Darren Wellhoefer's photography blog

Been getting a bunch of emails about how to photograph/what to expect while photographing the Greek Theatre. Here are some key points:

1. Parking. To those familiar with the Greek, parking always seems to get exponentially worse the later it gets, so get there early. This will make sense at # 4.
2. Overwhelming’ness: (is that a word?). If you never shot a concert before, all the lights, people, vibe & energy can overwhelm you, so instead of checking your camera (test shots to get proper exposure, making sure you have a memory card available, and also making sure your memory cards are quickly accessible & not buried in your memory card case (again, this will make sense when I go over #4.), you might get wide-eyed with all that is going on & not be prepared. Do not save camera setup times for when the concert is going on- you’ll burn critical shoot time. As we waited, I noticed a lot of photographers talking & not setting up, only to scramble when the show started. Don’t burn valuable shoot time.
3. Signing disclosures. Before you shoot, you will be required to sign disclosures. You can use the images you shoot as promotional items only. You cannot sell them. Selling them is a big no no. Don’t do it.
4. Go time. When the concert starts, you can shoot as much as you want. But the key is only for 3 songs. That might seem like a long time, but trust me- its not a lot of time. This is why being ready to shoot is important.
5. Variety. Don’t just bring 1 lens. Bring a bunch of different lenses. & Don’t be too 1 dimensional & only shoot the band. Shoot the audience when the song ends- capture energy!

Ziggy Markley @ the Greek Theatre