I finally had the opportunity to test drive the Nikon D300 in a challenging low light condition last week. Concerts or live shows are probably the area that can be most frustrating to shoot, but the most exciting at the same time. My shooting style tends to lend to a fast pace, catch the moment before it disappears, type of shooting. I feel like a dog on a chain if I have to work in the studio setting, I just want to get out so I can use available light instead of precise control. My mind tends to work in a quick way, so methodical control for me is painstaking. I guess some might call it ADD… I just like to think it’s just my way of getting things done.

Bassist Stephen Manning had asked me to come to a live show he was playing at, as we had arranged to do some portraits of him for self promotion. My whole intent was to get to the venue, shoot for about an hour and get home at a decent time on a Thursday night. So Steve and I shot for quite awhile and one of the coolest places to shoot in Seattle, The Columbia City Theatre. They have a great recording room with some vintage equipment that was perfect to shoot around. The old Reel to Reel recorders and a large mixing board just makes it a fantastic venue to shoot at. It really makes you feel like you are in the heart and soul of music creation. Something a laptop and Pro Tools fails to create.

Steve and I had finished up and he had to get ready for his sound check before the show. I had my gear pretty much put away and was ready to hit the road until I heard the fantastic voice of Rane Stone and the band just knocking em dead in sound check. “Damn”, I thought to myself, I have to stay and listen to these guys and definatly shoot the show as well.

The great thing about shooting a small venue like this, there is no three song limit bs. No dealing with agents, venue, etc. As long as you are cool and not getting in the way of the show, it’s pretty much an open opportunity to shoot.

Luckily there was a group on before hand so I could dial in my settings. I settled on shooting the Nikon D300 @ 3200 iso and was amazed at how well it performed at that speed. It was almost like I was looking at old 800 ASA film when I started editing. The shot above of guitarist JT Manning was a great capture for me, since lighting was tough with lots of red light being thrown on stage and his face was not lit very well.

I was also able to get some good shots of Rane from different vantage points as well as guitarist Marcus Cushway, though his baseball cap always kept his face dark.

So, to sum this all up, it was great to test drive the D300 and the performance is awesome in low light.I’m glad I took the time to relax and not be in such a hurry to get out of the venue, I was able to hear a great Seattle voice and band.

Many more images from the shoot are here

Technical notes:

Stephen Manning photo shot @ 160 iso with f/3.5 2 second shutter speed on tripod. Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED lens

JT Manning photo shot @ 3200 iso with f/1.8 1/60 second handheld with AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens

Rane Stone Shot @ 4000 with f/2.8 1/90 second handheld with 180mm Nikon 2.8 lens

Marcus Cushman @ 3200 iso f/1.8 1/80 second handheld AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8