- Nightclub photography can be striking but also complicated.In the club image by Stanislav Savelyev from Fotolia.com
Whether you are starting your own photography business or simply want to learn how to take better pictures of your friends, understanding the basic principles of nightclub photography will help you create stunning images that can be used for magazines or personal photo albums. Capturing photographs in nightclubs can be difficult because of obstacles such as dense fog, intense lighting and dancing patrons that may be clumsy and rude. Since this is a very demanding type of photography, Photoxels.com recommends digital SLR cameras for full control over shooting settings. However, if you do not have a digital SLR camera, any digital camera with different settings will work. - Using a high-quality lens is vital in creating professional-quality nightclub photographs. When you purchase a lens, make sure it has a solid construction to prevent breakage. It should also have a large aperture to allow more light to enter the lens. High-aperture lenses also allow you to capture sharper subjects while backgrounds remain blurry, making for more exciting images. The minimum aperture for a lens should be f/2.8. However, the faster the lens, the clearer your images will be. The exact type of lens you need to purchase depends on the make and model of your camera.
- Attaching an external bracket flash will provide natural-looking light that won't wash out your subjects. Even if you have a high-quality lens, some nightclubs are too dim to forgo using a flash. The standard flash mechanism in digital cameras should not be used. After you have attached the flash bracket, tilt the bulb head to a 45-degree angle so your subjects are still softly lit. Do not allow the flash to directly shine on your subjects, as this will cause a whiteout and lower the quality of your images. Also, take a minimum of three images of your subjects in case they blink.
- Alter the shutter speed for your digital camera if you wish to capture crowd shots or artistic images of the action in a nightclub. Set the camera on a tripod. Even the slightest movement can ruin the image because of the longer-than-average shutter speed. Set your shutter speed to 1/30 of a second at F-stop 2.8. Attach a cable release to the camera so you do not have to press the shutter button. If you don't have a cable release or if your camera does not support this feature, set the camera's automatic timer. This is necessary, as touching the shutter button can cause image blur.
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