How to focus your camera at concerts or music festivals

 

 

I have hinted before that where you focus your camera is as important as your composition. So many photographers go eye hunting during a show, always trying to get the focus box on the artist’s eye, but that is difficult as very few cameras have focus points all the way to the edge of the viewfinder. Most people have to focus and recompose afterward, which slows them down and affects their framing. So, let’s go over some focus techniques to use when shooting a concert or festival so that you have more keepers after a shoot.

 

 

 

So, we will start with the basics of focusing today and the different options you can choose from to shoot a show. There are two types of autofocus shooting techniques that people use. The first technique is called front button focusing. This is the traditional method where the camera focuses when the shutter button is half-pressed down. Almost all cameras come set to this, and it is what people are used to. There is nothing wrong with this method, but it is more difficult to focus and recompose because you could accidentally fire off a shot while recomposing.

 

 

The second method of focusing is called back button focusing, and it is very popular among sports photographers. The way this works is that you set your camera to remove the focus function from the shutter button and use a separate button on the back of your camera. This method allows you to focus on an object with one button and recompose and shoot with another. It’s a good way to lock focus on a subject. Either method is fine, but you should pick one and practice with it.

 

 

Each camera has a slightly different autofocus system, so I cannot explain each camera’s differences, but they are all based on a simple principle. Most cameras will have different autofocus options. I would recommend that you enable as many focus points as your camera has—the more, the better. I use all the focus points my camera has. Some high-end cameras will have some kind of 3D tracking of objects. I use this sometimes, but it is not my usual option.

 

 

You really need to know the different autofocus options of your camera. Read your manual. This is really important. You need to know your camera really well and be able to change any of the settings with your eyes closed. If you need to change a setting in the dark during a show, you don’t have time to fumble around.

 

 

On most cameras, you will not have focus points that go all the way to the edge of the frame. One of the most commonly used methods to focus is to focus the point on the eye, then recompose and shoot. This method is really popular with back button focusers, but I never use it at shows. I do use back button focusing when I shoot film on the street but never at work. I don’t feel comfortable with it.

 

 

I still use front button focusing, and I don’t focus and recompose because I tend to lose shots when recomposing after I have focused. When I am shooting an artist, I think about my depth of field. I know I cannot get the focus on the eye, so I look for other parts of the body to focus on that would keep the depth of field plane roughly at the same level as the eye.

 

 

So, let’s look at this. Luckily, most musicians are slim, giving us some easy options to focus on. If you are shooting a male musician, you ideally want to focus on the musician’s chest. The middle of the chest is the best option if possible. If they are wearing dark clothes and the camera cannot focus on the chest, then move down to the stomach. Those two places on the body should be in line with the artist’s eyes. One of the benefits of doing this is that by focusing on the stomach or chest area, you are removing the focus points away from anything that would distract the camera, such as a microphone or a bright light. The Nikon D4 was infamous for back-focusing at shows when there were bright lights in the background. It was the reason I sold my D4 and went back to my D3S.

 

 

But the problem comes when the artist is on the heavier side. If the artist has some weight around his chest or has a big stomach, then focusing on those points will mean you miss your focus on their eyes, so you will have to find another point to focus on. I usually then focus on the artist’s crotch. The crotch area on any male artist should not be carrying too much weight around it, and most males tend to wear jeans on stage. Jeans have zippers that are nice and shiny, and shiny things are good for cameras. Cameras can focus on something shiny far easier than on something dark. This is my go-to area for focusing on males when they are moshing on stage. Most musicians with long hair who are moshing on stage will be very difficult to focus on as their hair will be flying all over, distracting the camera. So at those times, you just need to focus on the crotch area, and then you will have very few problems locking on and staying in focus.

 

 

 

 

But shooting female musicians is much more difficult. Unless the female musician is extremely small and thin, focusing on the chest area is a bad idea. The breasts of most females with a bra on will extend beyond the focus plane of a lens when shot wide open, so your first target for shooting females should be the stomach. Most female musicians are slim, so this should be no problem. I would avoid focusing on a female’s crotch area unless she is wearing jeans, though. Skirts and dresses tend to have frills on them, and they can extend past the depth of field plane at times. Additionally, some females may feel uncomfortable if you focus on areas of their body that they are sensitive about, so I suggest that you pass on the crotch region and stick to the stomach. In extreme cases, I will try to focus on the knees. The knees are usually on the same depth of field plane as the eyes when someone is standing, so this tends to work. If the female artist is on the heavier side, this becomes extremely difficult.

 

 

 

When dealing with large female artists, this is the one time I will rely on focus and recompose. It is a slower way to shoot but most heavy females will not be running around the stage like crazy so you should have the time to do this

 

 

 

 

When you are shooting crowd shots, focusing becomes a little easier because you are shooting with a wide angle lens, so you will have a ton of depth of field to work with. I usually stop my wide-angle lens down to F5.6 and I know that almost everything will be in focus with the lens

 

 

But you have to remember the effect focal length has on depth of field. The wider the lens, the more depth of field you have, but conversely, the longer the lens, the less depth of field you will have. So, when shooting with your long lenses, remember that you need to be careful with your focusing. When I am shooting with my 600mm lens, even at F8, I still don’t have a lot of depth of field, and my focusing has to be spot on.

 

 

Remember that practice makes perfect. You should always be practicing your technique, especially your focusing. Many older photographers who grew up using manual focus lenses are absolutely brilliant with their cameras’ autofocus settings. They understand depth of field and where to focus; it has become an instinct for them because they practiced the art for so long. This is one of the reasons that I shoot a lot with manual focus lenses on my film cameras. Taking great photos is more than just pushing a button. Always remember that.

Shaun.