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When we are talking When it comes to shooting in a nightclub, this usually means shooting in a dark room lit by various colored lights and spotlights. That is, there is no white light source, and the lighting is constantly changing. In this regard, there may be some difficulties in obtaining high-quality images. We have prepared some tips for you to help you avoid them.

Equipment

Since the equipment in a nightclub is in constant danger, the cheaper it is, the better. If you have a backup camera, use one, an inexpensive variable aperture zoom lens (f/3.2 - 4.5 or similar) and an inexpensive flash.

It is best to use wide angle lenses such as 14-40mm or 10-20mm. These lenses are great for taking pictures. large groups and couples, despite the fact that there are a lot of people around. But you can use a camera with a medium-wide angle.

An external flash must be in the arsenal of a club photographer. The aperture of the camera, even if it is top-end, for night shooting still not enough. You can attach the flash to the shoe of the camera, or using a special bracket connected by a sync cable - for side illumination.

The type of flash selected is not particularly important, because TTL functionality is not needed for shooting in clubs. Well, if the flash will have infrared illumination for autofocus. You can mount a dedicated Mag-Light on the bracket to illuminate the focus area.

Use a diffuser to create a soft light effect.

Settings

1.Use manual mode for external flash. Set the shutter speed to 1/4 or 1/8 depending on the shooting conditions. The main thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise the effect of "overexposure" will turn out. You can also set it to slow sync or rear curtain sync. A slow shutter speed is needed to capture the background of the frame - with all the neon lights - this creates visual trails of moving objects, making the frame more natural and dynamic. And the flash in the final stage of exposure "freezes" the subjects being photographed.

2.It is desirable to set the camera settings in the “M” mode (manual). The sensitivity should be high, but not too high, to avoid noise. It all depends on your camera.

3. Usually club shots are used for publishing on Internet sites, so it is not necessary to shoot in RAW format, maximum JPEG quality will be enough. However, when printing illustrations in magazines or books, all the flaws and noises that are not noticeable on the site page can come out.

4. Even if you are the owner of a fast lens - set the value in the range f / 4.5 - 5.6. This will give you a greater depth of field. Do not forget that autofocus is difficult to cope with moving objects.

5. Use long enough shutter speeds to show the play of light in the club, but not so long that the people in the frame blurred. Yes, the flash will freeze the subject, but if the shutter is open too long, unsightly halos will appear around the subjects. A shutter speed of 1/6 sec is more than enough. For clubs where the lighting is brighter, you can use faster shutter speeds, but it's best to stick to 1/3 and 1/8 second intervals.

6. Do not fire the flash directly at subjects. Some clubs have very high ceilings, so be sure to use a diffuser.

This should be avoided:

And strive to get this:

Shooting technique

Usually, the best shots are taken when you are at the edge of the dance floor and shoot with the dance floor behind the subject. Thus, multi-colored lights and silhouettes of people remain in the background. At the same time, you can light up and freeze people in the foreground with a small burst of flash.

If you shoot on the dance floor itself, then moving lights will create strange halos that distract from the subject. In addition, you may accidentally push or spill a drink on the equipment.

Another important point successful shooting in nightclubs - self-confidence. If you want people to pose for you for a great shot, just ask them - usually no one refuses.

1. Raise your camera high above you as you make your way through the crowd- so you can avoid trouble and still attract attention.

2. Use mirrors to create creative shots or enhance lighting effects. The main thing is not to forget at the same time that neither the flash nor you yourself were reflected in the mirror.

3. When you've taken the picture, raise thumb up to show people that the picture is taken. Don't check the picture on the LCD screen in front of people, chances are they will want to see it too and it will take you about twice as long to get your job done. It is better to see what happened in some secluded place.

4. If the composition of the shot turned out to be excellent, but the colors leave much to be desired, try converting the image to black and white. Monochrome photos sometimes look much better.

What else to pay attention to

Shooting in nightclubs seems like a lot of fun for beginners: you can enter the club for free, you know the DJs and managers, and sometimes you get free drinks.

But don't let these "perks" sway you into accepting lower pay for your work. After all, you're trying to make money, not just have a good time.

It all started with trips to thousands of raves and filming for Internet portals. I, a young guy with a simple camera, at first had to experience fear, uncertainty, confusion. But I understood the main thing right away: I need a camera in order to capture and show others some of the fun and emotions that I experienced there, at an event - in a club or in an open area.

BIOGRAPHY

Born on November 15, 1985 in the city of Volzhsky, then moved to Moscow. got two higher education, one of them at the Estonian Academy of Arts, at the Faculty of Photography. I have been doing photography for over 7 years. I shoot about the same in nightclubs.

TECHNIQUE

Nikon D3, 85 mm f/1.4D AF NIKKOR, 50 mm f/1.4D AF NIKKOR, 35mm f/2D AF NIKKOR, 24 mm f/2.8D AF NIKKOR, 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR NIKKOR, Speedlight SB-700, Speedlight SB-800, Speedlight SB-900.

My pictures are my vision of the world. Moments of my life. Looking through them, I am transferred to that moment and experience the same feelings that I felt when shooting pretty girls, or a group of guys having fun, or the same notorious stars at social events.

Night clubs are a web of fun, an endless holiday and ... crowds of not quite adequate people.

First of all, getting into the crowd, you must be prepared for the fact that most people will treat you as a service staff who is obliged to photograph them; at the same time, someone will ask to do it politely, and someone not very much. Do not look for conflicts with tipsy or just impudent people. If I see that it’s impossible for a person to correctly explain the reason for my presence, then I just take pictures, and at home I filter out those that I clearly don’t like. I don’t like to shoot deliberately staged, with my soul and body I love reportage and life as it is, without the intervention of people who get into my lens. I doubt that it is possible to convey my idea to the characters who went over with strong drinks and decided to take a picture with the girls...

Shooting in a dense crowd is always difficult and, above all, physically inconvenient, because you often have to carry a bunch of equipment on yourself to achieve acceptable results, and this requires certain skills and remarkable strength. You will definitely need a suitable camera with the ability to raise the sensitivity to high values, as well as a set of light-sensitive lenses. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to work.

My camera allows me to shoot in most places with no or minimal flash. Since, as already mentioned, I love reporting very much, I try to get rid of flashes as soon as possible. But using a flash, and even catching people with a “portable sun” in their hands (as I affectionately call a softbox), you can take live pictures. In addition to the subject itself, other details that enter the lens are involved in the composition of the frame. Most common mistake beginner photographers is that they want to please everyone and strive for their shots to be liked by both the captured persons and the rest of the people. A shot that simply depicts a person is unlikely to attract the attention of viewers, but if it has an idea marked by details, understanding people will always appreciate it.

Using flash is a sure way to draw attention to your person. For reporting, this is disastrous, so over time I began to reduce my light arsenal.

At first, I armed myself with a huge softbox, which is now used by almost all club photographers; then I scaled it down to -LumiQuest SoftBox; now I usually use a spherical diffuser from Falcon Eyes. This, of course, attracts the attention of the audience, but at the same time it causes a storm of mixed feelings in them, conducive to albeit not quite reportage, but cheerful and emotional shooting, which, in my opinion, is also one of the most important components of photography in general, and even in night club ± even more so.

My camera does not have a built-in flash. I generally consider it unsuitable for shooting in difficult conditions. After all, it makes the object flat, deprives it background. An off-camera flash, on the other hand, provides more advantages even for a beginner. Therefore, I advise you not to spare money and buy a flash, it will always come in handy for you (for example, for a focus grid, when shooting without a flash).

Flash photography is, of course, the most complex view shooting: you have to not only choose the right sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture, but also calculate the pulse of the emitted light. You can take out the flash in your hand using synchronization or by pairing two remote flashes - this is perfect option to simplify work with light and the ability to shoot with almost studio lighting. The main thing is to understand the basic principle of how light works, then it will be easy.

Most of the rookie photographers that come to the club are amateurs nightlife who want to get into the club for free and have no idea about the capabilities of their camera.

I advise, first of all, to take into account that it is dark in a nightclub. Everyone seems to know about it; however, the lack of light remains a major problem. Using a flash makes it harder for you, because the light is brought in where it was not supposed to be, so you often do not see what you would like. What follows from this? What we need to understand is how the camera works.

The camera loves light and draws photographs with it. So, light is your friend and assistant in creating a photo.

Club lighting lamps are a necessary and important detail to convey the atmosphere prevailing there. And in order for the light that you see in the club to get into your picture, you need to bring it there. The flash impulse is very difficult to pick up in the unpredictably changing lighting of the club, in most cases you will not be able to convey all the light that shines around: it will either simply clog with a flash or ruin your frame.

There are two practical options for dealing with the problem during club shoots with off-camera flashes. Firstly, this is a high ISO, an open aperture and a relatively short shutter speed (from 1/10 to 1/25), while the light pulse is relatively weak. This is an easy shooting option that produces stable results (except when shooting with big amount light around, for example, when working stroboscopes). Good for beginners.

The second option is a closed aperture, low sensitivity and the longest shutter speed of up to 1 second or more, which gives you the opportunity to draw with light coming from all light sources, whatever you want.

There are also options for shooting with only one bounce flash, which already requires some skill, because you have to constantly look back in order to understand where the light is bouncing off. similar view shooting is not suitable for all establishments, but only for those where the ceiling is low enough or reflective surfaces, and the walls are painted with neutral light paint. If there are bright colors around you and a lot of dark elements, then you will simply burn the batteries and make shots of the color of the walls.

I can talk a lot about methods of using flashes and shooting without a flash, they exist great amount. But everyone has to find out for himself what suits him best. There must always be some intrigue in achieving results, otherwise, if everything is chewed up and almost swallowed for you, it will not be interesting to study. I have spent hundreds of hours on the Internet, talking with many colleagues, studying, studying and studying again to find out what I know now. I think that everyone has to make his own way, otherwise he will never be able to call himself a professional photographer. notorious professional photography- not the one that is done after reading a magazine with a description of all possible ways shooting, and the one that is created with soul and heart, and first of all for yourself, and then for the client - for money.

FIVE BASIC RULES FOR SHOOTING IN A NIGHTCLUB

Firstly if you are seriously thinking about working in this area, then it is worth spending money on good technique. You will quickly get bored with a simple camera and a fast lens, which will often let you down and make it impossible to shoot what you have planned.

Secondly, do not be afraid of the crowd, because you came to work! open little secret: many in this crowd are afraid of you, because you have a time machine in your hands that takes you to the past.

Third Don't be afraid to try something new. Finding yourself is the main driving factor in any business. Learn, try, develop.

Fourth When making a report, do not forget that it is not just about shooting the characters present, but about your view of what is happening.

Fifth, practice! And not just in nightclubs. Shoot more often, because in photography, as in any business, experience is important. This is something without which you will never be the best.

Shooting, learning and moving forward - these are the main components of the success of a club photographer. Oh yes! It is also important not to stand still, otherwise you can miss a good shot!