Over 1 million people are expected to watch Taylor Swift live when her Eras Tour come to the UK this summer (7 June – 20 August), hoping to capture a glimpse and photos of the mega star. Will you be there?
In the UK, 3 in 4 say they take photos and videos every time they attend a concert and nearly half (45%) of Gen Zers wouldn’t attend a gig if they weren’t able to take a photo whilst there. On average, people spend 14 minutes in total of each concert they attend capturing memories on their smartphone.
As most stadiums don’t allow professional cameras, or selfie sticks, 4gadgets has, with the help of expert photographers Paul David Smith and Víctor Aláez, put together a guide with easy phone camera tips that will ensure all Swiftie fans can capture the atmosphere and performance like pros. A performance they’ve been looking forward to for a long time and want to remember forever.
1. How to take the best photo, without using any settings
Put your camera in automatic mode and let it do the hard work!
HDR is designed to help balance the light and dark areas of your photo, bringing out details that might otherwise be lost in shadow or washed out by bright lights. This feature is particularly useful in the dynamic lighting environments of concerts, where the stage lighting can vary dramatically.
2. How to pose for a selfie, alone or with friends, to get the good angles in the arena
The key is to hold your smartphone camera at arm’s length and angle it slightly above eye level. This allows you to capture your smiling faces with the impressive arena and stage visible in the background.
Creative posing, especially in group selfies, can turn a simple photo into a memorable one. Experimenting with different arrangements, like forming a semi-circle with the stage in the background, jumping together, or mimicking the artist’s pose, adds fun and energy to your photos.
3. Use your pocket mirror or a plastic glass for to create photography effects like prism or lens distortion
Use a clear plastic bottle or glass. The curves and shapes of the plastic can work similarly to a prism when held in front of your camera lens, refracting the light sources in unique ways. Experiment with different bottle shapes and rotate them at various angles.
You can also use a compact makeup mirror or two – the type that folds out with two mirror panels. Hold these angled against each other in front of your lens to potentially create kaleidoscopic prism-inspired refractions from the stage lighting.
4. Angles and perspectives that work well for conveying the atmosphere
Capturing the energy of the moment when the crowd is engaged in a synchronized action, like a wave or clapping during a particular song, can make your selfies stand out. These shots not only capture the concert’s energy but also your genuine emotions.
Find a slightly elevated spot. Shooting from a bit above the crowd allows you to get an overview that shows the impressive scale of the arena and all the excited fans. You’ll be able to view the whole stage and lights while still getting some crowd in the foreground.
5. If you have to zoom, wait for bright lights
The more you zoom in, the more quality you will lose as it is a digital zoom. Use your feet to zoom if you can and get as close to the action as possible.
Do your best to minimize shaking and keep the phone as steady as you can. Make sure you have adequate light and aren’t in a super dim setting. Zooming in lower light is extra challenging and will often turn out poor quality. Wait for bright lights, video screens, or pyrotechnics to illuminate your subject if you can.
6. Too far away from stage? How to best capture what’s happening on the wide screen
When you have your framing composition set, lock your camera’s focus and exposure by tapping and holding on the person/people on the screen temporarily. This tells the camera to prioritize nailing those settings for them rather than adjusting for the surrounding arena.
7. Use the effects of the lit up wristbands handed out to all attendees
If you’re surrounded by the wristband lights up close, set your camera’s focus mode to prioritize capturing a wide depth-of-field. This ensures you get both the nearby wristbands and the full arena effect in focus together. Frame your shots by aiming low to highlight just the sections of wristbands in front of you.
Taking these shots from the higher seating sections can create a striking overview of the entire pulsing wristband light show in motion. Focus on capturing as much of the crowd as possible in the frame.
8. How to take still photos of the expected cool lighting effects the Eras Tour bring
Practice your timing to capture the exact moment you want to be frozen. With all the rapidly moving lights, you’ll need to be ready with quick shutter reflexes. Half-press your shutter button halfway to lock focus, then fire off shots the instant the effect you want happens. Use your camera’s burst mode to increase chances by taking sequences of shots.
You’ll also want to experiment with shutter speeds to either freeze effects with a fast shutter, or artistically blur the lights into light trails with a slower exposure. Fast shutters around 1/500th second can crisply capture beams and pulsating lights. While longer exposures of 1 second or more will blur them into artistic streaks.
Pay attention to the light colours and modulate your white balance settings to get the tones how you want them. For example, cooling or warming the white balance can alter the lighting colour temperatures for creative effects.
