Just picked film over digital for a concert shoot and it was a mess

I brought my old Canon AE-1 to a small show at a dive bar in Nashville last night instead of borrowing my friend's digital Nikon. The lighting was TERRIBLE and I missed every other shot because I couldn't chimp the results between songs. Has anyone else tried shooting live music with film and found a trick for exposure in dark rooms?

2 comments

2 Comments

smith.ray11d ago

Trust the meter and the feel of the room" - that's it, really.

uma_nguyen2411d ago

You must have been shooting wide open on that 50mm f/1.8 with something like Portra 800. The trick is you need faster film or push process it. Try pushing Tri-X to 1600 or 3200, the grain looks great for concerts. Isn't half the fun of film learning to trust the meter and the feel of the room instead of staring at a screen?