In concert photography, you’ll typically want to use a lens with a wide aperture (f/2.8 or wider) to allow more light into the camera and help you capture sharp, well-exposed images in low light conditions. A lens with a longer focal length (such as a 70-200mm or a 300mm) can also be useful for capturing close-up shots of performers.
In addition to a fast lens, it’s also a good idea to have a lens with a shorter focal length (such as a 24-70mm or a 50mm) to allow you to capture wider shots of the stage and the performers. This can be helpful for showing the context of the concert and the energy of the crowd.
It’s worth noting that the type of lens you’ll want to use will depend on the type of concert you’re photographing and the size of the venue. In general, it’s a good idea to have a variety of lenses on hand so that you can choose the one that’s best suited for the situation.
Finally, it’s also important to make sure that your lens is fast enough to capture sharp images in low light conditions. A lens with a fast aperture (f/2.8 or wider) is typically recommended for concert photography.
For those who are interested in nostalgia, old Shadows music or anything the New Zealand Variety Arts Club gets up to you may just find the odd snippet here.
In this case I have uploaded a video from a show in Auckland during 2015.
It features “The Shadz” another New Zealand band who rock the planet.
Hank Marvin, the guitarist from the original band “The Shadows” is pictured here performing at the latest Gypsy Jazz Festival on 2nd March 2019 at Drakesbrook Winery in Western Australia.

Hank Marvin
Blogs as well as Facebook provide a platform for airing views, whether it be what I classify as political BS, or how bad Starbucks Coffee happens to be etc.
This is a very rare rant for me but currently I am highly brassed off and it has NOTHING to do with photography. It is all to do with VALUE in the entertainment industry.
Over recent years there has been numerous posts on websites and social media by musicians who quite rightly complain about establishments and venues who are not prepared to pay reasonable fees for performances.
Yes it is extremely hard for musicians to get gigs now and get paid for what they are worth. I do my best to help, providing artists with high quality images at NO cost, to do with whatever they wish.

People who LISTEN to music like myself are always prepared to pay to see people we like and respect. We are blessed in New Zealand at the value we can normally find to see wonderful performers.
As an example, in 2018 Twenty dollars to see the great Roy Phillips (ex Peddlers).
Five dollars (members) and fifteen dollars public to see Ray Woolf sing his heart out at Auckland Jazz and Blues club. Plus many others PLUS those who perform free.
WELL, last night 22nd January four of us paid Six hundred and thirty four dollars and four cents to see Elaine Page at Bruce Mason Theatre in Takapuna.
Now here is the good and great:
- We did not know Elaine Page was performing there. We found out an hour earlier while at a restaurant nearby. Wow, we could not believe it, off to get the very best tickets we could, if there happened to be any left. It was beyond belief that someone like me did not know this world class performer was here in Auckland. I had been lucky enough to see her perform in London many years ago.
- The excitement was bubbling and we could not believe our luck to find out last minute and get what were without doubt, the best seats in the house.
- The opening act was a set performed by the “John G Smith” Band, the backing group for Elaine Paige. They were spectacular, wonderful musicians and YES they used real instruments. The opening number one of my favorites “Mountain Dance” written by the great Dave Grusin. No complaints at all, thirty minutes of great music by a superb group, in a nice theatre and at that stage a good atmosphere.
- The main act and second half was the great Elaine Paige backed by John G Smith and his group. This lady is still going strong, a wonderful voice with terrific repertoire of music. Songs written by people such as Jimmy Webb, Harry Nilsson and others. Her performance included most of the Beatles tunes found on the Sgt Pepper Album. The final song was “Memory” and yes no doubt the voice is still there. HOWEVER read the next bit:
Here is the bad:
THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW WAS PERFORMED WITH THE AUDITORIUM LIGHTS ON.
There was virtually no dimming of lights after half time yet the first half was performed in darkness with a well lit stage. There was a row of spots along the ceiling directly above our seats which were too bright and reflected off our eye-wear making it difficult to see the stage which we could do in the first half.
There were many grumpy people including our friends who felt they had paid good money to be let down by a dumb decision to keep the lights on over the audience. The sad thing is Elaine Paige would have had a full view of the many empty rows of seats.
This show was badly promoted (if at all). For artists of this calibre and a woman who has led such a spectacular career over many years deserves an audience of more than just a few hundred people.
Despite me laying a complaint with the management on behalf of our friends and others around us nothing was done about the lights. In addition despite the most professional performance by a world acclaimed artist many people were expressing their dissatisfaction at the ned of the concert over the bad lighting.
In my opinion if there happened to be a request by the performer to leave the lights on (which is what I was told by management), was a bad decision.
All of a sudden the VALUE of our seats were diminished, it was not the same experience as the first half which was performed with the auditorium being in full darkness and a nicely lit stage.
There was no photography permitted which is OK, however at least I am able to show a copy of the ticket I paid for a great performance but disappointing experience.
After having had first hand experience promoting and marketing in my own career it requires work these days to please people, entertainers are meant to have people leave feeling happy.
Oh well I will just lay it on an promoters who I was were not even present, just a bunch of monkeys.
I am constantly being asked where to buy guitar gear. People want to know the most reliable source for online musical equipment.
To be honest the very best I can come up with it Amazon. They not only are the biggest online market place they have the biggest range of equipment you can imagine.
Tommy Adderley was a well known singer and entertainer who sadly passed away on February 5th 1993. Tommy had immigrated to New Zealand many years earlier and become well known very quickly. His ability to sing and play the harp was unequaled in this country.
During 1985 during Queens birthday weekend Tommy along with others such as Roger Fox created the Southern Cross Jazz Festival. Many guests such as the great Midge Marsden, Jacqui Fitzgerald, Beaver, Frank Gibson’s Space Case, The Queen City Big Band, and many more appeared on the bill. The event that particular year was held at the old Mon Desir Hotel in Takapuna, Auckland New Zealand which is no longer there, having been replaced by apartments.
Here is a picture of Tommy, with Brian Smith on Saxophone and the sensational Billy Christian on Bass Guitar. The proceeds from this event were given to charity, and in this case it was the Wilson Home for crippled children.
Peter Caulton another sensational New Zealand entertainer was sadly farewelled today in Auckland.
One of the real great New Zealand artists who deserved far more recognition in this country passed away on March 13th 2018. A former member of Stage Door Trio, Country Flyers, and Good News, Peter Caulton performed regularly at local pubs and concerts. He was far better known in Germany where he spent many years entertaining troops and of course locals. He made many appearances on television shows as Happen Inn, Country Touch, and Studio One.
Glyn Tucker is one of my oldest friends. We meet in the very early 1960’s when I worked for Concord Electronics in New Zealand. Glyn went on and created Mandrill Recording Studios in Parnell Auckland.
This photo of Glyn is one I took at the Monaco Diehards Reunion held in Auckland on December 10th 2017.
You can read more about what Glyn is up to here:

Glyn Tucker
Travel and Landscapes
Travel and having my bum on an airline seat ranks very high in my interests. Although my real passion is concert photography I do take landscape photos. Being able to frame a shot that shows interest is not my strongest point however some countries make it a little easier with their stunning scenery as in fact our own country does.
I have been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world, Italy on a regular basis and at one time (2008) I was able to visit Jordan and Egypt. I have only taken my pocket sized Sony RX100 on those trips and yet was still lucky enough to capture one or two nice pictures.

treasury Petra