Chinese New Year Gala

Two weeks ago I photographed the Lunar New Year Gala in University of Waterloo. Here are a few photos and how I shot them.

1. Use the right gear
     Any DSLR camera on the market has the capability to photograph live performance. The lens is more important. Unless you are in the photo pit right in front of the stage, a telephoto zoom lens should be your first choice. My favourite lens is 70-200 f2.8. I also use 24-70 on another camera to shoot wider angle.

2. Use manual mode
    Because the lights constantly change on the stage, I prefer to use the manual settings. I usually use spot metering to get correct exposure of the subject and adjust shutter speed if the light condition changes. Backgrounds are usually very dark, other metering modes will throw away your exposure.

3. ISO/aperture/shutter speed
    The lights are usually dark in live performance. I use ISO3200 or 6400 to get faster shutter speed. Newer DSLRs performance very well at even ISO6400. And a little bit of noise is acceptable for this kind of photo.
    Have aperture wide open to get more light and blur the background. I usually use f2.8 or the smallest number on the lens.
    Because the subjects are constantly moving on the stage, keep the shutter speed high enough to freeze the motion unless you want some motion blur on purpose. I usually use 1/200 second or higher.
    Not using flash. Flash is not allowed or not welcomed at least for any live performance. Due to the distance of the subject, flash is not effective anyway.

4. Use centre AF point to focus on the subject's face and recompose. Due to the distance and movement of the subjects, focusing on eyes are not always achievable.

5. Last but not least, get permission before you shoot.