Night Club Photography – Tips and Tricks from POTN

 Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

here are my settings when i cover events at night clubs (i use a XTi and 5D)

M mode
shutter any where from 1/3 to a full second
f stop 2.8 (16-35mm L and/or 24-70mm L)
flash bump up to +1 (580)
iso 100

try to use the lights in venue as background to make the picture more interesting.
__________________
www.MySpace.com/EventvibeSF

==========================

Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

i shoot alot of clubs for a New Zealand based website called www.nzrave.com

i use a 30d with sigma 24-70 f.8 and 550ex flash

I generally use iso 320 f3.2-4.5 and a shutter speed of between 1/20 to 4 seconds with flash compensaion -1.

If there is no light no matter how long the exposure is you wont see any blur  its really simple. Make sure you shoot with the lighting behind you (generally the stage) this gives great ambient backgrounds and sharp foregrounds  easy as.

Dont bump up the iso, most think you need to but you dont need to at all
__________________
www.matthamiltonphotography.com

40d, 30d, Canon 24-70L, 50 1.4, Sigma 70-200, Tamron 90 macro, random bits and pieces

===========================

Originally Posted by canonboy 
Ah for fast prime im sporting a canon 50mm f/1.4 USM

do you think i should not use the lens cap when in nightclubs or keep it on to reduce flare

You should get a solid rubber lens hood to deflect some of the beer/vomit/fingers/… I would also be wary of using a shoe mounted flash, a hammerhead on a solid hinged bracket is a way better way to survive.

Night clubs love black paint, bounce? Forget it…
__________________
~pr

============================

Originally Posted by canonboy 
ah so 2nd is best for a desierable blur motion effect yet still retaining the clarity of the subject itself 

If you are taking images of a church procession with candles and such, yes. In a nightclub, people will be dancing (generally speaking that’s quite errattic movement), so I’d say timing (which you loose with 2nd curtain) is more important then direction of the blur.

Also, when using ETTL, 2nd curtain sync with a low shutterspeed will cause the subjects to think the preflash is you taking the picture… If the ‘real’ flash goes off, say 1/2 a second later, your subject has allready looked away….
__________________
“I think the idea of art kills creativity” – Douglas Adams

Color Problems? Click here.

========================

I use 1/10-1/30s with 430ex +stofen +1FEC with 24-105 set at f4 iso 400. for motion I just lower the shutter speed 1/3-1/2s. flash is always on second curtain.
__________________
Photography blog

update
update 08.06.08 DIY photobooks

============================

  Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

CanonBoy-

There is alot of conflicting advice here because people are not really thinking first about what kinds of pictures you or a client would want to take at a nightclub, or they simply have not done it themselves. There are settings and equipment that are most appropriate to every type of picture and no sinlg esetting that works for all. I have been shooting in nightclubs for 5 years, worked at the biggest clubs across the US, and for all the major magazines, yada yada yada. My primary equipment is Canon 20D, EFS 17-55 lens, and 580EX Flash. I generally use ISO800, partial metering, and 580 flash striaght on with no diffuser or bracket. 2nd curtain synch makes no sense to me as you will usually miss the action momement.

My clients want and I generally take 4 kinds of pictures in clubs-
1) Posed people pics- M Mode, f5, 1/20th, flash FEC +2/3. Take 2 pictures of every group to increase the odds of a solid picture.
2) DJ/Performer pics-M Mode, f4, 1/6th, FEC 0. Try to capture the peak or action moments.
3) Crowd Shots – Fisheye lens, M Mode, f3.2, 1 sec, FEC 0 with the flash angled or used on a eTTL cord.
4) People in Action-Dancing/Socializing/etc.-M Mode, f4, 1/10th, FEC +1/3. I take thes pictures for advertising/stock. These are very hit or miss and require many shots, or careful setup to get good results.

From my experience-monopods, brackets, 2nd flases etc are far too clumsy to use in a crowded club. Its critcial to mix ambient light, but working without flash is pretty much useless. In the end its also critical to remember that we are trying to capture the energy, excitement, and passion of the club enviroment, and technical perfect pictures are a lower priority.

I have several samples on my website-www.scottspellman.com especially in the Event and DJ sections.

Have Fun-
Scott

===============[ http://www.myspace.com/renedamkot

Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steiglitz 
THis is a recipe for Noise City Baby! Not to mention lots of blurry shots, people movement…disaster!

If there is no light on the people other then flash, there won’t be motion blurr. Do look out for the BG ‘burning through’ the subject though.
On the noise: I don’t think it’s such a big issue with night club photography. Might be for weddings though…

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
Maybe I’m being a little stupid but with a 580EX flash you could be shooting with a far lower ISO.

Are you using any custom functions, i.e. is your flash fill or the main source in Tv?

I’d change over to M, ISO 400, Shutter speed 1/100 to 1/200 and aperture around f/5 upto f/8. Use direct flash or bounce depending on ceiling height.

At 1/100s f/5.6 ISO 400 you won’t see any club lighting….

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
Now as for blurry lights, from what I’ve read you need to again set to M, use a larger aperture and set shutter speed to around half a second to 2 seconds. Low ISO and set the flash to ‘2nd curtain flash’, for example in the 1st 2 seconds of the picture you will take in the club lights, when the flash fires you’ll get the people in.

If any of that is wrong or there’s a better way, please someone correct me….

I’ld use 1st curtain flash, to be able to time when the flash goes off. Otherwise the most people will think the picture is taken when the preflash goes off, and are allready looking away when the ‘real’ flash comes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
If you drop to 1/10 your going to get blurry pictures, 1/100 should be fine if shooting in M-mode or try Av using custom function 3 ‘Flash sync. Speed in Av Mode’ (this will set auto 1/200 though). The flash should compensate for the fast shutter speed and give out enough light.

Give it a go. My 430EX is far more intelligent than I am as a photographer and the ETTL really compensates for any settings I throw at it in M!

See above: The flash won’t provide the ‘club’ lighting…

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
So for safetys sake I’d shoot 1/60 if your subjects are still enough.. 

Or if there is no light falling on the subject. For instance: If the BG meters around 1/15, and the subject around 1/2 a second, setting 1/15 will not give you a blurry subject, as the flash will (almost) be the only light illuminating the subject.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Hardcard 
You want a slow shutter to get the light trails. Slow down the shutter until you get the trail length you want. Then the flash will freeze the people and make them relatively sharp. As Pete-EOS said in the 4th paragraph of his 1st post. Also slowing the shutter down will catch the ambient light.

I’d use Av mode, drop the exposure compensation a notch or three – you don’t want it to look like daylight, darker keeps the club atmosphere.

The flash should be lower power, both to not make the people too bright and to not disturb them too much. Critical, critical, is that you use 2nd curtain sync.

A lot of clubs have high ceilings. As long as their are no low-hanging obstacles or other dangers, get a flash bracket and sync cord. A high flash will make the people look better and disturb them less.

Agree with everything, except the 2nd curtain flash…
__________________
“I think the idea of art kills creativity” – Douglas Adams

Color Problems? Click here.

MySpace 
    

~ by paragonhost on July 17, 2008.