13/02/12

The Shirley Hall is a grand setting which has been the host to a variety of concerts over the years, acoustically it was perfect for the orchestra and Michael Chance's amazing vocals. Lighting was at a minimum as the only artificial light was coming from the spotlights up, so two fast lenses were needed to get some wider and close up photos. The 50mm 1.2 and 135mm 2.0 were both wide open for the duration of the evening, with over 300 people present it worked nicely with photos from various angles showing the orchestra and audience together. The event was hosted and arranged by Crowther's of Canterbury who established in 1989 by Ian Crowther, a professional oboist, and is an independent Music Shop situated at 1 Borough, Canterbury.

As for most concert photography I used the camera in manual mode and shutter speeds were between 1/60-1/80 so stability was important, I used a range of ISO's from 800-2000. After the first performance I covered some informal photos of Michael signing CDs and the audience chatting prior to the second performance.