Potentially taking pictures in a club (flash help)

Matt L

Matt L

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Matt
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Hi i may be getting asked to take some pitctures for a friend of a friends party (which i assume will be in a club or something not too sure tbh).

basically i have never done this before so could do with some pointers on how to set the camera up lol.

equipment will be:
1000d + kit lens (18-55)
jessops 300afd flash gun.

would i benifit from getting a diffuser or softbox type thing if thats possible?

advice would be very much appreciated.
 
Practice beforehand so you dont walk in there in a blind panic. If you are wanting any kind of control over your lighting figure out some way to get your flash off camera. The cheapest way is with an off-camera cord (check the Hong Kong sellers on ebay) or use a cheap radio trigger such as the PT-04 set up (ebay as before).

You will have to figure what kind of look you are after. If you are wanting sharp shots with no blur then you will need to keep your shutter speed high (between 1/60th and 1/250th) Unfortunately this will kill most ambient light and take away the club atmosphere.

If you want something a bit more creative drop your shutter speed to allow your camera to pick up the ambient light and use the flash to freeze somebody in shot. There has been previous examples on this forum shot in this way of a club DJ. Make sure you set your flash to 2nd or rear curtain sync.

If you intend to buy a small flash diffuser you use these for bounce flash. This lets most of the flash hit a nearby wall or ceiling to create a nice soft light and the diffuser throws a little bit of direct light at the subject to make their eyes sparkle. Don't aim a diffused flash at your subject, this is not soft light.

As i said before, you really have to practice beforehand to figure on the look you are after. Oh, shoot in raw and then process on DPP afterwards.
 
I do most of my party/clubbing type pics around 1/8th sec F8 with flash (on manual) bounced through a stofen.
The slow shutter speed gives a taste of the ambient lighting. Go and practice and see what works for you.
 
Edtog said:
I do most of my party/clubbing type pics around 1/8th sec F8 with flash (on manual) bounced through a stofen.
The slow shutter speed gives a taste of the ambient lighting. Go and practice and see what works for you.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming 2nd sync?

I'd shoot at the same settings all night. 1/8 sounds good, and I'd probably use the flash at 1/4 power using a softbox of some sort. Tuppaware container with a cloth around it with a square cut out so it will fit will give the best light.
 
I had a problem with photographing in clubs.. With the flash off camera using a wireless receiver, the red AF-assist beam on the external wasn't emitting! Meaning my camera really struggled to autofocus.

Any ideas how to solve this?
 
when i work in clubs
i use f.5.6 with a 1/10 shutter speed
it is fairly slow so make sure you check the photos to make sure they are not blurring
having this shutter brings alot of the clubs light
Other tips, twist the lens when taking the photo gives cool effects sometimes, sometimes they look ****.
Also try moving the camera when taking the pic side to side but keep the lens ruffly in the same place :)
Gary
 
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