Samsung Concert Photography: Which Mode and Settings to Use

Concert photography is challenging for Galaxy phones since they’re optimised for stationary subjects in low light. This is the exact opposite of the scenario you’re likely to encounter at a gig, with rapidly changing stage lights and brightly lit performers moving around a lot in a dark venue. Depending on which shooting mode you use, concert photos shot on Galaxy phones often suffer from banding or motion blur.

Concert settings by situation

One caveat here: according to Samsung’s own instructions for using Pro mode, turning the shutter speed to manual also switches ISO off Auto, meaning you’ll be selecting an ISO level as well.

In practice this isn’t a problem and can even be an advantage - say you’re at a concert and don’t want the exposure changing with each lighting effect.

Photo, Pro and Night mode at a gig

Photo mode

Concerts are listed on Samsung’s support page as one of the situations the Galaxy S26’s Nightography is optimised for. And it can take impressively bright and clean shots in dimly lit environments. You can also take a burst of photos by simply swiping down on the shutter button. The only concern is that Nightography may use a slower shutter speed, which can result in blurry photos of an artist moving around on stage.

Fortunately, Camera Assistant in One UI 8.5 and higher versions allows you to set a minimum shutter speed in Photo mode. According to SamMobile, you can choose 1/1000, 1/500, 1/120 and 1/30 of a second (SamMobile expected One UI 9 to add 1/60, but a Galaxy S25 Ultra on One UI 9 didn't offer it in November 2026). The 1/500 setting would work well for capturing a hyperactive band, while 1/120 is more suitable for shooting during a mellow number lit up with LED lights. Our Camera Assistant guide indicates its position.

Pro mode

Pro mode also enables you to lock down the ISO, shutter speed and white balance. That’s useful if you’re at a concert with wildly varying stage lighting. Try a 1/250s shutter speed and then increase the ISO until the performer’s face is adequately exposed in the brightest section of a song. The ISO can stay there; darker parts of the show will yield darker photos, but that’s probably how they appeared to you in the audience anyway.

White balance can be adjusted in Pro mode according to the dominant stage lighting (in Kelvin). You might get away with about 3500K in a warm spotlight and may need a higher number under a cool blue wash. If you shoot RAW (DNG) photos (an option in Pro mode according to the user guide for Samsung’s S26 phone), you’ll have more leeway to adjust colours afterwards. Our Pro mode guide explains each control.

Night mode

Anything that moves is going to end up looking blurry or doubled in Night mode because it takes a second or more to capture the picture, combining multiple images together. It’s not suitable for taking pictures of the band, but can be useful for shooting the empty stage or a wide shot of the venue during a break between songs. On the S26 series, it’s the moon option in Photo mode. The Galaxy S25 Ultra with One UI 9 still has it as an option along the bottom. Our night mode guide covers when waiting is worth it.

Which lens from where you're standing

The 3x telephoto found on the S and Fold series, as well as the 5x telephoto on the S24, S25 and S26 Ultra, have smaller sensors than the main camera and will need more ISO. However, if you’re shooting from mid-venue at a smaller venue, the 3x telephoto will let you get a good shot of the artist. The 5x zoom lens will even allow you to shoot from further away, like at a performance in an arena.

When possible, though, opt for the 1x main camera whenever you can get close enough to your subject, as it will have the brightest lens and largest sensor of the three.

• The 10x zoom on the S24, S25 and S26 Ultra is cropped from the 5x optical zoom. It works in brightly lit arenas but not in dark clubs.
• Beyond 10x, Space Zoom adds detail using processing. It can make faces look waxy in low light.
• There’s no telephoto on the S25 Edge or the Z Flips. The A series doesn’t have one either. Use 1x and crop in post or get physically closer when possible.
• Use the 0.6x ultrawide lens when you want to show the entire room. It’s the weakest performer in low light.

Our telephoto lens guide explains when 3x beats shooting on the main camera and cropping.

Flicker, bands and blown colours

When shooting performances, pulsing stage lights can cause horizontal lines to appear in photos. Samsung treats this as normal, and its advice is to open Pro mode and lower the shutter speed to 1/120s or slower. If that doesn’t help, try 1/100s or 1/60s. Also, try taking pictures when the performer is standing still.

Red and blue lighting is also common during performances. When taking pictures in bright red light, you can get photos where the person’s face appears as a featureless mass of red. Take photos when white or warm light is shining on the person’s face, and use the exposure slider to slightly decrease exposure during red lighting.

Phone manners at a show

• Some performances restrict the use of cameras or phones, so check your ticket or the venue’s website for camera policy before you attend.
• Turn the flash off. Flash photography doesn’t do the artist any favours, as the flash won’t reach the stage, but it will illuminate everyone standing in front of you!
• Fire short bursts and keep your phone lowered so you don’t block the view of anyone standing behind you.

Mixed lighting problems are covered in our event photography guide and extend to quieter events such as conferences and parties.

Filming the gig

Unlike taking pictures at concerts, there’s no opportunity to stitch together multiple frames or wait for a split second of relative quiet between songs or verses to capture footage, so video at gigs works differently. Samsung’s Nightography automatically adapts as you shoot on the S26, according to the company’s support page, so Video mode at 4K and 30fps is plenty to document the majority of a performance. Our concert video settings guide lists the options, and below is a comparison of the camera options for stills and video.

If your concert recording is looking a little dark, turn on Auto FPS in Camera settings > Videos (it reads Use for 30 fps videos only on a Galaxy S25 Ultra with One UI 9 – so make sure you’re recording at 30fps for this to work).

Avoid using Super Steady in lower light. According to Samsung, this feature only allows recording in QHD or FHD video and can’t be used when recording HDR10+ videos. The Russian version of that same web page adds that video stabilisation can increase video noise when shooting in dim environments.

Concerts aren’t just a visual treat – you’ll want to capture the music, too. Head to Camera settings > Audio options and turn on Zoom-in mic so that if you zoom in on the stage, for example, the band will be recorded louder than the people next to you. And if your phone supports Galaxy AI, you can even tone down the sound of the crowd after the fact using Audio Eraser in the video editor in Gallery.

Finally, consider shooting just the highlights of the concert in short video clips – not only will it be easier to keep the camera steady, but you’ll have content you can quickly share with friends.

Editing concert photos

Crop first, using the crop tool in Samsung’s Gallery editor to get rid of bits of mic stand and heads around the edges. Stage lighting and colour are often much stronger than they first appear, so use the adjustment tool (sun icon) to increase contrast and reduce saturation slightly. Shots taken in Photo mode can have a strong magenta cast, and this can be corrected using the free White Balance tool in Snapseed.

If the colours are particularly bad, it may be better to go monochrome. A shot bathed in red may work particularly well in black and white. Remember you took the shot because of the gesture, so make that stand out! See our black and white guide for a discussion of the conversions.