at RNCM
Photographing at this type of event is very interesting. I brought a tripod and didn’t use it. Also I used the flash a little but have found that the best results are gained under the stage lighting. With the camera set to 1600 ASA, i.e. the maximum sensitivity, you can get great, natural looking photos that really capture the atmosphere of the event.
And switching to the 300mm zoom lens I am able to go right in on the faces of the choir members – some images are shaky but others are razor sharp. I have the camera set to aperture priority 1/30th of a second – or 1/60th. Keeping the camera very steady it is still possible to get great, sharp images with no shake or blur.
Flash? Forget it! Use the stage lights for best results.
I am using the Sony Alpha A350 digital SLR camera.