A fast lens and high iso...or work on timing the lights. I did this for the last Five Finger Death Punch show and found that even with my "decent" cam, the angle was giving me little to work with and lighting had to be stronger - I found that the reds/oranges rendered the best shots, while the white/yellow were too strong and too intermitant to be of use. Blue/Green is good too.

I have been in a number of bands and have found that there are typical habits many players will get into...watch for cues/breaks in the music and just kill the shutter!!!

Good luck shooting!

Upon initial thought, I too would embrace that partner. However, after further ponderance, I think a vapid airhead that only looks good in(and out) of a tight t-shirt and less than flattering orange shorts, would be too tedius to deal with. After 30 miles, I would be forced to get another "headache".

I would like Peter Lik or even Scott Bourne to see my post and think...hey there is a nice, non-murdering, fresh photographer to go hang in the desert with... :)

I have had great success with Meetup.com too...the one thing you run into (with meeting anyone) is trust and whether your personalities click. I have a pal I go out with regularly with. He is a great guy and has a great personality. Conversely, I have had to turn the car around and fain a "headache" just to get rid of this obnoxious blow-hard who was obviously full of SHAZ and would not shut up!!! Happy friend hunting!!!

Angle of incidence is a quick lesson that will benefit you...

Check this little tip...cut...paste...go!

(link removed for spamming)forum/tips-and-taking-photos/161948-photography-tip-avoiding-flash-reflections-in-eyeglasses#161948

Youtube has a bunch of them. I use them for inspiration. The narrative is aweful, but there are some great photographs.

www.youtube.com

I use the included center hook as a quick point of counterweighting. I did have a topple once - pleasure, not work - and it ended the day.

I thought about that afterward and have been doing things a little differently - like use caution while moving around the tripod.

I adopted some habits from camping. Once I had a shoot that I needed done in short time - client needed them like - uhhhh yesterday. I went out to the site, staked down the tripod with camping stakes and line and shot away. The winds were about 50 knotts and that poses a few problems. Addtionally, I use a little "table top" that I set my gear on and it allows me to remain as close to the tripod as I can. I have never lost another lens - yet!!! Keeping my fingers crossed!

I know this is always a fight, but pump your iso up some...do not be afraid of noise. I shoot a lot of night...handheld and tripod shots.

A good wide angel lens is important as is the conditions of the night. If it is windy, the shot will have to be shorter to alleviate tree/cloud/bush blur. You will have to keep in mind, if you have stars in the shot, you might want to look up how to shoot the stars...the trails in some shots are cool, but they appear blurred if you expose for too long.

Typically, I shoot with my 18-55, f/8-13 at around 25 seconds at iso 800. I have had a good success with this but as someone already posted, there is alot of trial and error.

Additionally, you do not have to worry if someone gets in your shot...they will usually not be part of the capture. This is my experience and with a lot of interesting things to shoot here in Vegas, I have one heck of an intersting portfolio and it is getting bigger!!!

Good luck!

Another thought wold be to get an Ipad...and a wireless SD card. It creates a wireless network and bounces a JPEG image (in my case) for viewing to the Ipad. This is handy in determing clarity because you aren't limited to checking things out with zooming and moving around each pic...plus I only have a 3" monitor in the back...that sucks!

Additionally, you can run the software that came with your camera - it is a tethering type and free with your camera - not 300 bucks like, Lightroom. I used it and is a great option - only thing that stinks (in my case) is that I have to have the power cord in my laptop, so I was limited to the studio/in home options with that setup!

Take a look...

http://www.eye.fi

You can find all the steps online to jailbreak and download the software for the Ipad...it has the ablitity to really streamline your buisness!

In conferring with my attorney - Verbal agreements will not hold up in court, with exceptions too long winded to type here. (California entertainment attorney).

Following my brothers death, the company he worked for was REQUIRED to relicense his image AND HIS LICENSED CODE for the software giant that he wrote it for. The intellectual property agreement ensured that. As my brother's trustee, my mother signs the releases with every subsequent release of the software and relicensing of his image - that is the law.

In this case, our attorney notes that if the obtained image (commercially used) was being used within the confines of it's intended use - i.e. editorial use or use by news agencies that are shot on public property or shots on private property, obtain from a public location, do not often require the release of the persons depicted. Also, implied use agreements, where an individual is granted permission to shoot the photos - i.e. redcarpet events for use is publication, are protected.

Basically, as a few have said, you will need a release for commercially viable photos obtained of said individuals, for commercial use, unless there is an agreement from the estate holder/trustee.

Finally, there are many entertainers (deceased) that will require permission (unless a release was obtained at time of shoot) for any depiction, characterization or photo to be used for private gain (commerically). Litigation is expensive, so it might be worth a phone call to the family to see what their feel for your work is...just a thought

Dislaimer - regional laws are the ONLY laws that matter. You should always seek legal advice from a regional attorney to prevent any legal tie-ups.

Black and white portraiture is my true love. I thank you for the link...

Think about getting a "good" ND32 or ND64 filter...I have seen some great long exposure daytime shots taken from the islands. Slowing down the shutter speed (5-6 stops, respectively) will allow you to catch some great water motion...shooting at .5 to 1 full second at f22...additionally, you can use the filters to open the apeture to decrease the DOF...have fun!!!

It is the cheap filter...take it off...I took pics at a vigil and had these enomolies. They were confirmed by checking the back of my camera and seeing them again when i was shooting the Christmas parade!!!

The "negative" and "processing" comments are correct. RAW is just that, the raw data used to create your final product. However, you will not always get the best results by converting to "lossy" image formats.

Lossless compression JPEG formats can be accomplished, by converting to one of the various JPEG-LS, JPEG 2000, JPEG XR options, but what is important really will vary with personal use. IF you are interested in the possiblities that the future may hold, then conversion of your RAW data to mulitiple formats would be a good choice. My workflow involves me saving to TIFF and DNG, as well as a low resolution JPG for referencing my files at a later time. This allows me future uses when other formats will not be supported in time.

Most people will not care what the compressed file lost or didn't lose; they only care how clear the image is or if it will blow up to a larger print size and look "presentable" to their viewers. I print large-format, and the least amount of data loss is imparative for my clients. If it looks good at 30 x 60 then it will look fabulous at 4 x 6.

Your results will vary, but ultimately, you have to be happy and you have to manage your workflow. The point has been stated over and over again - RAW is data collection - JPEG is the product, with truncated data to manage file size! There are other options that are supported by pretty much every print house and some that non-professional print places will not support. Use what works for you!

If you are using the XT, you can set your settings (on camera) to increase the sharpness, contrast and white balance settings and save them as a user preference. I set mine up recently, since noticing that I am doing the same setting changes in post - consistantly. This has saved me valuable time when going back through the pics. Remember, cheap glass and filters will have some affect on the shot, but these are pretty nice cameras and have a lot of capabilites...you have to get in and explore them.

This is a great tip...this kind of input is why I love these kind of forums!!!

Regarding - Front surface mirrors!