Night Club Photography

HI all. My first post! Here goes, please don't shoot me down in

flames I am just an old noobie starting out in Digital photography.

I was treated to a 350D and a 580ex flash unit for my birthday. It

came with the kit lens and I have since bought an EFS 17-85mm IS. I

have been asked to take some pictures of a corporate event that will

be held in a nightclub. Quite dark but with the usuall array of

flashing lights. Do any of you experts have any helpful hints? i.e.

a one setting suits all mode! I am for seeing great difficulties in

operating camera in the dark..

Many thanks

Peter.

ETTL bounce lighting if possible (depending on ceiling color & height) & use a light modifier, ISO 400 - 800 range, set camera to M, 1/45, f.4/5.6 for groups. (You may be shooting wide open depending on light levels). Depending on ambient lighting, manual focus my also be necessary. Take a look at my photo.net photo page (political images)... Several of those shots were accomplished in very, very dim lighting with the technique mentioned. Good luck.

I think the safest and easiest route is to mount your flash on a bracket(such as the stroboframe quick flip), shoot on the "P" mode, and watch the histograms on the back of the camera....if you'd like to get a little fancier, put a stofen omnibounce on the flash. As long as you have enuff available light to autofocus you should be in good shape.

Visit the place BEFORE the shooting session and practice extensively with different exposure / flash combinations. BTW If I was (still) a corporate type and saw somebody doing the pics with that kind of equipment...I would find out who put him or her up to it....and transfer them to Sverdlovsk.

Many thanks, Ed,David and John. It's most refreshing to find a forum that people actually read and respond to. May I say as a newcomer to the site what an excellent site this is. An absolute encyclopedia of information that seems to cover every aspect of the subject, and a good mix of users, from beginers, like myself to experts! I will certainly subscribe shortly.

Thankyou all for your replies, I will certainly try them out. With regards to the visit before hand John, I think that, is an excellent idea. A sort of pre-emtive strike, as it were.

Your last comment, John, has, I fear been lost on me and I cannot decide if it should be regarded as good or bad? Are you saying that the equipment is not good enough or too good for the job?

Peter.

The 350D has a small viewfinder -- combine that with the slow lens (17-85) and focusing will be tough indoors. Manual focus with that combo will be nearly impossible unless you've practiced a lot. Yuo've got a very capable flash, hust practice on focusing in low light indoor situations.

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In any case I would shoot in in Manual, ISO 400, 1/60 at f/5.6 up to f/8 with the flash (bounce if possible, else use a diffuser) providing your primary light.

A bracket and off-camera cord would be a useful addition to your toolkit for this shoot and many more. Red-eye is caused by the flash reflecting off the back of the eye - raising the flash several inches above the lens avoids the problem. The brackets usually swivel so the flash is above the lens in portrait mode also. This throws any shadows behind the people, not to the side.

 

A lot of us use modifiers - doodads that stick on the flash and send some of the light forward and some upward to give a little more wrap-around to the light. Lumisphere and Stofen Omnibounce are examples.

 

You'll get other suggestions but if you're up to buying another lens I might suggest something like a fast 24mm. Prime lenses (the opposite of zooms) are lighter and usually pass much more light wide open giving a better viewfinder image and are more useful in low light situations.

 

I'm also going to tell you to practise somewhere similar to the venue. Try Program mode, Portrait and Night Portrait to see which seems to be best. You're going to be nervous and distracted. Pick just one mode and just one ISO setting and carry a small flashlight - check regularly to make sure nothing has changed. Carry spare batteries for everything. Good luck!

hello my name is Mr Shab Notghi ! i've been a night club & youth culture photographer for

about 5 years now. if you look at my site www.shabphotohraphic.com you can see some

great examples of nightclub photography.

 

i think the trick is to get the perfect expoure. a wide angle lens and off-camera flash are

essentail tools in producing an amzing photo.

 

pleaes let me know your thoughts about my site & photography - shabfish@mac.com

 

Thanks

 

SHAB

<p><a href="http://www.shabphotographic.co.uk/">http://www.shabphotographic.co.uk/</a> is the updated link for the last post... good stuff. Mostly concerts with a wide angle...<br>

I'm new at this too... have a marti gras event to shoot tomorrow night and sorta freaked out! I have a 50mm 1.4 and a 28-135 3.5 shooting with a 7D. I have to get a group shoot for 40 people and was planning on bringing my studio lighting for that... how ever I am not very familiar with it... the rest of the evening will be trying to capture party pics in candle light! I really want to keep the feel of the room in the shot. Has anyone ever bounce their speedlite off a reflector that an assistant is holding? I was thinking maybe at 45 degree of the subject. I would love tips on both how to set up the three studio strobes for the group shot and the party pics. </p><div></div>

<p>although this was a fun shot of my son... I was to show the setting and all the hard work the client put into the decor</p><div></div>