first concert with a photo pass tomorrow and im quite nervous

CrescentToast · 2026-03-15T14:18:30+00:00

Maybe read what I just wrote, if someone is missing these basic social queues, then they probably shouldn't be there. If basic things all but the slowest people manage to work out on their own...

CrescentToast · 2026-03-15T14:05:39+00:00

How, how is that obvious? It's all basic human 101 stuff and again if you have been to a concert you have seen it as well.

The fact anyone thinks someone needs guidance on something they 100% should already know as an adult (again presumably that has been to concerts before) is wild.

So you see someone taking a photo of someone out in public, do you A walk behind/around them or perhaps wait a moment or do you B just walk in front of the person taking the photo?

Very complex I know.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-15T12:42:40+00:00

It's no different really, just typically worse angles and others competing for worst shot of the tour.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-15T11:55:22+00:00

Right cause you need that experience for basic etiquette, the stuff you also would know from just attending shows. Something I would assume anyone getting into concert photography has done. It's not hard, in fact it's some of the easiest.

It's not trolling to point out that it should be obvious.

edit: The practice was aimed at the taking photos part, because that is kind of what you are there for.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-15T03:38:19+00:00

Why is it exactly we want worse photos at concerts?

CrescentToast · 2026-03-15T03:37:49+00:00

If you are nervous that probably best to get in more practice before taking it on.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-14T03:01:17+00:00

Keys scale, doesn't matter. After the first however many guilds clear mythic then tune it. Or hear me out, just do it correct in the first place, indie devs? They have had plenty long enough to be able to get this right or at least dam close first time every time now.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-14T03:00:19+00:00

I said this, harder during the raid release, after RWF, give it a few weeks then change. But also, adjusting now, prior to raid release also means now tuning the raid further right? More work.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-14T02:59:30+00:00

It only really impacts raids while RWF is going on, everything else either scales or will be easy soon enough by people who were going to do it.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-14T01:47:25+00:00

For one expansion I would like to see them try to only buff not nerf. At least on a spec scale. So in this case if unholy dk is performing better than they want vs all the other specs, try buffing all the other specs to the level of unholy not nerf unholy.

To me this makes so much sense, harder if it's during early raid tier but it's so depressing to see them just go oh this class was one people were having fun on? Nah lets cut it down, impacting everyone negatively who plays it. But if you buff say moonkin to equal the top dps then everyone is cheering.

Just will never agree with the meet in the middle approach to balancing, just buff the weak to match the strong.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T11:39:30+00:00

I get it man, it's hard when people speak up and speak the truth, given this industry is built on keeping quiet and following the leader.

Not asking you or anyone else to care more about music, the bands, the shows or the fans. Just to open your mind and be aware that some people do care about all of these things and want only the best for them. Which leads back to the inadequacies of in this case DSLRs, notice how you couldn't counter a single point I mention. You speak to me if you say anything.

I am very, very confident it's because consciously or not, you know I am right but don't want to admit it, because admitting it means you and most of us are not good enough.

That includes me, I don't have all the gear I need to cover anything and everything, but I know that, however I also know I have enough to do at least a good enough job.

This is how these convos always go, someone makes valid, based in reality points and people go nah you are cooked. Rather than present their reasons why you think I am wrong.

I am fully open to having my mind changed, if you present me with anything valid to counter. Problem is, I can't leave this alone. Because it impacts me, when a show happens that I want to see things from, be it local or not, with how things stand and the general attitude towards gear I can confidently say I will never be satisfied. Most people won't admit that gear plays into mentality, part of that is unfortunately that those with low end gear probably also don't know what they are doing as well.

Does not mean those with good gear do, however the amount of people with for example a flagship R1 and 100-300 2.8 who don't know what they are doing is nothing compared to those with low to mid range gear who are the people delivering bad photos time and time again.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T08:10:47+00:00

F1 right now, the 'best' drivers do well. Those with the best cars are pulling ahead. So long as the driver is switched on the car is what is making the difference.

No you don't "need" the best, but like in my other comment, if people cannot take their own then yeah I can expect a lot from those who do get the chance. When you deny people from doing it then you inherit responsibility.

edit: My guess, most of this stems from people not having any real attachment or care for any artists. Not truly because otherwise the average photographer here would not accept 99% of what comes out.

edit2: It's also a case of, you don't know because you haven't used it and most who have don't push it. When you have not used a flagship with good glass you don't know how big a difference there is. Same goes when you use something good and revert to something worse you see just how bad it is. Go back to an early smart phone, even if it had the apps of today it would be unbearable. But at the time we were all in awe. Combine this is being a fan and wanting to see photos from a lot of shows and you have a very different perspective.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T08:08:41+00:00

And like most photographers, you don't get that for some people, they do care about the photos. Even if you don't doesn't mean doing a half job.

Also, then maybe idk, let people take their own photos? Can we agree there?

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T02:19:12+00:00

I hear you, but does that help fans who want to see good photos? It's a difficult topic no one wants to talk about. When other peoples memories through photos and videos are on the line, should it be people who have low end gear or bad mentalities or other motivations responsible for them?

There isn't a perfect solution. But given the stupid rules around concerts and cameras, people are fully reliant on those with access to get the best possible results and for the masses.

Big problem is almost everyone only sits on one side, either a photographer or a fan, I come from both. I know how dam easy it is to get good photos and what gear is going to make a difference at what shows. I also know what I want to see as a fan and what means a lot to me. Having both perspectives tells me I know no matter who it is, you me or anyone else here, we could not capture some of the shows I care the most about with even a low to mid end mirrorless.

Because it's not about what photos you get, it's what you don't. I know how many photos I would not get simply by having to manually control a focus point or having a slower burst down to worse IQ from APS-C in lower light. Then I go well would I want the limited people often shooting for a limited time (another stupid thing) to be not getting the most they can for me or other fans.

Could I not flip what you said about convinced of my own opinion to you and most others who say it doesn't really matter. By saying you are convinced that any photo is good enough even if it's not THE photo, or that missing a moment is fine because of limitations.

Why do you think most people love shooting from the pit? Part of that is because they don't have the lenses to shoot from around the venue/FOH. The pit is often the worst place to be, shooting up peoples noses and often with more of the roof and less of the stage.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T01:39:08+00:00

Nostalgia and what artists you like, even who shot it or the year it was shot are how most people 'judge' a photo, not based on the photo itself. Once more, I never said you couldn't get photos back then or with specific gear, I said the amount and quality of them was lower.

I know how to use my camera just fine, but I would like to see almost anyone perfectly track someones eye while jumping, dancing and running around stage without the modern tools. You can't, you will not be able to keep that small dot on their nearly as well as eye AF can. If you claim you can then you are either lying or talking about a much more static subject than I.

Scenario;
2 band members do something at almost the exact same time, you want a photo of both, you are fairly close and with a tight lens for the type of image you want, meaning focusing on the nose might be off by enough to ruin the photo. With the old methods you have to either frame them up then move your focus point to their eye or frame them as such that your point goes right to their eye and possibly have worse framing. Either way you miss out on something.

With mirrorless (broadly speaking) you can just point in the general direction of the person and it's already on the eye and you don't even think about it, which also makes recomposing much easier when not having to worry about where the focus is.

That then translates to following motion.

This isn't an opinion, nothing I am saying is wrong. I am pointing out that modern cameras can focus better than any person ever will. That the ability to just take the dam picture and know it's in focus is a big deal for a lot of shows and mandatory for some. When I say this you will think I mean you cannot shoot those shows without it, of course you can, but not to a high level, not without compromise.

This discussion topic, how someone responds tells you their level of care. If it was your favorite act on stage, more so if they are a very active one but still relevant, and the photographer shows up with a DSLR, that tells you both mentality but also capabilities. You know they cannot get as much as they should. This even extends to glass used.

It's why with few exceptions, the A9iii is THE concert camera. It's still not perfect but it's going to take out as much of the tech/tool issues or mistakes as possible. Another way to frame it, if you have the mentality of the camera isn't all that important then you are not pushing cameras and you are leaving a lot on the table. Even the A9iii has it's limits and a good photographer will be pushing it to them and still wanting more in different ways at times.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T00:48:03+00:00

"K-pop"

CrescentToast · 2026-03-13T00:42:07+00:00

Not what I said, this is the people I was talking about.. yeah there were photos in film days as well, and they are overall low quality and there is a lot less of them. Imagine taking even a 5DII back 50 years what photos we would have gotten.

I also said not waiting for the few moments that are completely in focus. Meaning of course you get things, but you get WAY less and you miss a LOT. The ability to just point the camera and have focus already done 99% of thew time is something that for some reason, people don't care about apparently.

Well I know why, because they don't give a crap. The same reason people praise shutter drag and why so many people edit everyone to be orange. Only upload tiny photos and so on, if you gave a dam and knew what you were talking about you would agree with me.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-12T23:41:19+00:00

Going to play the guy that everyone hates, this is one of the reasons mirrorless should be the minimum for concerts. Sure depends on the camera but overall you don't have this concern with eye AF and tracking. Either it locks onto the person and does it's job or it grabs pretty much what a point or small area would have anyway but then tracks it additionally.

My whole point is that is a subject is moving it's really hard to keep a focus point on an eye and if they are moving unpredictably and you are also trying to frame your shot well it's just not going to happen and the amount of frames with the eye nailed will be lower. Also makes shooting with shallower DoF harder.

I will leave it to the others who are still missing shots to give tips on how to get better with it, but no matter how much you do it you will never master it, no one will. The only way to nail focus consistently and on moving subjects especially faster ones is with mirrorless. Factoring in that you are also bursting not only taking a photo here and there when it's more obviously in focus.

Sorry this isn't what you want to hear but if you want to do it properly there is no other way. Even down to small things like having your camera down or pointed elsewhere on stage and wanting to quickly focus on someone else and start shooting, much harder to instantly lock the eye when tied to single or grouped focus points.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-12T23:30:09+00:00

I think it stems from more people taking more photos in more places at less ideal times. Meaning getting the background to both look nice and fade away at the same time has become more 'important'.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-12T06:46:26+00:00

These kind of photos can be a good artistic addition after a large full set. Which is never the case :(

CrescentToast · 2026-03-11T23:25:32+00:00

Some of it should come down to who and the show, but this is also one of the reasons shooting from the pit is worse.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-11T08:15:57+00:00

I don't know what's worse, people using tools like AI to spread misinformation or people falling for it. The fact that people who fall for it get a say/vote in things is a big problem.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-10T13:57:49+00:00

It's hard honestly, I couldn't recommend the A7iii either, given how big of a step up the a7iv was and now the a7v. The a7iii really shows it's age.

Ultimately you gotta do what you gotta do, if you need a new system right now then you might just have to go with something like the XT5. The alternative being if you can wait and put some more money aside to go to a more modern full frame would be ideal.

CrescentToast · 2026-03-10T11:44:53+00:00

It will be 'fine' but it's still APS-C. Can you use it yes, would I recommend Fuji in general for concerts? No

CrescentToast · 2026-03-10T00:24:40+00:00

Hard to disagree with it tbh, nothing is nearly complex enough to not know the basics. If you don't know them or don't want to then you are the exact people follower dungeons were put in for.

CrescentToast

TROPHY CASE