My worst enemy...Red Light! :(: I posted a few photos in the gallery of some shots I did at a concert/show in a bar scene with low & red light. Fortunately the singer was standing in...

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My worst enemy...Red Light! :(

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Jul 25, 2012 12:06:45 #

Pandaxis Loc: Alabama

I posted a few photos in the gallery of some shots I did at a concert/show in a bar scene with low & red light. Fortunately the singer was standing in the only non-red light on stage. As for the others, they're a different story....
I shoot a lot of music gigs at bar scenes, no flash. And if you guys have done the same, I'm sure you know what a hassle it is to deal with the red light that they often use. It just kills a photo.
I'll post some examples... Keep in mind, they're not so great..

All of that said... What do you guys do in this situation? I've considered getting myself a blue tinted filter, possibly.. But I don't know how well that would go over. This red light is causing me so much grief, and possibly great shots!
Please help if you can, thanks so much! : )

Jul 25, 2012 13:23:55 #

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

Lightroom - Move tint slider to Green - Colour temperature to zero. Most of the red cast will disappear.

Jul 25, 2012 13:26:10 #

Pandaxis Loc: Alabama

Thanks & Good thinking, but the big problem with the red light is not necessarily the COLOR but that it flushes out all the detail in the photo... Maybe shooting in raw would help? Not sure.

Jul 25, 2012 14:02:37 #

Mpeter45 Loc: Springfield, Illinois

Those pictures look fine to me. That is what the light looked like, right? I have shot a lot of bands in similar lighting and that is the result I got. If you don't like the color, shift to B&W.

Jul 25, 2012 16:37:46 #

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

actually the red light adds to the mood, and says bar or club. blue light says special at kmart or you are getting pulled over!!!

Jul 25, 2012 19:14:56 #

Pandaxis Loc: Alabama

Haha, yeah, I suppose so! But see, these others I took under a different light... So much better detail! :P

Jul 26, 2012 09:17:32 #

twowindsbear

If you're shooting 'portraits' - change the light(s) to your preference. If you're shooting in the bar, to capture the 'bar scene' it seems you're 'stuck' with the lighting in the bar.

You may try a custom WB under the colored lights - that may work, or at least help a bit.

Good luck.

Jul 26, 2012 10:29:41 #

mdeman Loc: Damascus, Maryland

The problem as I see it is that the picture is painted with red light. So if you take out the red light, you are only left with black and white. I tried in Elements and you wouldn't be happy with the results, not enough information left. Try switching to B&W and see if you like that. Or next time put on a filter that blocks red and dramatically increase your exposure for the little bit of remaining light. Since I don't do much in RAW, I don't know if that would help you much.

Jul 26, 2012 12:26:48 #

CAM1017 Loc: Chiloquin, Oregon

Pandaxis wrote:

I posted a few photos in the gallery of some shots... (show quote)

Have you tryied converting images to B & W? They might be very interesting. :thumbup:

Jul 26, 2012 12:30:10 #

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

Embrace it. Red light isn't all that bad in concert shots.
However, for the future, if you are shooting RAW, you can make some white balance adjustments to clear up so much red, but the truth is that if there's a red light on stage, then the true image would have a red hue to it.
Without being there, I'm not sure I can offer more than that.
I will say that when I am shooting something that I'm unsure of the lighting, I usually get there early and take some experimental shots.
If I'm shooting formally for a publication, I'll try to get permission from the promoter to get there when they are rehearsing the lighting, so that I can see how the actual lights will be ahead of time.
If I'm just shooting a concert that I'm attending, then it's just something you have to deal with.

Jul 26, 2012 14:28:57 #

Pandaxis Loc: Alabama

mdeman wrote:

Or next time put on a filter that blocks red and dramatically increase your exposure for the little bit of remaining light. Since I don't do much in RAW, I don't know if that would help you much.

I thought about that... What kind of filter could I use?

Jul 26, 2012 16:00:03 #

mdeman Loc: Damascus, Maryland

I personally don't think this will work but if it did you would use a cyan filter, ie one that looks like the color cyan when you look through it at a white image. The reason I don't think it will work is that you just don't have much light when you take away the red. The problem isn't that you need to take away red light, what you need is MORE light that is cyan colored to balance it. Maybe if you overexposed by about 2 or 3 f stops, then when you took away the red you might have something left. Try a few really overexposed shots next time and see if they can be altered in post. You will probably have to be shooting in RAW to do that properly.

Jul 26, 2012 16:06:45 #

Pandaxis Loc: Alabama

mdeman wrote:

I personally don't think this will work but if it ... (show quote)

Thanks... Not a bad idea, and hey, it's worth a shot right? None of these photos are paid work, it's just a hobby of mine to shoot at local small venues. :)

Jul 26, 2012 16:29:28 #

lost_found

Pandaxis wrote:

quote=mdeman I personally don't think this will w... (show quote)

Jul 26, 2012 16:41:11 #

Pandaxis Loc: Alabama

lost_found wrote:

quote=Pandaxis quote=mdeman I personally don't t... (show quote)

Sure thing, I'll post some examples... Got some good ideas, you guys rock! Thnx

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