Band Photography

               I have to admit that band photography is one of my favorite shoot to do, and yet also one of the most difficult ones to cover. Why? I have a few reasons why. One, most of the venues or stages are very dark or in very low light. Two, the whole band keeps on moving. And three, sometimes you just don't have enough space.

               But everything will be a lot easier of you have these with you. One, fast lenses. Two, Flash (Optional, depends on you style). Three, right attitude. And when  I say right attitude I mean confidence. Also, if you know the song, that would really help you a lot because you would know when to press  that button to get the right moment. Below are some of my band photography shots featuring Slaves Against The Machine. The best tribute band for RATM out there. Please visit there FB page at SlavesAgainstTheMachine.

Sunset

Below are more pictures of my sunset shots. These shots are taken at a beach some where in San Diego when my girl friend and I went for a road trip (well technically she wasn't my girl yet on the way to San Diego. It was after these pictures when we became a couple LOL). I love these photos... feel free to check some of my best shots here.. http://www.facebook.com/azknightphoto  thanks !!

Sunrise/Sunset

For me, the best times to take good pictures are on sunrise and sunset. On these hours, the sun light is not too strong. It's not too harsh. And you will also get a golden sunlight color compared to a mid day light. You also get to play with shadows on your photography. Below are sample photos I took at Castaic Lake when the sun was about to set.

Your Average Photographer

Importance of Lighting:

Lighting is the main key for a very good picture. Lighting can make your picture really good, and lighting can also make your picture really bad. This brings me to the point of having an external flash.

External flash is very very useful and very pretty. Built in flash on DSLRs are boring, plain, and sometimes useless. But external flash is different.

I have always wanted to buy an external flash since I really needed it. I specifically wanted the Nikon SB900 since I have a Nikon camera. I even applied for a credit card just to be able to buy one since I can't afford it out of my pocket. The problem is discipline. lol. I went to vegas 2 weeks ago and spent most of it there lol. That leaves me with the build in flash again lol.

Don't get me wrong, but not having an external flash has its own good sides too. It made me learn and realize that I have to utilize what ever light source I have. With this, I can take ok pictures with out using an external flash. It also made me learn to take good pictures with the proper angles. Below is an example of a shot I made during an electro/house music club. Very very low light.

Your average photographer

For the people who have seen my photos, they always ask me how did I do it.

People buy cheap cameras and expensive cameras. People ask which camera takes the best shots. People ask which one is better: Nikon or Canon. And People takes an average photo, a good photo, and an eye popping photo.

Well, what is it really? What does it take to shoot a very nice photo? Is it the camera? Is it the lens? Or both? Well, have you asked yourself that maybe the photographer plays a big role in the quality of the photos.

Not everyone can shoot the best of the best photographs. Also, not everyone can buy the most expensive hot cameras and accessories. But, with the right moment and with the right lighting, I believe anyone can take a good photograph with just any camera.