As a wedding photographer, I recently had the opportunity to photograph a night club for a special event here in Las Vegas last weekend. It was a unique experience that required me to use different techniques and equipment than I normally would for a wedding shoot, but also half felt like when the dance floor opens up at a the wedding reception.
At a wedding, I half feel like I get to know some of the people and they get to know me. That I am there to photograph the day and capture the day in an artistic style. Shooting at a night club event is just to capture the craziness of the party, and so the promoter and attendees can share how great of an experience people have there, and most of it just ends up on social media the next day where it will live.
Here are some of the technical aspects of my shoot:
Equipment:
- Camera: I used my trusty Canon 5D Mark IV, which has excellent low-light capabilities. I didn’t take my R5, just in case it got knocked around or someone spilled something on it. I want to keep that one as my primary nice camera for weddings.
- Lens: I opted for a fast prime lens with a wide aperture, specifically the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM. This allowed me to capture sharp images in the dimly lit environment. It’s not great for shooting close up on a dance floor, but really was able to get some clean and sharp images.
- Flash: I used a cheap YN external flash to add some additional light when needed, but I tried to avoid using it too much to maintain the ambiance of the club. It was extremely dark and only had strobes and lasers, so with the flash I was able to get some fun shots.
Shooting Techniques:
- Shutter Speed: I like to get creative and use a slower shutter speed to capture the movement and energy of the dancers and guests. However, when you do this, you need to balance the right amount of flash with the slow shutter, and be careful not to use too slow of a shutter speed, as this could result in motion blur.
- ISO: I had to use a higher ISO than I normally would for a wedding shoot to compensate for the low light. However, I tried to keep it as low as possible to avoid introducing too much noise into the images.
- Composition: I had to be creative with my composition to capture the unique atmosphere of the club. I experimented with different angles and perspectives to showcase the lighting, decor, and energy of the space.
Overall, photographing a night club was a fun and challenging experience that allowed me to expand my skills as a photographer. It required me to think outside the box and use different techniques and equipment than I normally would for a wedding shoot.
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