If the event is cool and decently paid I am in. A few weeks back now, I was at this cool event. The Who got the flower international hip hop festival. A family-friendly festival, with good vibes, high-level performers and just pure positive energy.
When shooting live musicians, for me it’s a no brainer, no need for high shutter speeds, with lenses opening as wide as f2.8 you can work around 1/100th and higher handheld (depending on the weight of your lens and if it’s stabilized) without going too high with your iso. At least I never had to go higher than Iso 800… but yeah sometimes you can be out of luck and have poorly lit stage.
You can go slower if you wish to incorporate motion blur, I prefer to freezing movement, so I never aim for these types of images and usually try my best to work with a high shutter speed…but that’s up to your personal preferences.
When shooting action, fast movements… sports, circus or dance, freezing movement is a bit of a challenge. You will have to embrace and accept the noise that will show up in your photos.
I usually use continuous autofocus and follow my subjects. I use 2 to 3 program settings, one for static shots or slow movements, Another one for static group shots, and of course one for fast action.



If you are using entry-level cameras, I suggest you invest in fast prime lenses in order to avoid going too high with your ISO. Prioritize expressions and emotions instead of trying to catch impressive spectacular shots at all costs.
Don’t forget that your pictures depend heavily on the quality of light you will have at your disposal… and sometimes you can have really awful surprises. When this happens, do your best, be creative with your shots, if you can have a chat with the venue, the person in charge of the lights, do so.
Huge thanks to the entire Staff of this amazing event for welcoming me again this year for the 4th year in a row. Down below are a few highlights of the 3vs3 break competition… You will find more images on their Facebook page: WGTF!? 2019
And maybe the best night of the weekend, the Collab’ battle… 8 dancers, 8 musicians playing live, total freestyle :