Buskers on the Boardwalk in Saint John-Good Opportunity for Some Great Pix!

The Buskers on the Boardwalk in Saint John started today, thought I'd give some quick tips on getting some great shots!

First off, take a look at the schedule:
http://www.marketsquaresj.com/buskers-schedule.php
and the performers:
http://www.marketsquaresj.com/buskers-performers.php
There are a ton of great artists and performers on there. You could easily spend all day and get a variety of great images.

LENSES
A telephoto zoom allows you to stand farther back and get some good candids. It will also let you zoom in on the action if you have to stand farther back.
Wide angle would be good if you are close to the performer, or want to show the crowd, etc.

CAMERA SETTINGS
Shooting Mode: Manual(M) or Shutter Priority (S/TV)

Shutter Speeds:
If you want to freeze action, you will need fast speeds. 1/1000th should be sufficient to freeze most of the performers flipping and jumping around, but if they are moving extremely fast, for example stunts on bikes or moving vehicles, 1/2000th or 1/4000th would be better.
For slower moving performers, 1/500th will be fast enough.


If you are shooting indoors, you'll most likely have to use flash, it's not very bright in the Market Square Atrium. Set the shutter speed as high as the camera lets you so it will freeze the subject movement (anywhere from 1/90th to 1/500th depending on your camera)

NIGHT SHOOTING
There are a few performances at night, and these will provide some interesting opportunities for shots. The names PyRomeo and Evolution of Fire suggest some flammable possibilities!
For those using fire, I would suggest the following settings:
ISO: 100-400 (adjust if necessary)
Aperture: F11 (adjust if necessary-larger number if the fire is too bright, smaller number if it's too dark)
Shutter speed-anywhere from 1 second or longer
Use flash to light up the person if you want them in the frame(as in the photo below). A pop up flash is fine, but if you aren't close, you'll want to use a dedicated flash and adjust the power manually as needed.


Otherwise, you can just record the fire light by not using the flash.


Have fun, if you get some great shots, post them on the gallery!
www.learnphoto.ca/gallery