amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

rmalarz is right.... shooting outdoors can present a lot of lighting problems. Full sun is the worst. A couple solutions... shoot in the shade. Or, in morning or afternoon, shoot with the sun directly behind your subjects and use fill flash. n case you don't know, fill flash is very easy with Canon cameras and flashes. Just set the flash to ETTL and set the camera to your choice of auto exposure mode and the flash will act as fill... basically -1.66 stops.

Best lenses for small groups are 50mm... maybe 35mm... so long as you don't get too close with them (unless you want odd effects). Individual portraits are best done with an 85mm unless you want an "environmental portrait" showing the subject in their environment. 135mm lenses can be used too, for tight portraits... but you need a lot of working room.

If shooting live performances indoors or at night, you really need fast lenses... f/1.2, f/1.4, f/2. If there is strong lighting, you might get by with f/2.8 lenses.

I would recommend shooting RAW and planning to fine tune color in post-processing. Both outdoors in the day and indoors under the lights can be tricky shooting JPEGs. If you must do that, plan to set custom white balances. Or, just set to auto white balance and shoot RAW instead... that way you can freely adjust the color rendition later. For example, shooting in the shade on a blue sky day will cause images to be "cool", but they are easily warmed up in post processing when you have RAW files to work with.

5D (original?) doesn't have a very high performance AF system. I would recommend you select the center point, as it's the only "dual axis" point visible in the viewfinder. I'd use AI Servo mode, too... that continuously focuses. (One Shot is for stationary subjects... which I assume won't be the case for a lot of your work. DO NOT use AI Focus... in that mode the camera is supposed decide whether the subject is moving or not and switch to the correct mode. In my experience, they don't always do so... particularly older models like the 5D.)

I can't really suggest any guides to posing, props, locations, etc. I would start with a conversation with the band members to get a better idea what they're looking for, then work off that.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

To quote the reply you are responding to so we can tell who you are addressing, click "Quote Reply" under it as I did here.

rcarol

Day or night?

Greg from Romeoville illinois Loc: Romeoville illinois

This may give you some inspiration. Maybe a close-up of the members without any background which means you can get the perfect shot in a studio? Please post the final cover.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jazz/rock+album+covers&sxsrf=AOaemvKkrf2gH8Qm6jr31Sk_qDhhUFMcwg:1642267831737&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1-PG1pLT1AhX1dc0KHdDlC6UQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=2560&bih=1251&dpr=1.5

SSam Loc: Sierra Vista, AZ

A few years ago I read an article that said "The most important part of a photo presentation was the AUDIO (story line)." I was 'sure' that I wasn't on a photo club website. But, that advice will go a long way on answering what photos you are to shoot. Once you have a story line you will be able to answer your question of what photos should I 'shoot'. Each photo should support that story line.

Best wishes to you in your 'new' adventure!

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I’ve done a fair amount of live performance shooting. Lighting can vary quite a bit at different venues. Some bars have virtually no lighting for performers but the better venues that have a full stage also have good house lighting. Outdoor venues also run the gamut although often outdoor shows are during daylight hours. If that’s the case time of day and direction of the sun have to be taken into account. I’ve gotten good results when shooting strictly from the audience but always appreciate the bands that give me full stage access.
The thing about shooting a jazz/jazz rock band performing is that they tend to not be very visually dynamic. If I end up with a couple of entire band shots and 3 or 4 of each member I’m pretty satisfied.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

The reason that he missed for using faster lenses isn’t that you’d necessarily shoot wide open, but in low light situations you’re gonna have better AF performance.

lensmaster Loc: Chicago

WELL, your best source of examples might be to go to APPLE MUSIC or the ITUNES STORE and surf through all the genres and recording artists since their ALBUM COVERS are visible.

Depending on what type of music the group you have to photograph plays it is easy to look up that type and then look through all the artists.

You can be creative on your own. Talk with the group and get a feel for what THEY want, and what music they play and go from there with your own ideas. The musician/group input is essential since the image(s) will represent THEM.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

When faced with a challenging shoot (aka I've never done one quite like it before), the first thing I ask is what the expectation is. My next stop is to look at images in magazines (print or online) of popular similar subjects. Often a person's or a group's expectation is already curated to a degree by what is out there. This applies to locations, props, posing, styling, time of day, etc.

Fast lenses are great if you have them, but it is not the end of the world if you don't have them. You shouldn't rely on how much light gets to the sensor when the lens is used wide open, but rather the AF performance of a faster lens, and how the lens performs when stopped down. A simple comparison would be to look at images from an F2.8 lens shot wide open, and an F1.4 lens stopped down 2 stops. Unquestionably, the stopped down lens will have the advantage in most cases. Depth of field and image sharpness for everything outside the center of the lens will usually be less than satisfactory with the F1.4 lens - but that same lens at F2.8 or F4 will make sweet images.

Don't dismiss the option to pass on this - when shooting live performances, timing, understanding the live subject(s) in motion, when to snap the shutter to get them at their peak of visual interest, lighting etc will be a lot to learn, and it would be a disservice to the band to not get this right. If passing on it results in a request for a recommendation, you can always ask the other photographer if you can tag along and be a second shooter, but let him/her take the lead. Who knows, you could end up being a natural and you may just take some special images that the band likes, and you'll be asked to shoot more for them - and you'll have the confidence to do a great job.

Something like these may help:

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/rock-band

My $.02 - having been there, done that on may assignments over the past 55 yrs - but now retired, and only shooting what I like to shoot these days.

williejoha

Being a Canon shooter myself, my recommendation would be the 24-70 L2 not because of fastness but for the quality of the lens. I have shot with that lens for the last 4 years but seldom at wide open. This lens would be ideal for that size group ( my opinion ) and would render great shots. IMHO
WJH

scallihan Loc: Tigard, OR

Good luck on the shoot. I hope we get to see some of your images.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Run, don't walk, to your nearest vinyl LP record store or used record store, and look through all the bins for examples of what looks good. Rock photography has been a genre since the 1950s.

PBS has a series of documentaries on rock photography, ICON: MUSIC THROUGH THE LENS. You can find the episodes here: https://www.pbs.org/search/?q=photography I've seen about half of them and they are EXCELLENT.

I would probably use a moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto zoom (24-70mm f/2.8 or 28-75mm f/2.8) for group compositions, and either that, or the 70-200mm f/2.8 or f/4 for portraits of individual talent. Primes in that range of 24 to 200mm would probably work fine, too.

However you do it and wherever you do it, the important thing is to capture personality. If you can find a book by Annie Leibovitz, study her work. She is one of my favorite Rolling Stone cover artists. Henry Diltz is another famous rock photographer. There is a great podcast available on OWC Rocket Yard Radio: https://eshop.macsales.com/owc-radio/woodstock-famous-rock-stars-and-musician-photographer-henry-diltz/ Henry did both concert photography at Woodstock, and album cover photography for his musician friends in Laurel Canyon (like CSNY, Joni Mitchell...)

That's probably enough to give you some GREAT ideas! I did a bit of rock photography in my youth, back in the 1970s. Here's one of Harry Chapin performing at Davidson College under incredibly bad lighting:

Harry Chapin (front left) and band, © 1974 Bill Burkholder

(Download)

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Can any question be addressed with WW III breaking out? The OP is an experienced large format/transparency shooter so I don't imagine he will have difficulty with light and exposure.

It is a set-up entertainment/theatrical short- not a live performance so he has total control over the location, lighting etc.

The best approach is to first find out the usage of the shots- general publicity, posters "glossies" CD or LP cover, whatever. This will help with the format and theme

Next is the concept. MUSIC? What kinda music, jazz, country, rock, rap, folk, bluegrass, retro, classical, a weddg band??? What instruments are involved? They have shapes and ad interest and compositional elements.

Once you know, then develop your concept, costume, appropriate props, location in the background or seamless, etc.

SHOOT- LOT wit ANDS without instruments, closer and full-length shots, playing and posing, etc. Even if you assemble the band in performance positions, keep it tight, avoid clutter like audio cables and other hardware. If it is for an album cover or poster, do a few shots with some negative space to accommodate copy. Try symmetrical and non-symmetrical groupings.

Photographers are creative- musicians are creative- pool your creativity and resourcefulness and get to work! Digital is not a large format film- it's relatively cheap. If you haven't shot in a while, shoot lots and edit later.

Looking at magazines and album covers is helpful but if you come up with something more unique, it might be better and more indicative of the band's style.

Quixdraw Loc: x

When I travel, my DF, usually with 50 1:1.8 goes out with me at night - I have shot Jazz, Flamenco, Spanish Guitar at venues in the evening, and various other types of music in the day. The shots were all usable and good enough to post. With the capabilities of the cameras, it is far easier than with film. I sent the photos to one of the Jazz bands and they were delighted. Of course, I wasn't paid for the job. The results were adequate compensation. With your background and good equipment I just don't see a major problem. Usse your skills and have fun - it isn't a Wedding, they'll do it again. ;-)

jackebenton Loc: Marietta, GA

You certainly hit the nail squarely on its head. Just as clearly, alas, it will likely have no effect.