Nightclub Photography

MilanoChris

MilanoChris

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Chris
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Hi all, I'm going to start working down my local club and as such I need the right kit.

At the moment, I only have a 400D with kit lens. My monthly budget is small at the moment so I am looking at getting a flash first. The 430EX seems a good buy even though if it's a little more than I would like to pay. Any other models in particular to look for?

After the flash I am going to get a lens, can someone recommend something that is fast, suitable and that won't break my wallet?

Anyone know of any good sites to get some tip from? With regards to setting the body and flash up?

Finally once I have the above to and I start seeing some profit I will upgrade the body to a 40D as I personally find it a lot easier to use.

TIA.
 
The kit lens and 430ex will probably give you fairly decent results to be honest! Set the shutter speed to around a second, the flash will freeze your subjects, then the rest of the exposure will get some nice ambient light, trails, lines etc from the lighting setup.

If you want something faster, I can highly reccomend the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. It's awesome, not quite as sharp as the Canon 17-55 f/2.8, but you can pick them up secondhand for just over £200, so about a third of the price! Try with the kit lens first, but if you're really needed the extra speed, go for the Tamron!

Chris
 
Another lens to consider is depending on your style the 27-70 sigma 2.8, its a little soft at 70mm but by no means unusable, pick them up for about 260 new
 
i use a sigma 18-50 f2.8 ex dc.
its a pretty usefull lens for close ish stuff.:thumbs:
brill in little pubs and clubs.
maybe not quite long enough in big venues.
www.myspace.com/fuzzymarkbollox for a look at some of my stuff.
later stuff with the sigma on a 30D. realy old stuff with a 50mm f1.8.
on a 350D
 
tamron 17-50 as your lens, 24mm aint wide enough for a lot of things in club on a crop body.

430exII is a good shout, 580exII is a better shout but dearer :S
 
Flashgun wise the 430 I personally dont rate in clubs, I use a 580mkII all the time and my 430 doesnt come out of the bag. Much easyer to use + built in bounce card I use alot. Honestly people told me to go 430 to begin with and I wish id ignored them as the 580 Is so much better in my eyes in the venues I shoot.

I also rate the sigma 10-20 in clubs although if you are doing alot of people shots they will be distorted at 10mm often so you need to watch this here.

Feel free to drop me a pm with any questions I shoot in clubs every weekend.

The main thing is theres alot of 'rules' some people seem to feel you have to follow in clubs, when its nonsense in most cases, you should interperate the lighting the people and create shots with your own style, do what you and most importantrly if you are being paid your client are happy with.
 
400D and kit lens should do pretty well, and good flash is pretty much essential.

580EX is obviously the gun of choice, but it's a lot more expensive than the 430EX. You can make your own bounce card very easily, or use a StoFen diffuser for the same/better effect.

Having said that, 580EX if you're serious about flash. There have been quite a few threads about this style of slow-sync drag-shutter photography lately. Search 'second curtain sync' and they will probably come up.
 
I'd never use 2nd curtain when taking photos of people! After the pre-flash, they're pretty much guaranteed to move, then the actual flash will get a photo of them pulling a face, or an empty space where they used to be!

Chris
 
chris321 said:
I'd never use 2nd curtain when taking photos of people! After the pre-flash, they're pretty much guaranteed to move, then the actual flash will get a photo of them pulling a face, or an empty space where they used to be!

Chris
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Pilled up people give me gurns anyway lol!! :lol::lol:

Second curtain is like using a non flashgun though, people move about after a preflash thinking the photos been taken.
 
Thanks everyone for the advise.

fastworldimages said:
Flashgun wise the 430 I personally dont rate in clubs, I use a 580mkII all the time and my 430 doesnt come out of the bag. Much easyer to use + built in bounce card I use alot. Honestly people told me to go 430 to begin with and I wish id ignored them as the 580 Is so much better in my eyes in the venues I shoot.

I also rate the sigma 10-20 in clubs although if you are doing alot of people shots they will be distorted at 10mm often so you need to watch this here.

Feel free to drop me a pm with any questions I shoot in clubs every weekend.

The main thing is theres alot of 'rules' some people seem to feel you have to follow in clubs, when its nonsense in most cases, you should interperate the lighting the people and create shots with your own style, do what you and most importantrly if you are being paid your client are happy with.
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Cheers mate, you got a website I can have a gander at?

I really don't want to spend the extra on the 580, it's a lot more. Is it really that much better?
 
nope currently my site which I used to use but never really bothered has no nightclub stuff on.

http://www.ministryofsound.com/Club/Pics.aspx has links to mine and another guys work.

I dont generally do many of the 'people' shots anymore mostly just the DJ/crowd when its kicking off.

Flashgun : personal preference but i much prefer the 580 + if you ever intend on doing any strobist stuff the 580 will work as a master :D
 
I use the 35mm f/2 for a lot of indoor work and it's fantastic. Sharp wide open and a good focal length on a crop body; I've never really found myself wanting something shorter.

George.
 
I'd suggest the Canon 10-22 and the 580EX II.

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BadgerLover said:
I use the 35mm f/2 for a lot of indoor work and it's fantastic. Sharp wide open and a good focal length on a crop body; I've never really found myself wanting something shorter.

George.
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35mm in a club is way to much if you are doing group shots in a tight spot.

I used to try my 28-135 and 28mm was a struggle.

Ideal is 10-20 or 16-35 IMO
 
ultrawide for me to... got some great shots with my Tokina 12-24mm , have to shove the camera in peoples faces to get the most out of it *** :)
 
Well, lens wise I think it's going to be either the Sigma 10-20 or the Canon 10-22.

I'm still undecided about the flash. I know the 580EX is a lot better, but the price is putting me off. Then again, if I do a few nights work, then it pays for itself.

I suppose I could get a 430EX to start with and then once I've saved up enough sell it and move upwards?

The shots on the website at the moment are mainly point and click done by one of the Bouncers as the old photographer quit due to being hassled to get images online faster hence me attempting to pounce on an oppertunity.
 
Oh well, just bought a 550EX for £145. It's got a few marks on the body but it's in full working order. I hope it serves me well.
 
550 can work as a master still iirc.

A friend loves his still.

Way I work with club photos is sometimes you need to spend to earn. I have a few clients who love my fisheye shots, I got asked by them in advance to shoot fisheye, but the £5/600 or whatever I paid has been covered for it from working.

Id get the sigma over canon as prices seem to be cheaper I know many people who use the sigma 10-20 when they are with dsi/tills***.com etc..
 
I will be earning in two way, one, if I'm shooting instead of drinking then I am not spending, plus I'll be getting paid as well so a win win situation.

The 550 I have bought is a bit rough around the edges but functions fine, if I start earning then I will probably upgrade it in order to appear more prefessional, will just see how it all goes.

I'm going to go and practice this weekend I think, to find what settings give the best results. I have no idea what to do at the moment, so lots of research to do!
 
Where can I go to read about setting the flash up? The one I bought doesn't have a manual and I don't know what some things do, eg the off/master/slave switch.
 
MilanoChris said:
Where can I go to read about setting the flash up? The one I bought doesn't have a manual and I don't know what some things do, eg the off/master/slave switch.
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You might be able to download a manual in PDF form from one of the Canon sites (UK, Europe, US) or you can buy an original copy from here. £8 I think.

http://www.instructionbooks.co.uk/Canon instruction books/Flash guns/speedlite.html

You really can't work one of those things without a manual - complicated and not intuitive at all.
 
Well I had my first night last night and I am happy with the pictures I took. The flash is excellent and I used all the advice in this thread. The pictures are by no means professional however they are better that what the club had and I am always improving. Any tips etc then feel free.

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nice selection of shots, really good for a first night out with the flash.

Only advice I would give is that a couple of your shots (2 and 3) seem a little soft. Looking at the exif on those shots show shutter speeds around 1/4 of a second. With the flash you should be able to take the shutter speed up quite up and still get well exposed images. Look forward to seeing how your shots develop over the next few weeks :)
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm off out again this coming weekend so I will see how the adjustments work.
 
CyBeRkId2002 said:
nice selection of shots, really good for a first night out with the flash.

Only advice I would give is that a couple of your shots (2 and 3) seem a little soft. Looking at the exif on those shots show shutter speeds around 1/4 of a second. With the flash you should be able to take the shutter speed up quite up and still get well exposed images. Look forward to seeing how your shots develop over the next few weeks :)
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The shots are dark, if he ramps up the shutter speed in the club there will be even less ambient light, almost all decent nightclub shots should include lots of ambient.

1/4 should still be able to have eyes/people in focus nicely and have plenty of ambient. You can go alot slower and still do the same.

I see to many people with fujitsu finepixs in clubs where the pics just have a black background.
 
Definitely go for longer shutter speeds! Have a play at around the 1 second mark, don't worry about blurring the subject, the flash will freeze it fine. And you'll get lots more ambient light, and some pretty and vibrant colours, light trails etc! Don't be afraid to move the camera around after the flash for some crazy effects!

Chris
 
fastworldimages said:
The shots are dark, if he ramps up the shutter speed in the club there will be even less ambient light, almost all decent nightclub shots should include lots of ambient.

1/4 should still be able to have eyes/people in focus nicely and have plenty of ambient. You can go alot slower and still do the same.

I see to many people with fujitsu finepixs in clubs where the pics just have a black background.
Click to expand...

chris321 said:
Definitely go for longer shutter speeds! Have a play at around the 1 second mark, don't worry about blurring the subject, the flash will freeze it fine. And you'll get lots more ambient light, and some pretty and vibrant colours, light trails etc! Don't be afraid to move the camera around after the flash for some crazy effects!

Chris
Click to expand...

Cheers. How do you mean by freezing the subject?

Hopefully I am working again next week, the manager hasn't got back to me yet ref if she like my photo's or not.

Also, how can I watermark all of the pictures easily using LightRoom?
 
Can you tell us the EXIF for each photo as well as the gear you used?
 
MC, the popular technique is slow-sync flash, or dragging the shutter. That is, long shutter speed to give a brightly exposed background lit by ambient light, with the foreground lit with flash.

The flash exposure is very brief, so the main subject is frozen, but with the longer shutter speed anything bright that moves, like lights, is blurred into coloured trails.

Get your subject to wave lights around, or wave the camera around to create your own movement. You often don't know what you're going to get until it's happened, so shoot plenty, but it's always colourful, dynamic and interesting.
 
HoppyUK said:
MC, the popular technique is slow-sync flash, or dragging the shutter. That is, long shutter speed to give a brightly exposed background lit by ambient light, with the foreground lit with flash.

The flash exposure is very brief, so the main subject is frozen, but with the longer shutter speed anything bright that moves, like lights, is blurred into coloured trails.

Get your subject to wave lights around, or wave the camera around to create your own movement. You often don't know what you're going to get until it's happened, so shoot plenty, but it's always colourful, dynamic and interesting.
Click to expand...

Thanks. How do I set the camera up for this? Longer shutter speed? And what about the flash?
 
MilanoChris said:
Thanks. How do I set the camera up for this? Longer shutter speed? And what about the flash?
Click to expand...

As i said a few days back

Generally iso 800, flash ETTL, shutter start at 1/4 and go either up or down the speed depending on the ambient you want and the way the lights are.

Some clubs the way the lighting is Ill have to shoot faster but still get lots of ambient, others ill need a really slow shutter.

The pic ive highlighted in the post below is iso 200, which is very low in a club.
 
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One thing I will say is the club looks crap. Theres alot of dead space in the image, not good for the clubs advertising, in a situation like this you need to think quick, either crop the shot tighter or ask the people to move so theres not an empty room behind them. One thing I allways am very careful about is the clubs image, if I look at a clubs photos and it looks half dead i wont spend money there, remeber you are a key promotional tool for the venue and you need to show the venue in a positive light.

Also that brings in the type of photos or people in the photos, some times you will need to delete photos of people who dont fit into a clubs image (for example an expensive VIP bar, photos of people with middle fingers raised etc... may not be what the promoter likes to see representing their image).

Hope this helps, MANY MANY people who work for the crappy 'free' nightclub websites seem to forget about the damage they can do to a clubs rep by not thinking.
 
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