Photographing Music First

365 Day 83, Music First, originally uploaded by Matt Hunt.

Music First is based on the Venuezalen youth orchestras where school children receive free instruments and tuition - and they're good. Really, really good.

As in the longest standing ovation I've seen at a classical music concert.

The London version - inspired by the El Sistema orchestras - is still in the early stages with the first intake under 10 years old. In December I went to help expand their photo library, photographing the end of term concert and rehearsal before hand.

Flash is not going to be good here, because the school hall will not allow bounced flash and it would have been too distracting. The D300 would give me a safe shutter speed, just enough aperture at ISO 1600 and the D700 was better yet - so the 70-200mm stayed on the D700 where I could match shutter speed to the longer focal lengths. The rest of it could be described as keeping my eye in the camera and smiling alot. Then showing the children their pictures.

Shooting bursts did help get me steady images out at 200mm, the first and last are probably out but the middle of the burst usually had some keepers. Just not a good thing to do in a quiet moment in the concert.