Why Point And Shoot Cameras Should Be Banned From The Photo Pit

Blurry Concert Photo

Blurry Concert Photo

Ok, I know i will get a little flack from this but I don’t care. Last year at the Mayhem fest I had to deal with a photo pit full of point and shoot amateurs that only got in the way. A DSLR can be purchased for almost as much as a really good point and shoot now, so there is no excuse. If you do not care enough about photography to get a DSLR you should not be granted a spot in the photo pit. As I made clear in my last photo related post, everyone should be allowed to take photos. But to be in the photo pit you should at least have a DSLR.

Hold It With The Hate Mail
Now for all you point and shoot photographers that are about to send me hate mail, please pay attention. There are many benefits you may not realize that a DSLR will bring you. I recently sent a potential new writer/photographer to a show of a very big mainstream metal band. He came back with 6 photos. When I post a photo shoot I end up with between 20 and 100 photos. Why? Because I have a DSLR. Anyone who ever tries concert photography finds out very soon about the number one rule. “First 3 songs and no flash.” It is a pretty standard rule that has been around as long as I have been doing concert photos in the early 90′s. It is a pretty major challenge to get a respectable amount of quality photos with a point and shoot. With a DSLR you can shoot photos at a much faster rate. Hell, in good lighting I find myself trying to get the camera to only take one or two shots when I push the button. It’s faster than my finger. This is good since many times you while it takes 10 shots, one is good enough to keep. With a point and shoot you just loose the shot. What if an artist runs up to your camera and does this awesome pose? There is no way you can know what will be the best shot. So with a DSLR you just hold down the button. The camera goes off at machine gun pace and grabs like 20 photos. When you get home you can then pick the one shot that is full of more awesome than anything you have seen in your favorite music magazine.

So why do you need so many photos?
When I shoot one of the big festivals most of the shooting is done in the very bright lights of the daytime. When this happens I can shoot a thousand photos in the three song limit with no problem. Then when I get home I can be brutal about what photos I throw away. The more photos you take the better your chance at getting a good selection of amazing shots. Now when you shoot in some really dark club with a pathetic amount of lighting there is another thing that the DSLR will help with. Because the sensor is bigger and much higher quality you will end up with less blurry images. The more powerful controls help as well, but they have a slight learning curve.

Is $200 Too Much For You Ya Cheap Skate?
Now I am far from being the best photographer around. In fact, as far as photographers with pro-level cameras I am pretty much a wannabe. But dealing with some of the people that are allowed into the photo pit at the bigger shows is driving me nuts. Hell, there was even a few douchebags with nothing but an iPhone to take photos. Seriously, there were people with nothing except cell phone cameras. I’m not asking for some super elitist licensing board or anything. Just get a DSLR. I’ve seen some available on Ebay for less than $200. You can get one new on Amazon for less than $500. So before jumping into the summer concerts, please upgrade to a real camera. Thanks.