OK! You finally made it into the photo pit, you know the rules, and you're waiting for the concert to start. If there is no curtain, study the stage carefully. Start with the lights. How and where are they positioned? What kind of lights are they—fixed hanging spotlights or rotating, computer-controlled Vari-Lites? Regular fixed spotlights are more predictable and therefore easy to use as backlight. Is there anything special on stage that will make the show remarkable? Where is the microphone of the most important (aka well-known) person in the band? Choose your best position in the photo pit based on what you see on stage, and move there. You may have seen the show before, or you may have seen some footage on YouTube, so you know what to expect during the opening. The singer may emerge from beneath the stage on a riser or come down from the ceiling. Maybe a fan in the audience who has already seen the show ten times will tell you what to expect. One way or another, find out every bit of information you can about what is going to happen. Try to get as much of this information in advance as possible. You only have three songs to shoot, so any planning you do will work to your advantage. You can feel it when the show is about to start. If you peek under the curtain on stage, you will see many feet moving. You will see shades and small lights of flashlights guiding musicians to their spots. Check your camera one more time to make sure every-thing is set correctly. Use ISO 1600, shutter priority, or a manual setting on a safe speed (1/250) that is the closest for a low or high light opening. It is also safe to adjust your (zoom) lens to a medium shot. House lights will go out in a minute, and then you won't be able to see a thing. From that moment on, every second counts. A photo like the one on the opposite page is most often shot in the first minute. In this particular case, Rage Against the Machine decided to make their appearance on stage dressed as Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Once the drummer starts playing, these surprises are usually over—so make sure you are ready to go when the concert starts. Depending on the temperature in the hall, an artist like Marilyn Manson may decide to take off his leather coat during or after the first song (photo below).
