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Arts Entertainment

I Shot The Vans Warped Tour Last Year, And This Is What Future Concert Photographers Need to Know

How I framed shots covering Van's Warped Tour

Michael Neal
Jun 27, 2018
Bowling Green State University
71
I Shot The Vans Warped Tour Last Year, And This Is What Future Concert Photographers Need to Know
Michael Neal

Last summer I received press credentials to shoot the Vans Warped Tour.

It was crazy hot, but a ton of fun, and I have some tips I'm going to share with you. Along the way in this article, I'll be including many shots that I took while covering the Cincinnati stop. I hope that the techniques shared here will help anyone who wants to get into concert shooting.


Michael Neal


The nice thing about shooting warped is the sun, and the challenge about shooting warped is also the sun. Fast shutter speeds are a must to capture the movements of the performers, and you also need to be careful to not blow out your highlights due to the brightness of an outdoor summer concert series.



Michael Neal

I love black and white for concert work, particularly because it helps to capture the grit and sweat of the shows.


Michael Neal



Michael Neal

Another thing that I would recommend is to bring a wide variety of lenses. I shot a lot with a sigma art 20mm f/1.4 to give myself a really wide range to work with. I also brought a 50mm, and a 105mm - both of which added options in my bag based on where I was located in the barricade.


Michael Neal


A big aspect of shooting concert work again, is knowing when to capture an image. Capturing unique moments help to really make shots stand out.



Michael Neal


Warped tour is a really fun event, and I loved shooting it. I'll end the article with a couple more shots, but remember to shoot fast, shoot memorable moments, and don't blow out your highlights.



Michael Neal



Michael Neal



Michael Neal

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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