Shoot Amazing Concert Photography on Your Phone (Pro Tips)

It might not come as a great surprise (especially if you’re on Instagram or WhatsApp), but the average person takes around 20 photos a day – and 92.5% of these images are shot with a smartphone. We just can’t get enough of sharing our pictures – a staggering 6.9 billion are shared on WhatsApp, while 1.3 billion are uploaded to Instagram1. Every. Day! And these pictures can mark life’s most special moments. For a nation of music lovers, gigs are right up there on that list of moments we want to remember most. When it comes to DIY concert photography, three in four of us come away from each concert we attend with photos or videos2.

In fact, we spend 14 minutes, on average, of each concert making sure we’ve captured memories of concerts on our smartphones. Nearly half (45%) of Gen Z-ers just wouldn’t attend if there was a photography ban in place2.

So, how do you make the most of that quarter of an hour to get the very best concert photography on your iPhone or Samsung device?

We spoke to experienced professional photographers, Paul David Smith and Víctor Aláez, on how best to capture the atmosphere of your idols and get the best mobile phone photography at your next concert or gig.

Paul and Víctor have outlined four key areas you’ll want to get right:

·       composition

·       working with different lighting

·       exposure

·       focus and controlling the depth of field

How do you pose for a selfie (alone or with friends) and get the good angles in the arena?

Víctor Aláez (VA): 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.

Paul David Smith (PDS): 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.

Which specific angles or perspectives work well for smartphone concert photography to capture the atmosphere?

PDS: Capturing the energy of the moment when the crowd is engaged in a synchronised 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. Whether you’re laughing, singing along, or even tearing up, candid moments often make for the most memorable selfies.

VA: Find a slightly elevated spot, whether that's hiking up a few steps or accessing a higher seating level if possible. Shooting from 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.

Most venues are extremely strict on what you can bring in with you – for example, phone photography accessories. So, what can you do to achieve experimental effects, like prism or lens distortion, on your phone?

VA: 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.

For general lens distortion looks without refraction, a simple plastic zipper storage bag can work wonders. You can precisely manipulate the curve and bend of the plastic directly over your lens for wild distorted visuals. Transparent cling film can work too.

What’s the easiest way to get the best gig photography on a typical iPhone or Samsung device – without using any settings?

VA: The easiest way to get great concert photos with your smartphone without fussing over manual camera settings, is to put your camera in automatic mode and let it do the hard work! Most modern phones have impressively smart auto modes that can read the available light and motion, then automatically adjust shutter speed, focus, white balance, and more to get you a nice clear shot.  If you want to get more advanced, many phone cameras also have a dedicated night or concert mode aimed at low-light situations like this.

PDS: One of the most effective tools at your disposal is the High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode. 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.

When should you and should you not use the flash on your phone’s camera – if you want to take a clear picture in the dark?

VA: The performers are likely to be sufficiently lit already by stage lights, so your dinky flash won't reach them well. It may even cause weird hot spots or lens flaring. However, the flash can absolutely come in handy during transitional low-light moments like stage rotations, set changes, or between-song gaps. If things go really dim briefly and you want to grab a quick memorable shot, pulse that flash to compensate.

PDS: Your flash on your smartphone will only illuminate a few metres in front of it at most. This can be useful to light up yourselves in selfies and such, but remember it won’t illuminate the entire arena, so you’ll need to combine using flash with when the stage lights are also looking great for the best results.

Many arena concerts hand out wristbands to the audience which light up from infrared transmitters that travel throughout the arena. How do you best capture these effects - close by and from a far?

VA: If you're fortunate enough to be down in the crowds surrounded by the wristband lights up close, set your camera's focus mode to prioritise 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 farther away like 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. A wider lens will be better for these overview angles versus zooming too much.

No matter your vantage point though, making sure you have a steady base for your camera will be critical to getting crisp, blur-free wristband shots. Another option is using your smartphone's time-lapse or nighttime-lapse mode to condense the wristbands' animated lighting sequences into smoother trails and movements. Make sure you're in a locked-down position for that.

If you’re close to the stage and smoke is used, how can you best take the clearest photo or even use the smoke to your advantage?

 VA: A little bit of haze properly positioned can add incredible mood and dimension. But too much smoke density will just create a whiteout. Pay attention to when the smoke dissipates temporarily to grab photos, using the cleaner interludes to your advantage. When there's a bit of smoke around your subjects, set your camera to prioritise a wider aperture setting if possible. This will create that soft, hazy background blur while keeping your main subject sharp.

How do you maintain image quality if you need to use the zoom?

PDS: While zooms on smartphones have come a long way remember that the basic principle is 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.

VA: First and foremost, do your best to minimise shaking and keep the phone as steady as you can. Secondly, 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. If you’re sitting or standing far away from the stage, how can you take the best shots of what’s happening on the big screen?

VA: 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 prioritise nailing those settings for them rather than adjusting for the surrounding arena.

How do you experiment with motion blur or long exposure effects – using the phone to capture the dynamic movement of the performers or dancers?

VA: While most smartphone cameras don't allow full manual control of shutter speed, there are still some methods to play with motion blur:

1.      Night modes generally purposely use slower shutter speeds to pull in more light. When shooting a moving subject like dancers, this can introduce artistic motion trails and blurs into your shots. Make sure to hold the phone very steady by propping it against a ledge or using a small tripod if possible.

2.      Experiment with your camera's "live" photo modes, which capture a brief video moment along with the still photo. Open the live photo after and scrub through to the frames where the subject's movement is effectively blurred. Then export just that single frame as your shot.

3.      Use third-party camera apps that provide more manual shutter speed controls. Apps like Moment , Halide or Spectre allow you to manually dial in longer exposures to intentionally blur motion. Start with shutter speeds of a quarter of a second or longer, increasing as needed for your desired blur effect.

4.      Simulate motion blur just by physically dragging your phone's camera as you shoot! Set a delay timer so you have a moment to set your body in motion while recording. Then make controlled motions either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally while shooting to streak the dancers' movements into artistic lines.

How do you play with colour palettes or contrast in concert photography – to enhance the impact of the outfits or the overall images you’re taking?

PDS: After capturing your images, the magic often happens in the editing phase. Most smartphones come equipped with a range of photo editing tools that allow you to adjust various aspects of your image. By tweaking the saturation, you can make the colours pop, ensuring outfits and the stage lighting stand out vividly against the backdrop of the arena. Playing with contrast can also add depth to your photos, making the subjects stand out more distinctly. It’s particularly useful in concert settings, where the background can sometimes overpower the subjects due to the stage designs and lighting.

Just having a smartphone camera in an arena doesn’t mean you can’t take great photos. If you get the basics right and you pick the right moment, you can capture something you’ll be always reminded of.

Just:

·       Limit your use of zoom settings to avoid blurred photos.

·       Keep your hand steady.

·       Shoot in HDR and use night or concert mode (if available on your phone).

·       Minimise your use of flash – unless you’re taking selfies.

Smartphone cameras are improving at an incredible pace – the first iPhone, released back in 2008 had a 2 MP (megapixel) camera. For context, the iPhone 15 has a 48 MP camera – itself as significant jump from the 12 MP featured on the iPhone 14.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra  takes this even further – boasting a blockbuster 200 MP main camera. These tech specs are better than those of DSLR cameras on the market. Your phone will serve you best if you practice with it. Remember, the more you experiment and practice, the more you’ll boost your skills – ready to shoot seriously spectacular concert photography. 

If you try any of these tips, be sure to let us know! Share your photos with us on our social media channels: X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Sources:

1 https://photutorial.com/photos-statistics/ (accessed: 23/04/2024)

2 https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/panic-on-the-dancefloor-57-of-brits-feel-charge-anxiety-at-concerts/ (accessed: 23/04/2024)