Whenever you attend a concert of your favorite performer, band, group or orchestra, best of all your child's music recital, you'd love to take some pictures, wouldn't you? You can get some great photos...if you know how to go about it correctly. Here are five tips from Chuck DeLaney, Dean of the world's largest photography school, New York Institute of Photography (NYI) to help you take better photos of musicians.

1. Get their permission. At a small club, wait for a break, and courteously ask the musician's permission to get in close to take a few photos. They'll almost always agree. Most theaters don't permit photography during a regular concert. So you need permission. Go to the management beforehand and explain that you won't be using flash (Tip 2) and that you'll only shoot during loud passages when your camera can't be heard (Tip 4). You won't get permission at Carnegie Hall, but you might at the local concert hall or school auditorium.

2. Use available light. No flash. Flash would be disconcerting for both the musicians and the audience.

3. Use fast film. Without flash, you need fast film. ISO 800 or faster.

4. Wait for loud passages to drown out the possibly irritating click of your camera.

5. Anticipate pauses. Without flash, you have to use a slow shutter speed. A wildly gyrating musician will come out a blur. You want to shoot when your subject is relatively still.

If you follow these five tips and the other five listed in the complete article, DeLaney says you're sure to get good pictures of the musicians. Visit this month's NYI website for complete details on these concert photography tips and more, as well as some great music photos.

(Reprinted with permisssion from the New York Institute of Photography website)