Night-Club Photo Editing Help

kraftyskillz

kraftyskillz

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Edit My Images
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So, i was trialling doing some nite club photography in order to help build my experience and needless to say, it was a hell of a challenge especially dealing with low lighting situations.

Anyway, i manage to lose my primary SD card in the club (don't ask how) and only have a few pics on my backup to work with.
My editing skills are not strong as yet and only after some criticism from my partner did i start to have a different view as to what people would like to see of their picture.

Anyway, i was wondering if someone coud do a quick edit on a picture so i can compare with my outcome. I sadly didn't shoot in raw so only have jpegs to work with. I'll post my edit once i get something else to compare with.


21582817911_2b1428f3eb_b.jpg
 
I dont know what your brief from the club was - I did some club night shooting for a couple of years, and not saying im any kind of expert, but I didn't find the organisers were particularly fussy about the output - as long as people looked like they were having fun - they were interested in getting them up on social media so people would start liking and sharing them to promote their club/event. So I think it depends on what kind of brief they gave you as to what they are expecting - I think most club goes just wanted photos of themselves, not an award winning photo.

just my thoughts - there may be people with better experience at it than me as I kind of just fell into doing it - but they always seemed happy enough with them. The most I did in editing was some cropping and exposure or colour tweaks - the organisers wanted them quickly as people would start posting on facebook asking about where the photos were.
 
Thanks for the input Dan, however i do understand what you're saying but if i had to look at it that way, i most probably won't be able to improve my photography which is the primary reason i started this venture. I might be a bit restricted slightly due to the equipment i use and i'm hoping someone can tell me if that is true or there's something more i could do to get better quality shots given the lighting conditions and current equipment.

Either way, its all about learning for me with both my photography and post production.
 
As i say, just my thoughts - sure there will be others who approached it from a different perspective. I would do some googling about it too in that case, or look at other clubs website and their club night photos - theres been some good stuff with use of flash and slow shutter speeds in regards to the night club lights/effects
 
I did find some useful info however it only serves as a guideline and right now, i can only think that my limitation borders around equipment. I'm already considering upgrading to a D750 with a much sharper lens though ideally, i should rent one first so i can compare the outputs.

May i ask what equipment you use?
 
What equipment are you using at the moment? When I started doing club work it would have been with my 40d 17-85 kit lens and a 580exii flash, as Dan says all the clubs I've worked at have just wanted a couple of hundred decent photos of customers enjoying themselves as quickly as possible for them to put up on social media. Most of my editing is normally just the odd crop and exposure tweek, unless they've got an act on or have asked for some specific product shots which will obviously get a little bit more attention
There's some samples on my website here http://www.direct-fx.co.uk/fullscreen/event-gallery/
 
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I was using either 40d or 5d with kit lens and an external flash. I didn't do any of the trailing light stuff, though ive seen it work well on other sites. One club I was at the people were usually well up for photos and basically jumping at me for them, the other club people were a bit more stand offish and used to avoid the camera! which made it quite annoying. I used to leave by about 1am because it got too drunk and rowdy and I wasn't comfortable having my kit around that, and as tiny woman I didn't want to be leaving clubs alone at 3/4am. Both had a live act around 11/midnight where I'd use fast lenses and do a bit more PP, but for people shots, as above and with phil, just crops and exposure - one promoter starting asking for specific things to use in a magazine to promote their night and I refused to do it because a) I didn't have the kit to do it justice in my opinion and b) they weren't prepared to pay for it. I shouldn't really have been doing it for free in the first place (was naïve when I started doing it) but was ok with just fun pics for social media but I drew the line there. People used to ask if they could buy them or thought they had to buy them, but most people tagging and sharing on social media I think.

based on Phils portfolio - he's the man with the knowledge - It really wasn't my forte to be honest, but they seemed happy with what I gave them. they were always more bothered about the people shots, than my shots of the musical acts, which was what I was there for.
 
kraftyskillz said:
I did find some useful info however it only serves as a guideline and right now, i can only think that my limitation borders around equipment. I'm already considering upgrading to a D750 with a much sharper lens though ideally, i should rent one first so i can compare the outputs.

May i ask what equipment you use?
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and really it is just finding some guidelines to work with - you can't follow what other people do to the letter to try and get the same results as there will be too many variables, with venue, the people, the act, your own features (i.e. my shots could sometimes be less flattering as I am short so shooting slightly up at people so could make more chins) - really I guess its about getting some web info, a few opinions here and seeing what works best with you.

As phil said, what equipment are you using - you shouldn't need anything super duper fancy at this point, you can sort of grow into that. If you were going to upgrade, the lens is prob most important than the camera body, actually thinking about it, I would have been shooting with a 350d at some points too, so don't need fancy body.
 
dan_yell said:
they were always more bothered about the people shots, than my shots of the musical acts, which was what I was there for.
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urgh tell me about it, the venue I work at at the moment are all about the beautiful people and have probably the worst dj box ever for trying to get photos of the acts which is probably the polar opposite to the previous venue I worked where they had a huge open stage for me to get shots of the acts from.
 
dan_yell said:
As phil said, what equipment are you using - you shouldn't need anything super duper fancy at this point, you can sort of grow into that. If you were going to upgrade, the lens is prob most important than the camera body, actually thinking about it, I would have been shooting with a 350d at some points too, so don't need fancy body.
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Totally agree with this, my first upgrade was to get my 16-35 2.8
 
Crop out that spare arm on the right
Use photoshop for highlight shadows and then the exposure to POP it a bit ... just a quick edit.. out of boredom.. others will do better I guess: )


club.jpg
 
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Thanks for the feedback guys, really appreciate it. Phil, have to say you are probably the reason i don't think too much of my shots. Your site is one of the ones i stumbled across and not saying i'm any good but using it as a benchmark for myself. Pretty good work you got on there and something to be proud of.

Kipax, really good edit on the shot and i will do my best to try and match your editing. Perhaps a course on editing will be a good idea as i'm not too great with that and can't use photoshop at all. Currently stick to lightroom for now.

Dan_yell, i use a Nikon D5300, Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G lens. The promoter just gave me a guideline as to what sort of shots he wants. I'm just setting the standard quality wise as i want to get more work out of it.
 
Ok, so i'm a bit confused. I just checked out the picture i uploaded and its looking really bland on my mobile and ipad and fine on my macbook? i seem to now recall having this sort of issue after editin photos and i send it to my mobile, usually turns out looking green-ish. Any ideas what the problem coud be?
 
kraftyskillz said:
Ok, so i'm a bit confused. I just checked out the picture i uploaded and its looking really bland on my mobile and ipad and fine on my macbook? i seem to now recall having this sort of issue after editin photos and i send it to my mobile, usually turns out looking green-ish. Any ideas what the problem coud be?
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everyones setup is slightly different.. some moreso than others.... the one you just uploaded is slight better than the first but is still a bit bland on my screen I am afraid..
 
I can only see on my tablet at the moment as I'm out of the country until Wednesday, but your edit looks slightly desaturated, should be possible to achieve similar results to kipax in lightroom. Is your macbook screen calibrated in any way?
 
Ok, appears my colour profiles are a bit messed up. Any idea how to fix?
 

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Ok, here's a last try. I believe the problem is related to my screen. It was calibrated and also seems there were some problems with the profiles. Please let me know how this came out on your end. I haven't cropped it as there's no point if the color's coming out off. Used photoshop this time around.

21609252075_6c3df86c04_b.jpg
 
kraftyskillz said:
Ok, here's a last try. I believe the problem is related to my screen. It was calibrated and also seems there were some problems with the profiles. Please let me know how this came out on your end. I haven't cropped it as there's no point if the color's coming out off. Used photoshop this time around.
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If you want guidance - the issue with that image isn't PP or equipment related. (though this version is slightly under and a little warm - it's not a deal breaker)

Photography is about what you do with your gear - not the gear. As you can see from everyone else's edit, the annoying arm on the right of the shot has to go, save yourself time in PP by avoiding things like that in the first place. I'd also recommend upping your flash to ambient ratio there are too many distracting things behind your subject (grinning guys and green light on hoodie)

Then if I'm being picky (and I know you're in limited space) you've cropped her shoe and the glass - you had room to get them, look at the space you have on the right and above.

I'm sorry to sound harsh, but 9 times out of 10 if someone is asking how they can improve their PP it's their photography that's at fault.
 
I connot see much wrong with any of the photos. It is a night club that's how things look in night clubs. If you are saying you want to improve I dont really see how you can if you are snapping people at random you are bound to get arms legs ect in shot. Just edit as you see fit.

If you are thinging about creating pleasing images in night clubs you need to be looking at getting in the right locations for where the light is falling ,colours,silouhettes of people on dance flors and long exposures of different lighting effects.
 
Phil V said:
If you want guidance - the issue with that image isn't PP or equipment related. (though this version is slightly under and a little warm - it's not a deal breaker)

Photography is about what you do with your gear - not the gear. As you can see from everyone else's edit, the annoying arm on the right of the shot has to go, save yourself time in PP by avoiding things like that in the first place. I'd also recommend upping your flash to ambient ratio there are too many distracting things behind your subject (grinning guys and green light on hoodie)

Then if I'm being picky (and I know you're in limited space) you've cropped her shoe and the glass - you had room to get them, look at the space you have on the right and above.

I'm sorry to sound harsh, but 9 times out of 10 if someone is asking how they can improve their PP it's their photography that's at fault.
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Thanks for the feedback. That's mostly what i needed to know as it was my first time trying that out with those conditions and most especially with an external flash. I had one day preparation time of which it was quite impossible to master the use of my first flashgun (SB-700) which i purchased the day before.

As to the composition of the picture, i agree, wasn't that great. Main problem is i could barely see anything in the viewfinder and the space was quite constrained.

Also, I'll try and figure out what upping my flash to ambient ratio means. I do need to do a lot more research into working with flash and exactly how to make adjustments quickly.
 
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shapeshifter said:
I connot see much wrong with any of the photos. It is a night club that's how things look in night clubs. If you are saying you want to improve I dont really see how you can if you are snapping people at random you are bound to get arms legs ect in shot. Just edit as you see fit.

If you are thinging about creating pleasing images in night clubs you need to be looking at getting in the right locations for where the light is falling ,colours,silouhettes of people on dance flors and long exposures of different lighting effects.
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Thanks for the sound advice. I think i will get better with more experience. Being the first time, i kind of can't say i expected too much from myself.

PS, i was able to locate my memory card so hopefully, i will find some better shots on there. Also, i did pick a really bad picture to start with so i expect criticism (which is a good thing).
 
It can be quite flattering to use a soft focus filter on portraits especially with flash which can be rather harsh.
A side effect is noise is hidden quite a bt.
I probably made them look too pink in this quick edit from screen grab.
capture-jpg.46927
 

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Part and parcel of getting good shots at club nights was your ability to interact and communication with people in small, loud, crowded spaces with mostly drunk people - this was one of my faults as i am not an outgoing person who finds it easy to approach people. One of the nights they asked me to take photos of 'the best dressed' (what the hell do i know about that) and then get their name, where they live where they get their clothes from etc - and doing that in a noisy club wasnt easy and i also wasnt comfortable doing it. if youre a people person, this may help in getting the shot you want re: framing etc
 
dan_yell said:
Part and parcel of getting good shots at club nights was your ability to interact and communication with people in small, loud, crowded spaces with mostly drunk people - this was one of my faults as i am not an outgoing person who finds it easy to approach people. One of the nights they asked me to take photos of 'the best dressed' (what the hell do i know about that) and then get their name, where they live where they get their clothes from etc - and doing that in a noisy club wasnt easy and i also wasnt comfortable doing it. if youre a people person, this may help in getting the shot you want re: framing etc
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I think doing all that is the job of MC or organiser. I'm alright dealing with people but won't be interested doing anything other than my purpose of being there. I take it you don't do night club photography anymore.
 
4wd said:
It can be quite flattering to use a soft focus filter on portraits especially with flash which can be rather harsh.
A side effect is noise is hidden quite a bt.
I probably made them look too pink in this quick edit from screen grab.
capture-jpg.46927
Click to expand...


Thanks 4wd. That looks much better. Think i'll stick to using lightroom for now. Will try the editing on a different machine to see if i can yield different results.
 
I meant a soft focus applied afterwards, in lightroom try reducing clarity a bit, your export sharpen can stay the same.
 
kraftyskillz said:
I think doing all that is the job of MC or organiser. I'm alright dealing with people but won't be interested doing anything other than my purpose of being there. I take it you don't do night club photography anymore.
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well the MC or the organiser can't follow you around for every photo you take, so i think there is some degree of people skills that would be beneficial - especially when people start wanting to see the photo you've just taken, or try to take it off you to take their own of their mates, or of you etc (this used to happen to me).

No i dont do it anymore, one of the venues i worked at I just got fed up of the mega late nights and the other the promoter started asking for more than i was prepared to do for what they gave me (i.e. nothing) as i mentioned above. more casual arrangements that the photos Phil has on his website. One of the events has now changed venues too and they have someone else doing it, which was fine as my circumstances changed too.
 
Appreciate all the help everyone, will be doing the edits tonight. Most probably gonna stick with cropping and perhaps adjusting exposure.
 
Phil V's right of course, though I couldn't resist having a quick lunchtime play with Gimp on an uncalibrated monitor.

Tweaked the colour balance of the midtones so they're not so warm and add a bump to the shadows using curves, but masked off some of the folk in the background.
Reduce the lightness and saturation of the greens on the right and the orange behind his head
Cloned out 3 bright lights
Unsharp mask with a 150px radius to give a bit of definition and sharpening, and exaggerate the local contrast slightly, masked off the background
Burn the brighter annoying faces in the background
Crop the chap on the right and position her foot in the corner of the frame to strengthen composition.
Add slight vignette

It probably took 10 minutes; I'd be quicker in LR and probably wouldn't bother going into PS if I took the same slapdash approach.

(exported as low quality jpg)
club.jpg
 
juggler said:
Phil V's right of course, though I couldn't resist having a quick lunchtime play with Gimp on an uncalibrated monitor.

Tweaked the colour balance of the midtones so they're not so warm and add a bump to the shadows using curves, but masked off some of the folk in the background.
Reduce the lightness and saturation of the greens on the right and the orange behind his head
Cloned out 3 bright lights
Unsharp mask with a 150px radius to give a bit of definition and sharpening, and exaggerate the local contrast slightly, masked off the background
Burn the brighter annoying faces in the background
Crop the chap on the right and position her foot in the corner of the frame to strengthen composition.
Add slight vignette

It probably took 10 minutes; I'd be quicker in LR and probably wouldn't bother going into PS if I took the same slapdash approach.
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Thanks for the break down of your editing. I realised something the other night after i had to edit 160 photos in 4 hours. It's hard work especially when just learning or trying to decide what a good finished product is.

Anyway, after i was done and was told i had to shrink the photos to 1MB @72 DPI, i nearly quit entirely as the quality turned out even worse. It was all a rush job which won't have happened had i been more careful with my card.

Anyway, i got another shoot in Camberley on Saturday and hopefully will be going in a lot more prepared.

Any recommendations given my current equipment will be appreciated.

Thank you all for your comments!!!
 
juggler said:
72 DPI doesn't mean much until you come to print an image and is purely a metadata attribute. For online use it'd be much better to get them to specify the overall image dimensions in pixels that they're after.
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Uploaded JPG’s are to open in PhotoShop at a file size of approx 1Mb @ 72dpi.
JPG compression quality is to be maximum with a standard baseline.

This is what they've requested.
 
I would have probably gone for one of these edits
1.
21582817911_2b1428f3eb_b.jpg


2.
21582817911_2b1428f3eb_b-2.jpg
more than likely 1. as no 2. has a lot of empty space around them which makes the venue look less busy ;)
 
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