How to take good nightclub photos

[skirmish]

Im gonna be taking some photos of a dj and crowd soon and was wondering the best settings/tips to use to get the best photos.
I have a nikon D70 with a 28-200mm lense.
I only just bought it so am still a little confused!
Cheers

[another view]

Depends on what kind of shots you're looking for. I'd shoot at ISO800 and/or ISO1600. Do you have an external flash, like an SB600 or SB800? The built-in flash won't give you much output but at these high ISO speeds you should be able to work with it - not ideal, but it's a start. My main concern would be the lens itself blocking the light of the flash because the flash is so close to the lens (lens may create a shadow). This happens with some lenses.

For some shots, I'd try using slow shutter speeds like maybe 1/4 sec to 1/30 to show some movement. Nikon calls it "slow sync" but it's also known as dragging the shutter. The idea is that the flash goes off and makes a sharp image, but the long shutter speed creates some blur around that sharp image. It also gives you more exposure in the background - basically anywhere the flash can't reach, and I'd only count on it reaching 8' or so even with high ISO speeds. This makes the room look less like a cave. The effect can be very good but it's also very hit or miss, so experiment with different shutter speeds. Hold the camera as still as you can but a tripod probably isn't practical and probably not necessary. Don't do this for all of your shots because it is a unique effect - but you'll probably get a couple of really good ones if you experiment enough with it.

[ltilley]

I agree, a dedicated lens will be much better than the on camera. Then you can bounce it off the ceiling (unless of course the ceiling is black.) If that's the case use a diffuser and point it straight on... and like another_view says... the slow flash sync looks great with the movement...

[livin4lax09]

i agree whole-heartedly with Anotherview. It's a very good idea to use slow sync in clubs, because it allows you to freeze subjects but still give a good impression of movement and chaos.

[MarcusK]

One more thing I might add, is give it a shot without flash even, now that truly depends on the club, but with some timing...specially when they strobe the light, you can get a good exposure without flash...You're gonna have to experiment on that one...but it should work...it will give you some gr8 pics if you get the right timing!

[freygr]

Im gonna be taking some photos of a dj and crowd soon and was wondering the best settings/tips to use to get the best photos.
I have a nikon D70 with a 28-200mm lense.
I only just bought it so am still a little confused!
Cheers

That lense is not a good choice for low light photography, See if you can get your hands on a 50mm F1.4 AF lense. (works out to 75mm equivlant) There are other lenses but they are costly.

[skirmish]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
I ended up getting a lot of crap shots, but luckily a few good ones mixed in there!
The flash suggestions worked well.
Unfortunately I dont have a choice in lenses: that's the only one I have at the moment so unless you want to donate one Im gonna have to stick with it for a while!

[djjimmys]

Hey I have just started taking photos for a new bar/club and have had some good results thanks to the information above, so thanks for the info! I have though just one question. I have seen many photos on dontstayin.com that people have taken that have a “bubble type” effect. Is there a special type of lens to achieve this or is it all done in Photoshop!? I am using a Cannon EOS 400D with the standard EFS 18-55mm lens. I would also like to get a proper flash that would improve the photo’s I take. Have not got a clue though what would be the best?!

[Frog]

Send a link to some of the pics you are talking about.
Not sure what you mean by bubble effect.
Maybe you are talking about a fish eye lens?

[djjimmys]

I think it is fish eye effect im after. http://www.dontstayin.com/uk/crawley.../photo-7920936 To get photo's like that.

[Frog]

Yup! Those are done with fish eye lenses.

[djjimmys]

What would be a good fish eye lense for my EOS 400D?

[Frog]

I don't know. Have never used a fisheye but there are several here that do.
You may want to start a new thread; maybe in the canon forums.

[djjimmys]

Ok will do! Thanks

[rutherdbrown]

Hey all,

i would like to thanks all buddy for sharing such a nice information..