nightclub photography

[charles_vo]

Hello fellow photographers,

I've been asked lately to do a lot of shooting for parties in nightclubs. I

have a canon 40D and was considering using a 50mm f/1.4 in order shoot without a

flash. Because light in such places can vary a lot from one spot to another, do

you think it can be done without the flash or should i just stick with a 24-70

f/2.8L and use as little flash as possible, or even no flash at all? I have a

speedlight 430EX...

 

thanx a lot for your help,

[digitmstr]

You need something WIDER! Your cropped sensor is a curse in those cramped spaces. You'll need the widest, fastest zoom you can get your hands on, like a 16-35...17-55, etc...

 

But, you should shoot in Manual, setting a shutter speed to taste and then, use flash to an appropriate ratio. The slower the shutter speed the more ambient light (and motion blur) you'll get. So, make your decision accordingly. And shoot at ISO 1600/3200

[bueh]

<blockquote style="margin:15px 60px; font-style:italic;">I have a canon 40D and was considering using a 50mm f/1.4 in order shoot without a flash.

</blockquote><p>

Forget it. No nightclub I was in was bright enough for hand-held shooting -- at any aperture/ISO combination. Even a f/1.0 lens would not be of much use. You will need flash -- and without it <abbr style="border-bottom: 1px blue dashed;" title="autofocus">AF</abbr> accuracy would be so random it will be pointless to shoot at all.

 

<br> 

<blockquote style="margin:15px 60px; font-style:italic;">Because light in such places can vary a lot from one spot to another, do you think it can be done without the flash or should i just stick with a 24-70 f/2.8L and use as little flash as possible, or even no flash at all?

</blockquote><p>

Just use reflected bounce flash as your main light and drag the shutter to capture the ambient light in the background. But the 24-70L is a big, heavy and very intimidating lens... better use a fast-focusing prime like the EF 20mm f/2.8 USM, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM... or smaller zooms in this focal length range.

[alanrusso]

Just to add to this - if you plan on shooting in close at f/1.4, you'll probably find that you won't have acceptable depth of field for satisfying shots. In a night club setting I'm sure you'll want at least enough depth of field to have a few people together all be in focus at the same time. I agree you are going to want something "acceptably wide", and use bounce flash or a large diffuser like the Gary Fong Whale Tail. Some rear curtain flash shots where the flash goes off at the end of the shutter cycle as opposed to the beginning should have a nice effect. It will stop your subjects, but still give a sense of motion. Check your manual for the appropriate function setting. At high shutter speeds, it makes no difference, but at relatively slow speeds it's pretty cool.

[david_darby]

"Even a f/1.0 lens would not be of much use."

 

I beg to disagree. A f/1.0 on a 1DsMarkII or 5D at 1600 ISO will work quite nicely

without a flash given good technique. You can underexpose a full stop at 1600 ISO to

get decent results as well. The 50 1.2 and 85 1.2 can obtain appropriate results as well

but a little more tricky. The flash of course will help but using it you will lose the non-

snap shot look I am sure you are trying to avoid.

[bueh]

David, without knowing the light it's all guesswork. In my experience an f/1.0 at 1600 ISO/ASA would still not result in hand-holdable shutter speeds in most nightclubs. And don't forget subject movement may also be a factor, to say nothing about AF accuracy.

 

I think good flash technique works pretty well for nightclub photography -- at least for me and my assignments.

[fred_c1]

The man is shooting parties, not concerts. That means zero DOF at f/1.2 and larger apertures.

[thierry nguyen cuu - nomad]

Check this post for similar shooting environment: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00PfiX

[chrisjb]

Yeh, wide aps like f1.2, and 1.4. I disagree,everyone stands in the narrow plane of focus right? firstly there is very lil ambient light, mainly from the bars, jukebox area or stage, walls and roofs usually dark. very few pics will come without flash, another, depending on venue they are usually cramped crowded and folks Will not move aside for a photog, unless your party has booked the whole venue. 17 40, 16 35, sigma 15 30 or 17 50 ranges just fit in. Fongs tupperware works fine but bouncing generally hopeless without at least a sto fen with a flashcard as well. The focus will need asistance such as an EX flash or ste2 and best with center FP only. most good shots from experuece, `M` mode, 800iso, flash dialed down with bounce card or GF LS2 (usually last option) f3.5~5.6 1/40~1/90 sec and a happy attitude.

Lights continuously flashing some often will thro out your shots.

 

have fun

[hjoseph7]

A 50mm F1.2 might do it, but unless that night club has some great lighting, bring a tripod.

[correct_exposure]

Rent a Nikon D3 for the night and shoot iso 25600 and use noiseware afterwards to clean it up with 50 1.4 lens :)

[JDMvW]

ISO 3200 on a 40D is pretty good even in dark places. The faster the lens, the better of course. Tripods, I think, are not going to work in most nightclubs I've been in (in my younger days of course). Embrace noise, noise is your friend. Just like grain in the old nightclub classic shots, it can increase the feeling of spontaneity and place.

 

50mm is a little long, but portrait lenses were used for this purpose even in the old film days. Without breaking the bank you can get a nice 35mm f/2.0 which is pretty fast at 3200, and of course this may be just the spot for that fast Sigma 35mm f/1.4 or the EF 24mm f/1.4L if money is no object.

 

Flash is definitely good for the places where you can't get a shot without it, but your client and the customers may not want sudden flashes. Weegee got away with a lot in the old days that wouldn't work now, I think.

[robert_shirley]

I shot at a club for two years, usign two different setups one was a 6MP near SLR (P&S with good lens) it worked well because of the AF assist lamp and being 2.8 id shoot at 800-1600 depending on situation and normall about 1/60th second. though for sure have the flash available as it can help allot when needed, mostly posed shots will need flash where as the flass will ruin a overall mass group/crowd shot. My other setup was a 28-300 zoom, Id zoom in at 300mm to refine my focus(my AF did not work in the dark), usually on a tooth or a sequin, anything that shimmered or had glare, then id move to a wide angle and get the shot, though with a cropped sensor i sometimes needed something wider then a 28mm... depends on the venue. but you can get some AWESOME shots shooting with available light in a nightclub.

[correct_exposure]

If you want to stick with what you have, go with the 50 1.4 and iso 3200 and use center-weighted metering or partial. The 24-70 is slow and big for a nightclub.

 

If you need more more speed, underexpose a stop for iso6400 then clean it up in post.

 

If you have a few bucks, go with 28 1.8 or Sigma 30 1.4..

 

I was just kidding about Nikon D3...waiting for Canon to respond. :)

[dave_holland]

Nobody has mentioned the option for a strobist technique. I don't use this all the time but it gives more options for flash and better DOF. You need a second flash with master capabilities, ie a 550 or 580. Put the 430 on a stand or clamp in one corner. That 430 is your slave, retaining ETTL, and you bounce it off a white wall or into a white ceiling. Control both with the master flash on the camera. The on-camera flash is used for fill, and with a bounce card if you have a favourable ceiling. Set the master to be the lesser flash, and boost ISO and keep shutter speed down to try and get some ambient help as well. Using this technique my flash photos retain much more even lighting and much better DOF. You will discover that better light trumps better glass.

 

Dave

[chrisjb]

G`day dave, the method you describe is one of the most effective ways for using flash, it works great for weddings and receptions and large events, I used it from the `70`s after seeing the ideas of Monte Zucker, Unfortunately for this circumstance it may be near impossible, It would be rare to see a white wall or ceiling inside a nightclub, they generally get crowded ( in one so crowded last night our GF LS2 got knocked of a 580ex2 and we have had a 550ex torn from its foot by a patrom rushing past ) a stand 8 feet to one side would not just disapear in the crowd but just disapear. Tho true if the venue booked for one group its an option

 

Cheers :)

[ralph_lemarechal]

Here is what works:

 

- no need to go over 400 ISOS at all

- flash, slow sync/second curtain

- slow speed, 1/2 second or even a full second

- don't be scared to shake your camera

- no need to have a fast lens at all !

- wide angle indeed a huge advantage

- lot's of good attitude, play with the crowd

 

Basically do the opposite of what 99% of the people will tell you and you will

have great results :-)

 

This is a half second, 200 ISO's. hope it makes my point ;-) ?

 

 

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[charles_vo]

really nice pic ralph!