Nightclub photography is a fun way to expand your skills since it’s altogether a different type of environment. Everything is dynamic and I’m not just talking about the people. It’s the music, ambience, movement and most especially the lights! These types of photos can be a tricky challenge for most photographers, regardless of the level of one’s ability, the reason is because the lights are always changing and on some occasion moving around. Unlike other types of event photography which typically has a constant light source which translates into exposure – you constantly need to adjust your settings while on the move.
Fret not! You can do this. There’s going to be movement everywhere, especially dancing. This can be tricky when you’re taking photos and not in the most ideal conditions. There’s a huge chance that a majority of your photos might be blurry if you’re not doing it properly.
Nightclubs give you so much subjects to capture. Remember, the main thing you need to take note of is the shareability of your photos since nightclubs post photos of partygoers through their website or socials for traffic and engagement. So you have to make those photos look fun!By providing you with the technical details, this article will give you the confidence to just go shoot and capture the fun. The crazier, the better!…to an extent.
I’m not the world’s greatest photographer, but recently a chunk of my work is taking a lot of photos in nightclubs. My background is in concert photography so I might have a thing or two about that as well in the future. If you’ve met me in person I’m quite the shy introverted type so when opportunity came knocking at my door to take photos in one of the most challenging settings, I told myself this would be a good way for some insane ‘exposure therapy’. Think about it, walking up to random strangers and asking to take their photos. My anxiety was really bad during the first couple of events but in time I’ve learned to muster up the courage to just go for it.
If you’ve done this before but want to improve your craft. You’re in the right place as well since I’ve got a couple of tips and tricks on taking good nightclub photos here. There’s a lot of factors you need even if you already have the most technically advanced camera. It always starts with the right equipment.
What You Need
The first challenge would be taking photos in low light. You have to work with dim and/or erratic lighting and fast movements. It is important that you know how to use your camera and the types of lenses to use. I’m going to share what I learned on the job in hopes that it may help you in your endeavors as well! I will not go into the best brand since it’s always a personal preference, it all depends on what works for you, but these are the basic requirements for taking those awesome nightclub photos.
CAMERA BODY
What’s the best camera body? You would definitely want the kind that gives you maximum comfort and convenience as well with the appropriate settings. Since you may be in a crowded space, a lightweight compact model is best. But you’ll also want a camera that is efficient in low-light settings. A full-frame mirrorless camera would be the best choice and one that will serve you well for many kinds of photography, including those that are in low-light situations. Look for a model that gives you high ISO.
LENS
Using the right lens is just as important as your camera body. If possible, take 1 or 2 at the most with you so you’re able to take shots from different distances and perspective. Something with a fast shutter speed and low aperture.
Consider buying used equipment if you’re on a budget, look for lenses from third party manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, etc.
If you’re using a kit lens, take a look at the writing on it now; you’ll probably see something like 18–55mm, which describes the focal range covered, followed by 3.5–5.6, which means that at 18mm the maximum aperture opening of this lens is f/3.5 and at 55mm the maximum aperture opening will be f/5.6. Your 18-55mm kit lens will work fine, but a lens with an aperture of an f2.8 and below (f/1.8, f/1.4, f/1.2). would do better. It’s handy if you have a zoom lens when you can’t get close to the stage.
Wide angle lens are great for crowd shots and the whole club. A wide angle lens is one with a focal length of less than 35mm but more than 16mm. Cramped shots come alive with this kind of lens.
Lenses with fixed apertures or popularly known as prime lens are great but they’re not cheap. These lenses are worth it if you have the extra money to spend on since the results are more predictable and consistent. They’re also generally better in terms of built and optical quality.
External Stable Lighting aka PORTABLE FLASH
If you want to have a great picture then you need to have an external flash. The one that’s built in your camera body is quite tricky since you can’t adjust the intensity of the light coming out from it. This would result in faces that look ghostly white. You’d lose a lot of the details.
PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE
Your photos will definitely need to go through some post-processing as with other photos. Unless you’re lucky enough to to find someone to do it for you or they just want your RAW files. I personally use Adobe Creative Suite and the good thing about it is that they have a subscription service that gets you both Lightroom and Photoshop, some storage and a few other apps for photographers. Lightroom is awesome for editing multiple RAW images.
OTHER ACCESSORIES
In addition to having the right camera and lenses, the following accessories can help you improve picture quality. It’s entirely up to you if you want to use any of them at the end. Don’t forget to bring the other essentials as well like extra rechargeable batteries for your camera and flash and your SD cards of course. One charge will last me the whole night but I always bring extras just in case. If you’ve got the extra funds try investing in a diffuser for your external flash. This spreads and evens out th the light from your flash, producing a much softer lighting as a result. If you’ve got the extra funds try experimenting with a wireless flash trigger and experiment with different flash placements.
A UV filter will help protect your lens from being hit by other people and worse with drinks as you squeeze in between the crowd. It’s better to have a broken filter than a broken lens. A UV filter is a clear piece of glass which screws onto the tip of the lens. This would mainly serve as protection in the case of nightclub photography. Do your research though before you purchase one because there are so many kinds to choose from.
Technical Settings
It’s good to bring 2 lenses at the minimum if you’re not familiar with the venue so you can easily adjust to the effect or scene you want to create. You’ll also have to consider the available lights when adjusting your camera and flash settings.
Your settings will mainly depend on the kind of nightclub you are shooting in. Some clubs will be too dark, while others are too bright and usually if not mostly, the lights will be crazy. Most clubs will be dark but will have colorful lighting.
You’ll have to switch your camera to manual mode so you can best control the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO). Nightclub photography doesn’t demand any specific “fixed” setting, although in principle, photographers start with wide apertures, low shutter speeds, and high ISOs. Because of the difficult lighting, it’s not common – or recommended – to pursue nightclub photography without the flash. A flash helps expose the subject and freeze any movement to produce sharper photos.
SHOOT IMAGES IN RAW FORMAT
.ARW .NEF .CR2 and all those raw camera file types that I haven’t mentioned. Shooting RAW versus JPEG just means that when it comes to editing, we can do a lot more with the file without damaging it. A JPEG image is basically flat, so if you raise or lower the exposure too far it’s going to look terrible, because the file has no information for those colours at those extremes. With RAW files, the exposure and other settings can be changed significantly without changing the quality of the image itself. Once you see the difference, you’ll never go back.
Shoot in RAW Format Choosing JPEG or RAW format will have a major effect on how your photos come out. While JPEG images are compressed, a RAW file captures uncompressed data. RAW files are quite a bit larger than JPEGs, which means you need ample storage. However, the results will be better suited for nightclub photos. While JPEG is suitable for many purposes, it’s not ideal when your photos are likely to require significant editing. A RAW file gives you a chance to make any necessary edits later, such as issues caused by lighting and exposure which are common in club settings. In particular, RAW files allow you to adjust highlights and shadows in the post-processing stage. Use Reliable Editing Software As noted, shooting in RAW format makes editing easier.
Lighting techniques will vary, it’s best to try various styles to find what you like best. While we’re on the subject of lighting, I strongly suggest to never point the flash directly at your subject, this can result in a very dark background and harsh shadows aside from an overexposed foreground. Instead turn the flash head up, and bounce the light off the ceiling. In time, you’ll learn to read the surroundings.
APERTURE SETTINGS
I keep my aperture between f2.8 and f7.0, so I know that if I autofocus correctly, the subjects will be in focus and the background will be just blurry enough. The shutter speed is always variable, as I use it mainly to control the amount of light coming into the camera, usually I’ll be between 1/30 and 1/80.
Typically we aim for a shutter speed of 1/5 to 1/20s. This allows you to capture the ambient light of the club and ensures that the crowd is captured in the whole frame. Using the above range for shutter speeds, I would advise aperture settings of f/4 to f/5.6. For maximum depth (crowd and DJ) use an aperture of f/8.
If the room is mostly dark then you can start to use slower shutter speeds, leaving the shutter open longer meaning the ambient light literally ‘paints’ colours through the image. This can be a great way to fill in an otherwise dull background.
If you mostly take portraits, you’re standing from 3′ to 5′ away from your subject. Zoom by taking one step forward or back. With f1.4, available light will almost always be sufficient to get a shot at 1/80 and ISO 1600. If it’s not, move. (Edit: I got the DoF math wrong. Nevermind.) Yeah, it’ll be a little grainy, but it will look better than the photo you’ll get with a flash, because you don’t know how to use your flash properly anyway. (It’s harder than you think, and you’re doing it wrong.)
Examples of f-stop settings are f/1.4, f/2, and f/8, with lower numbers indicating a wider aperture. For a low-light setting, you are looking for a wide aperture. Anything above f/2.8 will tend to produce dark photos if there isn’t much light available. You also have to consider your distance from subjects.
Here are some of our camera setting recommendations: Recommended shutter speed The shutter speed all depends on the focal length of your lens and the crop factor of your camera but ultimately, you need a fast shutter speed to capture the movement. A shutter speed between 1/8 and 1/100 is best. Try starting with 1/8 or even 1/4 of a second and improve from them. Recommended aperture Nightclubs make for busy settings that can quickly clutter your composition. A way to combat this is the open the aperture wide. In any case, you’ll need a wide aperture to allow more light into the camera but opening it wide also creates a shallow depth of field that blurs out distracting background elements. Aim for between f/2.8 – or lower if possible – and f/5. Recommended ISO In such a dark setting, it’s best to keep your ISO between 800 and 3200. At the higher end of this range, you’re likely to get some noise but it’s better than increasing your aperture or slowing your shutter speed. Flashgun settingsYou should set your on-camera speedlight to manual and the power to low (aim for 1/64th or even 1/128th). It’s important to make sure your flash head is directed above your subject or at a 45-degree angle to avoid harsh shadows and black backgrounds. Shooting modes Since there’s a lot of movement, both in your subjects and from the lighting, switch your camera to burst mode and continuous focus. Burst mode allows your camera to take multiple photos in a row as long as you’re pressing down the shutter. It’s a life-saver when dealing with strobe lighting or dancing crowds. Continuous focus (called Al Servo for Canon users and AF-C for Nikon users) helps your camera lock onto and follow a subject as they’re moving so you won’t need to keep refocusing. Nightclub photography without the flash
If you decide after all to forego the flash, you’ll have to be particularly careful with your camera’s exposure settings, reducing motion blur or camera shake by increasing the shutter speed and boosting ISO or your aperture settings. If you’re not using flash, try these camera settings: Shutter speed: 1/25 Aperture: f/1.8-f/3.5 ISO: up to 3200
it is best to go with an ISO that falls anywhere between 800 and 3200. Your shutter speed, on the other hand, should range from 1/50th to around 1/200th (depending on your focal length and camera crop factor).
Remember, people will be dancing and moving around the whole time. You’ll need a fast shutter speed enough to freeze the action with as little blur as possible especially if you’re on the dance floor. Slow speeds are only best at areas with not much movement going on. The aperture should be at a minimum of f/2.8 (if possible) and must be increased only when you need to take photos with more people. This increases the depth of your subjects. Also, don’t forget to adjust your external flash.
ISO SETTINGS
I usually set ISO according to how much ambient light I’m dealing with, if its super low then I’ll bump the ISO but if its a brighter lit environment then usually I’ll stick to 400. Keep in mind that these settings are for shooting fully manual in terms of your camera settings. Its totally fine to shoot in Av mode too. Av mode means you can set the camera to stick at a certain aperture setting, and the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed for you. This runs the risk of the shutter speed going to low and blurring your photos, so if you shoot this way then keep an eye on your settings, and boost the ISO or lower the aperture to combat the problem.
ISO settings can be as low as 100, which is a typical base setting for a modern DSLR camera. Settings may go as high as 6400. In a dim room such as a nightclub, ISO 1600 often produces the best results. Keep in mind that you don’t want to set the ISO any higher than necessary as this produces a grainy effect.
Technical Settings
EXTERNAL FLASH SETTINGS
If you find your photos are coming out too bright or too dark, then either control the flash power by stopping down, or adjust shutter speed to control the ambient light. If the faces look totally blown out (white) but the background is ok, then the flash is the problem, if its overall a little too light or dark, then shutter speed should fix the issue. It’s the balance of these two factors that determines the strength of the foreground and background exposure.
Most venues will require an ISO setting range of 640 – 1000 but feel free to adjust this to your liking. (This affects the intensity of the light – think of the quality of a strobe light).
Typically we aim for a flash power of 1/64 – 1/8. However this will largely depend on the distance between the camera and your subject If you want to light up the crowd, creating a profile view, I like to use a flash power upwards of 1/1 [full power] and point it at 45 degrees with a low ceiling.
It’s best to keep your flash in ETTL (evaluative through-the-lens) It’s best to keep your flash in ETTL (evaluative through-the-lens) mode. This means that the flash will determine the right amount of light needed every time you take a shot. If it is too bright or low, you can manually adjust the brightness of the flash or use your exposure compensator on the camera.
Flash photos taken in nightclubs almost always look terrible. Also flashes piss off the bands, and piss off the other customers. Fortunately, with the right lens, you almost never need to use a flash in most clubs.
While we’ve discussed the need for a camera and lenses that work in low-light conditions, nightclubs often present more complicated challenges. Lighting may change abruptly during and in between performances. There may be colored lights such as red, green, or purple. Flashing strobe lights are also a possibility. Some clubs have retro-style disco ball lamps that produce multicolored effects. These can pose challenges to even experienced photographers as the results aren’t always predictable. You should learn to adjust your settings for different types of lights. For lighting such as blue or purple, higher ISO settings will prevent the photos from coming out too dark. Red lighting is often the most challenging as it can produce a red cast that permeates the whole photo. One trick is to use a filter to alter the color balance. A blue filter works well to counteract the harshness of red lighting. What about strobe lighting? It’s always challenging to shoot with these bright bursts of light all around you. It can be difficult to time the shutter with the lights. Using burst mode can help, as you’ll have multiple photos and you can choose the best ones. A shutter of around 125 seems to do good with strobes while you’re shooting on burst. Because nightclub lighting can be so unpredictable, it’s often best to use manual settings for your camera. Use flash in a non-intrusive manner. Using direct flash will disturb performers. However, if you use an off-camera flash, you can bounce the light off the ceiling. Another option is a hot shoe flash, which usually has an adjustable head. It’s best to consult with the club owner about their policies regarding flash photography.
Check Your Photos
Most photography guides will tell you NOT to check your photos,whilst this may be an efficient tip in action sports or weddings, it is imperative that you constantly check your images regularly in a club. Most venues will be dark which means most lenses will struggle to focus and as your subjects will most likely not be at their best pose. You don’t want them to look drunk, miserable or have their eyes closed.
Be Familiar With The Venue
Get to Know the Venue Each venue is a little different. The space, number of people, and lighting will all contribute to your approach. Ideally, you should visit the place or at least learn as much about it as possible before the time of the shoot. This will ensure that you bring the right equipment. Many venues have a very different atmosphere depending on the time and day of the week. In particular, pay attention to: Size of The Venue – There may be multiple rooms or areas that will each require different settings. Crowd Size – This of course, may differ depending on the time of day, or special events. Lighting – If you’ll be shooting performers, pay particular attention to stage lighting, which may include strobes, backlighting, and various color lights.
Check Your Photos
Don’t be afraid to direct people, at the end of the day you’re there to get a quick photo and let them get on with their night, so ask, direct, take the shot, thank them and move on.
Sometimes if people are seated at a table (not eating! don’t ever ask people who are eating for a photo!),
Most people when they go to a nightclub nowadays will expect the place to have a photographer. However, if a group of people or and individual does not want their picture taken, you have to respect that.
As a photographer, it’s really important to understand your surroundings and understand where the line is in terms of what you can or cannot photograph.
What To Take Photos of
For candid nightlife shots, people only want to see good pictures of themselves. If you don’t have a good picture of them, you’ll just make them feel bad.
take the image from the side of the crowd on the edge of the dance floor.
It’s important to always think about what direction to shoot from, as you want to avoid things like faces in the background, messy tables and empty bars, which is going to make the club look bad. Pay attention to what is going to be in the background! Generally you want to match your content to the vibe of the venue, so if it’s a posh cocktail bar, then a photo of a person with a drink spilt down them is hardly acceptable. However if it’s a venue known for its edge, then it’s probably expected.
Another thing you want to watch for is gaps between people, they make photos look empty and weird, so ask them to move closer together. People look better grouped closely together instead of awkwardly shoulder width apart. Make sure you can see everyones faces if it’s a big group, check on the back of the camera to make sure all eyes are open. I once had four people blink at the same time!
Stop standing at the back of the room. When you take a photo of an act on stage from the back of the room, zoomed in, you lose all foreshortening and depth cues. The foreground and background will be in equal focus and there will be no sense of space. If instead you stand close, your photo will be much easier to read, and it will look like you were actually there. But, stop standing right at the front of the stage. If you stand right up at the edge of the stage, you’re looking up in the air at the performers and shooting up their noses. It looks awful. Stand 6′ back or more so that you are shooting them from the front, not from the bottom, so that they aren’t so freakishly distorted. Stop standing still. We know your photos are the most important thing in the world, but you’re pissing off all the other customers by blocking their view with the enormous piece of gear you keep holding up. Especially if you’re tall. Or have a ridiculous hat. Move around! Don’t stand in any one spot for more than a minute. You will get a wider variety of photos, and you won’t irritate the people whose view you’re blocking if you weren’t there long. Also, keep your elbows tucked in. You don’t have to hold your camera like you’re impersonating a windmill. The less space you take up, the fewer people you will piss off. Look around first. Don’t rush up front as soon as the band hits the stage. Hang back and watch the first two or three songs before you shoot anything. Pay attention to what the lighting is like and how the people on stage move, then move in and get the shots you want. Also, if you wait a little while, the folks in the audience will no longer be jockeying for position and it will be easier to move among them.
Watch out for lasers.
I’ve seen a couple of photographers frying their camera body sensors and this is not
Here are some examples of shots that you should take inside a nightclub: The crowd: different angles, different areas of the club, different stories. The DJs: spinning, close-up shots, the equipment, a bird’s eye view shot showing him or her spinning while people are dancing on the floor. People: at the bar, dancing, by the door, on the ledge, by their tables, etc… The venue: what the place looks like (inside and out). You can also take pictures of the venue’s tables, cocktails, glasses, disco / neon lights, logo, etc… If it’s for an event or a particular client – or for the club – take photos of the staff. Make sure, though, that they’re not just standing there. They need to be doing something so that the shot won’t look like it’s staged or choreographed. As much as possible, use ambient light when taking these shots. They’ll come out more natural and realistic.
CAPTURE THE VIBE
Capturing The Vibe The style of your photos helps in getting your message across. You’ll want your photos to capture the real essence of what it’s like being inside a nightclub. Don’t hide or disguise the neon lights, the vibrant atmosphere, people doing crazy faces and the movements in your shots. Your photos shouldn’t just show smiling people posing against dark backgrounds. At the end of the day (er… night) do your photos capture the essence of a fun time in the nightclub? In order to capture the right atmosphere or feel, you will need to use a lot of ambient lighting. Don’t depend too much on the power of your flash. Experiment with a scene first by trying out different angles that catch the best ambient light. You can also position yourself by the sides or edges of the dance floor and take a photo of your subject with the dance floor behind him. This will result to more colourful photos and eliminate ghostly effects brought on by the dancing lights. a flash strength of 1/18 A flash diffuser to help control or even out the light
Night photography, sync flash with slow mode and light painting are useful tools to click a photo.
Post-Processing Time
Lose the giant watermark. If you feel you must caption your photos, just put your name or URL at the bottom in a relatively small font. Especially do not use a huge transparent logo. It looks terrible and amateurish and it is distracting. In my experience, the size of the watermark is inversely proportional to the quality of the photo.
Personally, I never watermark any of my photos, because it’s not like anyone’s going to go and get rich off of some candid shot I took of them in a club. I know other people are much more hung up on getting credit about such things, but try to be a little understated about it so that your desire for credit doesn’t take a big steaming dump on the composition of the photograph itself!
It’s also helpful to use high-quality editing software that will help you improve the quality of your photos. Many photographers use Adobe Lightroom for editing nightlife photos. This program makes it easy to adjust sharpness, color, highlights, and other features. It has a handy brush tool that’s perfect for removing glare and other flaws commonly found in nightclub photos.
Some Things to Remember When moving around the club, especially on the dance floor; keep your camera protected by holding it above your head. If there are mirrors all around the club, don’t run away from them. Find a way to use them to create an artistic shot. Be careful, though, that your reflection won’t show on any of the shots you take. Also, do not make your flash reflect on the mirrors. Be observant. Look around the club to find interesting scenes you can take photos of. If your assignment is for an event, don’t forget to take photos of important people, like the VIPs invited by the organizers. Find more interesting scenes to shoot; don’t just go for people smiling and laughing. Your viewers will easily get tired of these shots. There should be variety in your photos.
Most Common Lighting Types You’ll Encounter Strobes. These flashing white lights are notable for being one of the hardest to shoot through. The lights are flashing and white light is notoriously easy to overexpose. The best way to shoot through this is to try and synchronise your shutter with the flashing light. Do this when the shutter is set to burst mode. Hold your shutter down at the first flash of light. Blue, Purple, or Green Light. These colors tend to come out rather dark on camera, so be sure to raise your ISO or lower your shutter a bit for these. Keep the changes small though, or you’ll lose a lot of details in the skin!
Orange and Yellow Light. This light mimics sunny or golden hour lighting when shooting outdoors. I find it to be the easiest to photograph. You have a lot of opportunity to raise your shutter fairly high and freeze the action. Red Light. Every photographer’s headache is the dreaded red light. It’s dark to shoot and tends to destroy details. However, red light can also make a very dramatic and moody image if that is what you’re going for. And it looks pretty good when converted to black and white. Backlight. Backlighting is when either of the lights mentioned above are set behind the subject. This light tends to blow out the background and darken the front. Decide which is more important to light for you, and stick to that!
As for actual crowd shots, some clubs will allow you to bring your own lighting, such as an off-camera flash or a continuous light. If you’re using an off-camera flash, bounce the light off of the ceiling, not the subject’s face as you do not want to blind them! With continuous light, keep the light off when not in use to not mess with the vibe of the event.
3. Capturing the Vibe, Groove, and Feeling Much of nightclub photography is keeping true to the vibe of the night. You want to be able to tell a story through your shots and express the emotion of the evening to all those that weren’t there! This entices newcomers to attend the venue and gives the past ones great memories. The best way to capture the vibe, groove, and feeling is to work with the available light. Capture the scene as you see it with your eyes. As well as this, find key moments in the frame that express what the nightclub is all about. This can be a particularly cool style of dress or a fun dance move. Remember to be a fly on the wall. Don’t involve yourself in the events going on. If you try to control the frame too much, you’ll lose the authenticity of your images.
Firstly, don’t elbow, push, or otherwise physically harm the people around you in order to get your shot. I wish this was common sense, but courtesy gets lost in the midst of working. Be considerate of other event goers. They make the event, they are the ones who paid to be there, be kind to them. They want to have a good time too! Do be conscientious of other photographers and treat them as you would want to be treated. There is plenty of room for everyone. Secondly, do not tap, grab, push, or physically touch the performers in order to get a photograph. This is another common sense tip that I’ve seen go ignored more often than I wish to admit. Do not distract the performers or make them feel uncomfortable by touching them. Even if you want to get their attention for a photograph.
As a general tip, do not carry bulky camera bags and cases. Hide the carrying case when shooting. Sold out night club events tend to be very limited space. There must be enough room for security, staff, and club goers to get around one another. And enough room for you to be able to move without being stuck. If you have a heavy and large backpack over your shoulders or a suitcase at your side, you are impeding the flow and preventing everyone from moving around. Most photo pit barricades have a space underneath them where you can stow your belongings until you are doing photographing. Or an office in the back of the venue or a shelf behind the bar – use it! Listen to the security, the guards have the final say. Their job is to keep you, the performers and the crowd safe. If security cut your shooting time short or ask you not to do something, you need to comply. Finally, stay observant. I cannot reiterate this point enough. You can get lost in the moment, but a nightclub is not the place to lose yourself. If you do, you’ll most likely get pickpocketed or worse. Make sure you know where everything is at all times – both your equipment, and all of the environmental elements around you.
1. Post Processing Nightclub Photography for More Shooting Options Editing and post processing are not an excuse for bad photography. But knowing what you can do when post-processing can help you take better pictures. What retouching programs do you own? How well do you know how to use them? How much time do you have to learn new editing techniques? All of this can factor into the types of photographs you take. If you know what you can fix, you can set up certain types of shots that can be considerably difficult to capture without some editing help. For example, if you can fix red light, you can take photographs with that lighting situation without worry. Otherwise, it might be smarter to wait for the lighting to be closer to what you are good at editing, such as white or green. Remember that shooting in RAW mode gives you much more editing capability later on.
The basics you will need are a DSLR camera and a flashgun attached to the hot shoe. Personally I used a basic flash from Jessops, however, investing in brand-matched flashes can have its advantages. Scott uses Nikon & LumoPro strobes. Here is my primary set up when shooting in Manual mode with the Canon 1000D: ISO – 400 shutter speed – 1/30 aperture – f/5 white balance – Flash picture style – Neutral AF mode – one shot single shooting mode During the night these settings changed, as I wanted to get more creative with my photos. One example would be if I wanted to get an intensely lit background from the house lights then I’d slow down the shutter speed a little bit to capture more light. nightclub photography © Randal Whitmore The flashgun of my choice was the Jessops 360AFD which is the cheapest option but perfect considering I was on a student’s budget and had plenty of rechargeable AA batteries and chargers. The settings on the flashgun were: auto-zoom flash strength 1/8 or 1/16 To get the best source of lighting using this flashgun I pulled the bounce card out and applied the flash diffuser, in addition to tilting it 30 degrees and swivelling it 45 degrees to either the left or right depending on the angle of the camera i.e. if I went for a portrait photo with the body tilted to the left then the flash would be angled to the right and vice versa to make sure the light source was coming from above the subject. Additionally, I adjusted the external flash settings on the camera body and set it to 2nd curtain. This allowed streaks of light to appear when I dragged the shutter, which I’ll go into a little bit later.
Go Away and Practice
So thats it for my guide on getting started with nightlife photography, hopefully now you know what equipment you’ll need to get your hands on, how to chase your first jobs and how to behave when shooting! I hope to come back to this topic to talk about how to edit club photos, but that is an article for another time, in the meantime, happy shooting!
I hope a this handful of nightclub photography tips pulled from my experiences has given you some food for thought if you’re considering to test your camera in the nightclub environment. Just remember to get it insured before you go. Sticky drinks are the big problem you need to avoid when shooting in this kind of setting. Other than that good luck!
