Recently the band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have begun posting signs at their concerts, asking fans to put away their cell phones and other cameras. They ask fans do this as a courtesy not just to the band, but to the other people at the show. As someone who has said unkind things about the people who use their phones at the movies, I find myself agreeing with them.
Now, for concerts I can understand the compulsion to whip out your phone and take a photo, it's a way to remember the experience and document a good time. But I understand why a band would want people to holster their cameras, and at a recent concert I found myself wishing that the people around me would put their cameras away and just enjoy the performance. It was partially because of the distraction, but also because of the sheer futility of their efforts.
I have taken photos of concerts through work, as that has allowed me to take reasonably high quality equipment and also get very close to the stage. Concert photography is very difficult, I have discovered, and without those advantages you're going to get pictures that simply aren't very good. It's a situation with strange light, long distances and lots of movement. You need good equipment to get anything remotely viewable, because cheaper cameras just aren't designed to handle the variables concerts involve.
The resulting images for most people in the crowd will be much like those I saw on the cameras of the people surrounding me. They will be blurry, both because they are out of focus and because the performers are moving. They will be distant, because unless you have the appropriate passes you're going to be far from the stage. You will not communicate that you're seeing your favorite performer playing your favorite song. Instead, you'll just distract everyone, as you try in vain to get something resembling what you're seeing in front of you.
Since it's impossible to get that photo, why not just enjoy the show? It's going to be more fun if you're not fretting about trying to get a picture and distracting not only others, but yourself as well. The more time you spend fiddling with camera settings, attempting to zoom in from a far distance, and getting frustrated by the indistinct blur you capture, the less time you're spending just enjoying the show. The performance is happening right in front of you, and if it's good enough that you want to remember it, you're going to remember it anyway.
If I'm going for my own personal enjoyment, I don't have my big camera on me, and I find it much more rewarding to keep my phone firmly in my pocket. The reason is simple, it's much more fun to just be entertained for a few hours than to document it. I say this as someone who enjoys taking concert photos when I have the chance, it's an entirely different animal than just showing up and having a good time. It's work to get that perfect shot, and as much as I enjoy the challenge it's not the same as sitting back and enjoying the concert.
Next time you're at a show, unless you've got the right pass, holster that camera. It will make the event more fun for you, the person behind you, and the band itself.
