by MartinMatto on Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:31 pm
Flash typically doesn't work too well. Especially if you are just using the on-camera flash, those near you will be over exposed while those at a distance will still be in the dark. When you see footage of a concert with flashlights going off all over the arena, you have to realise that the vast majority of those shots will turn out pretty poor!
The most useful tips are probably (a) find a way to keep the camera steady so that you can use the slow shutter speeds needed to get half-way decent exposure (a bit of blur on guitar playing fingers, etc, can look good but better still if unmoving things, like the edge of the stage or the bassist(*), are not blurred from camera motion) and (b) take lots of shots and experiment with different settings (it is so hard to lay down strict rules).
Also, don't forget that what comes out of the camera can be greatly improved before you show it to the guys in the band by throwing out the poorer shots (including the ones were any members of the band are caught looking gormless because they are halfway through singing a word or something) and doing some post processing on the rest to accentuate what works.