Nightclub photography - tips?

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OK, I have a Canon 400D with 17-85mm lens and hood; is this good enough for the job (with a suitable flash light of course)? Are there any other bits of kit anyone would recommend?

Secondly, any tips on how to achieve exciting results would be greatly appreciated. I've seen a bunch of great examples (like those below) that I'd love to replicate. Somehow. :thinking:

http://www.dontstayin.com/uk/southend-on-sea/the-sun-rooms/2009/feb/21/photo-11425785

http://www.dontstayin.com/uk/bristol/the-syndicate-bristol/2009/feb/21/photo-11439993

http://www.dontstayin.com/portugal/lisboa/lollipop/2009/feb/20/photo-11436248
 
I've been working in nightclubs as a tog for years.. I won't give settings away but everything you learn about photography usiually gets thrown out of the window in a nightclub.
And contact promoters before turning up with an SLR, some aren't keen if they've already booked someone.
 
ConfusedChicca said:
I've been working in nightclubs as a tog for years.. I won't give settings away
Click to expand...

Why not, are you part of some sort of secret society? I thought the idea of a forum was to share knowledge and help each other out? :shrug::thumbsdown:
 
Why should she give the settings away?
I would guess that she had to learn for her self! Plus half the fun is trial and error :shrug:
 
Thanks for your advise 'ConfusedChicca'; may I ask which club sites you submit your snaps to?

Secondly, is anyone willing to share their settings?I'd love to create similar pics to those I linked in the first post.
 
i dont mind sharing the ones i have done. But i cant remember them off the top off my head. Look at the party shots in my flickr and check the extra info bit and it should give you the settings to those, if thats the style your going for.

I have loads more to add just havnt had time to edit them :D
 
Dom_Cabarete said:
i dont mind sharing the ones i have done. But i cant remember them off the top off my head. Look at the party shots in my flickr and check the extra info bit and it should give you the settings to those, if thats the style your going for.

I have loads more to add just havnt had time to edit them :D
Click to expand...

You party shots are GREAT - exactly what I want to achieve! I see the ISO was notched all the way up to 1600 - is this normal? I mean, how exactly did you manage to get such vibrant colours??
 
oohweewee said:
You party shots are GREAT - exactly what I want to achieve! I see the ISO was notched all the way up to 1600 - is this normal? I mean, how exactly did you manage to get such vibrant colours??
Click to expand...

Higher ISO helps to expose for ambient light more easier. You can go for about ISO 400 but might need to drag out the shutter for a bit longer.
 
i would guess that it was because i was actually doing shooting the show and could only stop down to f4 so i cranked that up and didnt change it. As for the colours i tweaked the contrast later on but thats basically it. And as i pressed the shutter i can the camera a little twist to bend the light after the flash had frozen the subjects...

I think thats basically it :D
 
neo2810 said:
Why not, are you part of some sort of secret society? I thought the idea of a forum was to share knowledge and help each other out? :shrug::thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

Up to a point. If you have spent a long time learning someone, you may not want to give it away on a public forum, especially if you are earning money from what you do and you are giving it to someone who wants to earn money.

One may instead choose to give hints which with thought, application and practise lead to the same results but also a greater understanding of the why.

Many people don't seem to be prepared to do the learning process themselves these days.
 
ConfusedChicca said:
I've been working in nightclubs as a tog for years.. I won't give settings away but everything you learn about photography usiually gets thrown out of the window in a nightclub.
And contact promoters before turning up with an SLR, some aren't keen if they've already booked someone.
Click to expand...

If you're keen on keeping your settings a secret, :thinking: probably be a good idea to strip the EXIF from your flickr set you linked to from here last week. ;)
 
:LOL:

I hope that doesnt make me a bad person for giving out the settings i used. I dont really mind i find that learning is more fun but... oh i dont know :|
 
Weldone, Just had a quick look and there fab


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominiccannistra/3248684109/meta/

My fave!



Dom_Cabarete said:
i would guess that it was because i was actually doing shooting the show and could only stop down to f4 so i cranked that up and didnt change it. As for the colours i tweaked the contrast later on but thats basically it. And as i pressed the shutter i can the camera a little twist to bend the light after the flash had frozen the subjects...

I think thats basically it :D
Click to expand...
 
Hi "oohweewee"

If you want to take photo's for clubs if you join Don't Stay in you can sign up to be a spotter.

You'll get invites to event - a card to allow to to take snaps- and somes VIP and FREE entry.

I hope this helps with what you want to do.

I would also reccodmend taking photo's in your local to start with permission- if your a regular they should agree.

Eli
 
Dom_Cabarete said:
i would guess that it was because i was actually doing shooting the show and could only stop down to f4 so i cranked that up and didnt change it. As for the colours i tweaked the contrast later on but thats basically it. And as i pressed the shutter i can the camera a little twist to bend the light after the flash had frozen the subjects...

I think thats basically it :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for that! ;)
 
ConfusedChicca said:
I've been working in nightclubs as a tog for years.. I won't give settings away...
Click to expand...

Odd attitude to have IMO considering you most likely learned all the techniques from the internet and other photog's. Camera settings are simply that, it's your vision and imagination that separate you from the crowd.

Anyway, I'll happily give this away, 'Don't Stay at Home' utilize a very old and efficient on/off camera flash technique called 'dragging the shutter', you switch your flash to second curtain sync or rear curtain sync and then use a slow enough shutter speed to allow enough ambient light through for a good exposure.
I'm sure you would have seen the results of the opposite approach = bleached white/over exposed subject and a pitch black background.

Normally, this kind of shutter speed (1/15th ish) would be blurred as hell in unsteady hands but as the flash pops just before the shutter closes it freezes your subjects and gives you a sharp image. The slower the shutter speed the more 'trails' you'll get from moving objects.

When using a zoom lens you can combine dragging the shutter with zooming in or zooming out to get very elaborate effects, convey and emphasize movement.

Bouncing your flash off an object or wall can help soften the light and reduce flash burn, particularly with sweaty clubbers. A stofen omnibounce can help loads but not if the ceiling of the club is very high.

T.
 
ElishaA said:
Hi "oohweewee"

If you want to take photo's for clubs if you join Don't Stay in you can sign up to be a spotter.

You'll get invites to event - a card to allow to to take snaps- and somes VIP and FREE entry.

I hope this helps with what you want to do.

I would also reccodmend taking photo's in your local to start with permission- if your a regular they should agree.

Eli
Click to expand...

Hi Eli

I recently registered to that site as a 'Spotter'; hopefully I can get some jobs and gain some valuable experience. Thanks for your advice though! ;)
 
andrewc said:
Up to a point. If you have spent a long time learning someone, you may not want to give it away on a public forum, especially if you are earning money from what you do and you are giving it to someone who wants to earn money.

One may instead choose to give hints which with thought, application and practise lead to the same results but also a greater understanding of the why.

Many people don't seem to be prepared to do the learning process themselves these days.
Click to expand...

Exactly, I had no help to start with, I've taught myself and so telling people what settings I use to achieve my style isn't something I'm willing to do.
I'm very helpful to a point, but it's all about experimenting in nightclubs, lots of willing subjects to shoot and plenty of colourful lights. It's basic photography at the end of the day, you know what shutter speed, aperture and ISO do to your photos so apply them accordingly.
 
oohweewee said:
Hi Eli

I recently registered to that site as a 'Spotter'; hopefully I can get some jobs and gain some valuable experience. Thanks for your advice though! ;)
Click to expand...

Getting work through DSI is extremely difficult, you have to have spotted at least 500 people before the Admin can try and approach promoters for you. Get out and network, be prepared to pay into clubs for a while til you have a decent club portfolio.
 
sounds fair enough... i think if nightclub is your job then its fair enough to keep your settings to yourself. Im going to try and do some in the carribean but its all more open than here so i dont think the fill will be the same
 
ConfusedChicca said:
Exactly, I had no help to start with, I've taught myself and so telling people what settings I use to achieve my style isn't something I'm willing to do.
I'm very helpful to a point, but it's all about experimenting in nightclubs, lots of willing subjects to shoot and plenty of colourful lights. It's basic photography at the end of the day, you know what shutter speed, aperture and ISO do to your photos so apply them accordingly.
Click to expand...

You did get a fair bit of help off the nice people on these forums though didn't you. You also said you've been at this for years, when you posted here about 18 months ago claiming to have just bought your first DSLR and wanting help.

I'm not having a go here, and you are being helpful to a point. You just seem to be on a bit of a high pony.

I'll say again, incase you missed it as well; you've left the EXIF intact on a lot of shots posted on Flickr, and here on TPF. So you may want to consider reposting them if you don't want the settings to be available. (y)

Cheers,

Jamie.
 
ConfusedChicca said:
Getting work through DSI is extremely difficult, you have to have spotted at least 500 people before the Admin can try and approach promoters for you. Get out and network, be prepared to pay into clubs for a while til you have a decent club portfolio.
Click to expand...

You don't actually get paid for DSI submissions though do you?
 
You get sod all as far as im aware.
Dont see the point in doing it unless you want experience?
Chicca your attitude stink.
I have been doing this for so many year....Bla bla bla bla.
Give the guy a break and maybe help him out a little since you have been "doing" it for many years.
Base setting thats he can work from there.


Althought the basic photography techniques are used,you will require diffrent settings depending on what the lights like etc.
Also you have to know how to use a flash correctly too.
 
guys i really dont think she meant it in a mean way but really i think the best thing is to get basic tips and go out and try it yourself.

But truly enough even if we all used the same settings you composition and use of that setting is what makes everyones pictures different.
 
Dom_Cabarete said:
guys i really dont think she meant it in a mean way but really i think the best thing is to get basic tips and go out and try it yourself.

But truly enough even if we all used the same settings you composition and use of that setting is what makes everyones pictures different.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I think I'll give it a go and completely 'freestyle' in the hope of creating some pretty respectable looking first time shots.

As for flash techniques, any body recommend any tips?
 
ConfusedChicca said:
Exactly, I had no help to start with, I've taught myself and so telling people what settings I use to achieve my style isn't something I'm willing to do.
I'm very helpful to a point, but it's all about experimenting in nightclubs, lots of willing subjects to shoot and plenty of colourful lights. It's basic photography at the end of the day, you know what shutter speed, aperture and ISO do to your photos so apply them accordingly.
Click to expand...

Your style? All nightlife photographs shoot basically the same style because there's only a few you can do in a nightclub. Once you master the techniques it's the easiest job ever.

There's no reason to not give out your settings, it's not like it's a complex formula that nightlife photographers have spend years working out, it's just:

Shutter: 1/5 - 1/10
Aperture: Wide open on whatever lens you have. f2/8 is ideal.
ISO: 800 - 1600
Flash: On, rear curtain sync.

Also good idea to use a diffuser and bounce the flash off a wall or celing.

Sign on with a company. One like tillate is likely to be better than Dont Stay In, they will even train you.

oohweewee - No you don't get paid, there are a few companies that do. I used to work for fotoparty.co.uk and got paid £10 per venue so could potentially earn £30-£40 for one nights work. Not great pay, but better than nothing and good if you are student (which I was at the time).
 
oohweewee said:
You don't actually get paid for DSI submissions though do you?
Click to expand...

No, you dont really get paid for nightclub work unless your mega- white hot. Places like DSI and Tillate have made nightclub photography more competitive as more and more people are doing it (and for free- so why should promoters pay you?) I'm loyal to 4clubbers and have a free scope of any events I want (with the occasional extra;)).

'Working' for a publication/website aloows you entry into clubs with permission to use your camera (some places are funny about SLR's).

And as for the settings, its not just about the settings, its also about the subject matter, framing and mood that you also capture.:p

I often use 400- 800 iso, 4.5 apprature, and often have Bulb for my shutter speed. With a reverse sinc flash.
This never stays the same variant, as im constantly moving round. One club is never the same with lighting and its more of getting a feel to what you want to portray with your images.:)

Heres a link from one gallery on sat, I got enough photos to go onto 2 websites.

http://www.residentadvisor.net/photo-gallery.aspx?set=5809
 
ConfusedChicca said:
I've been working in nightclubs as a tog for years.. I won't give settings away but everything you learn about photography usiually gets thrown out of the window in a nightclub.
And contact promoters before turning up with an SLR, some aren't keen if they've already booked someone.
Click to expand...

Lighten up on this one people.. the only mistake i can see was literally saying "I won't give settings away" but I can understand (her/him.. sorry don't know) reasoning behind it. Personally would've just left that and the "but" out and posted the rest :) Or not posted. So less of the keyboard warrior vibe :p
 
Thanks for all your advice guys! All I have to do now is take it all in and have a blast; we'll see how it goes.
 
I have worked for tilllate.com for the last two years as a tog and can say that they do train you in all aspects and it is good training as well, not to be bad mouthing the competition but tilllate are known to have the monopoly on both training and the quality of the pics.

You never pay into a club, get to meet all the best DJ's and promoters and get the opportunity to cover events like Ibiza for free!

We do use low shutter speeds whilst in the club because not only are you trying to get the people looking good but you also want to pick up the atmosphere of the club.

Depending on lighting I usually shoot at f/4, 1/4s, ISO800 with a SB600 with a stofen diffuser.

If you want to know anything else or if I can help just let me know.

thanks,
 
My new 430EX II flash unit arrived today and to be perfectly honest, I know very little about features, settings, etc. Some of you guys refer to 'second curtain sync' and 'rear curtain sync' for nightclub shots - can anyone simplify the terms?
 
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