Event Photography

N

nuttyhannah

Messages
109
Edit My Images
No
I am new to photography.
And i have been going round and round in circles.. Im hoping someone out there can help me.

I am currently using a Canon 450. And I unfortunately bought it with the starter lens. 18-55mm.
I am shooting an event on Friday. It will be very dark. I have a budget of £350 to buy a new lens or flash.

I do this slot once or twice a week. Its a club night. So i shoot the customers and DJ. Thats it.
But i have to use a really high ISO which is making my pictures very grainy.

What piece of equipment could i buy next to help with this?

50mm 1.4 and a good Flash?

Thanks

Hannah
 
Hannah,
What sort of event are we talking about here? Sport? Disco? Concert? How far away are your subjects and how close can you get?

Alan
 
Disco events. I take pictures of the people who are attending, so group pictures where i am only 5-10 feet away from the subject.

And then maybe 1/2 shots of the crowd on the dance floor.. and thats about it.

Althouh i have done a couple of other events where the event is much bigger, with a big venue and huge crowd.
But my 18-55mm has be ok to use the only problem i have is using a high ISO which is losing quality in my photos.
 
Maybe worth looking for some noise reduction software / plugins for your editing application. Needs more effort in post processing of course but can produce some good results. Flash - play subtle - and turn down the output to avoid the rabbits in the headlights look. As said, takes time to learn how to use flash well.

Alan
 
How about putting your 350 quid and the camera you have in to buy a camera that handles noise better? a new lens isnt going to make noise go away.. flash your probably already using and just want a better one.. you still have noise...

Just a thought :)
 
I shoot nightclubs weekly, Id personally say get a 580EXII if looking at a canon flash.

I have a 430 aswell and really dont use it at all now since the 580 was purchased, the bounce card being built in for me is better and the whole system is more user friendly imo than a 430.

You can get away with the kit lens imo with a decent flash

You shoulndt be shooting over iso 800 really, i shoot in very dark venues and even then only feel the need if im not usingflash and am pratting about for effects.
 
So a better camera is your suggestion KIPAX?

I now know that the camera i have is not very good
:(
And the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM lens was recommended but i was also told not for the camera i'm using :(

do you know if that is true?
 
what ISO are you using? theres no point saying that you need a new camera that handles noise better if youre settings are well off, its just spending money for something which shouldnt be a problem to begin with.

I see alot of people shooting in venues with 350/400s etc.. and they dont seem to be moaning about noise when they speak to me.
 
I am using the slowest shutter speed i can use which is about 1/4
And then the aperture is on the lowest setting to.. 4.5

But unless i have the ISO on 1600 the pictures come out too dark.
So i'm thinking maybe i should get the flash so i can reduce the ISO.

I was also thinking of a lens that had a lower aperture to let more light in?
 
I know many people who have shot using the kit lens and a good flash.

you need to be using iso 800 imo, as its generally the standard iso most people will shoot at.

ill shoot between 1second and 1/100 in a club depending on what shot i want etc... theres so much you can try/play with.

Ive told a couple of people to get good flashes and overnight they have improved alot in the quality of the work they produce. Many might disagree, but its what I have noticed from when helping others in venues.

To me it seems that you dont need to be upgrading the body and instead sorting the flash and learning how to use the set up better.
 
wow thanks so much.. Ive been going out of my mind.. I was thinking about quitting earlier.. lol..

So i think a flash sounds like a good idea.

Which would you recommend then? Could i pick up a good one for £200 do you think?
 
Like i said Id personally go for the 580 out of the box, kerso is about £315 for one iirc off here.

When i started, everyone told me you wont need the 580 and go with the 430 etc... Honestly i wish id ignored them and gone for what i wanted from day one. If you dont like it you can allways sell it on for good money. Its just so much nicer to use with the bouncecard, the way it clamps onto the hotshoe and the way the menu is set up etc...

Although thats more to my style of shooting, i like to use the bounce card, and dont do off shoe flash work in the venues i work for. Event/nightclub work is all about shooting how you are happy, developing youre own style and not trying to copy someone elses imo. Be happy with what you shoot and how you shoot it and you will have a better night and the pics usually show it. Trying to force a style of pics you cant do/dont feel happy taking will just get you stressed out.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=132590 is an example of how Ill shoot in a night to give you an example of settings to show that the iso 1600 really isnt needed if you get the flash right. Ok i have some ok glass to use now but i have not allways but the settings are very similar in the real world for me.

who are you working for? A company or a small independant nightlub where you blagged youre way in to earn some ££££?
 
wow coolio, i love your pics.

A friend of mine asked me to shoot at his event in a night club and i then i was approached by the owner who asked if i could do a weekly shoot for him.
So i took it on.. Its only an under 18's event. Where the kids just love having there pic taken and then make comments on them on the net.
But its great practicing grounds. And also money towards getting the right equipment and courses etc.

I'm going to grab the flash you recommended and see how i get on with that. I reckon that will be a huge help.

From what i can gather it can be quite tricky using a flash and you need some good practice.
Do you think the 580 is the most user friendly then?
 
also with equipment you recommended i wondered if you find yourself changing lenses alot through shoots.. Or do you just go for one style through one shoot?
 
If going canon yes. Ive used a few canon flashes and prefer the 580. Obviously theres metz etc.. which ive not so cant say on them.

I just feel that if it were me id buy the better flash at the start, rather than after a few months thinking i wish id upgraded and then having to buy again. You could probably get away with the 430 perfectly fine, its all personal choice really and if you feel you are happy spending £300+ on a flash.

In a nightclub most people just let the camera/flash do the work, leave it on ETTL and let them talk to each other.

Shooting in local clubs/small venues is easy really, the punters allways want pics taken, its the large venues with big name djs and lots of people on drugs where it can get more complicated lol :D
 
nuttyhannah said:
also with equipment you recommended i wondered if you find yourself changing lenses alot through shoots.. Or do you just go for one style through one shoot?
Click to expand...

I shoot on 3-4 lenses in a night depending on what shot im going for, ill do it in a phase, so say the dj is wanting 15mins to get into his set. ill stay out of the way for 15mins, then shoot the 70-200 for a few shots to get some stuff from longer range for a bit before, switching to my 10-20 or fisheye for close range stuff. Fisheye ill then use for a crowd shot where its really going off to get in as many people with lots of hands in the air action etc...

When I used to shoot in a small club just shooting people I only used one lens in a night, as there wasnt the need to change. its only now in bigger venues where clients ask for different shots where I have to change the lenses through the night.
 
I need to get a battery grip. But does the flash run on its own battery?

p.s you've been truly amazing. And i really appreciate your help.
 
The flash will run off 4xAAs.

Make sure you buy some rechargables and a charger, as it works out cheaper than buying new duracells after about 3 shoots lol!

Battery grips are about £100 iirc, i dont use one, I prefer not to, then other people prefer to shoot with them. Try someones camera with one and see if you feel that its something that would be worth the investment.

If you were around london/kent I could have let you try a 430/580 to see both before spending £££
 
Yes the flash runs off it's own AA's so you will also want to get some decent rechargable batteries and charger.

Kerso is a guy who sells a lot of kit at good prices. I have bought from him a coule of times and has always been a pleasure to deal with.
 
i'm based down in eastbourne.
Although i do come back to London every month.
But i think im gonna go for the 580. I want it for this friday.
I desperately want to improve my pics..
as im worried they haven't been good enough.
So i feel its quite urgent.
But thank you..

So you dont use a battery grip. Do you just take a spare battery. Thats what i was originally thinking.
 
I personally like a battery grip as i find the 400D too small for my hands. Makes things a lot more balanced when you start hanging heavy lenses off the end too.

Though i didn't pay anywhere close to £100 for a canon one.
 
I dont use a grip but take spare batterys, Although the 30D i can easily shoot a night or even two nights on one battery anyway as I dont tend to be shotting silly high numbers of shots.

I dont know how many shots the 400D can shoot with.
 
fastworldimages said:
I dont know how many shots the 400D can shoot with.
Click to expand...

I rarely use flash. I have two batteries,
the original Canon, can do ~300-400 on a charge
the standard Jessops battery can do ~450-500 on a charge.

This has been over the course of ~6-7 hours, with a 28-135, autofocus and IS on.
Mileage may vary
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top