I was just approached to do nightclub photography, I've never done it before and I want to know what I need to pull it off

Question

So I was taking photos downtown and an event manager for a local nightclub approached me. He wants me to shoot for his event at the local club on Friday. I said yes.

But I know I need to modify my set-up, because right now it's really simple. What I have is a Nikon D300s and a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm 3.5 - 5.6 GED I DX lens.

Now, from my previous experiences in low-light conditions this lens isn't very good and makes getting shots hard without bumping up to a crazy ISO that introduces a hell of a lot of grain into the picture.

What lens do I need to get for nightclub photography?
What external flash / flash do I need?
What is important to research to ensure the best results?
What else do I need for this endeavour?
Is my D300s powerful enough in low light to get good shots?

I should also note, I'm not on a SUPER tight budget, but I do have a budget of about $500.

These are what the current photographer has produced, I don't see anything too special with the shots. There's definitely no crazy compositions or anything special here.

$500, if you're buying gear, is about as tight a budget as size 0 jeans on a grown man. You'll want to rent. Also - are you expected to take photos like the ones linked or are you being hired because the owner wants something different than the previous shooter? — OnBreak., Jan 23 '19 at 23:30
Well it depends on the gear right? I was looking around at other topics here and apparently you can get a decent prime lens for around 150 bucks, which works for me. I don't need the very best of the best here.
He definitely wants better pictures, I know I can provide on that front IF I have the gear necessary or at the very least, some of the gear. — diece, Jan 23 '19 at 23:42
Why do you need a faster lens? All the pictures in your example were taken with a flash. Check B&H, there are fairly powerful Nikon compatible hot-shoe flashes available for a fraction of your budget... The Godox 350N for example runs ~$150 and has a zoom function that works with your lens. Or the TT350N for ~$80 — BobT, Jan 24 '19 at 01:47
35mm/1.8 and an around the lens ring flash (200 for the lens + x for the flash) should be in your budget — Horitsu, Jan 24 '19 at 05:30
If you end up buying a new lens, if posdible buy one with stabilisation, I have found stabilisation vary usefull in these situations. — lijat, Jan 24 '19 at 06:12
All the sample shots are taken with a flash head-on, your most useful accessory would be a flash bracket to put the flash as far as possible from the lens axis, or a good softbox (or both, with a small softbox on a flash on a side bracket). — xenoid, Jan 24 '19 at 10:11
"All the sample shots are taken with a flash head-on" ... and that isn't optimal, and probably what you will get with a ring flash as was suggested... — rackandboneman, Jan 24 '19 at 11:22
@xenoid my assumption was that not all pictures would be taken with a flash. If the owner want’s better pictures one nice adition would be som natural light shots showing the ambient lighting. I am not saying do not use flash but rather mix it up a bit. — lijat, Jan 24 '19 at 11:23
@lijat Based on the sample images, that club has pretty much zero ambient light. There does not seem to be any sort of "disco" or "club" style lighting at all, but rather a few bare light bulbs on the exterior walls. — Michael C, Jan 24 '19 at 12:04
Possible duplicate of First time - Night Club Photography - what gear do I need? — Michael C, Jan 24 '19 at 12:05
Related: What should my plan be for photographing in a nightclub setting? and Nightclubs photography, setup to capture the real mood and atmosphere? and How was this nightclub photo taken/edited? — Michael C, Jan 24 '19 at 12:18
Dances, concerts, and theatrical photography aren't that much different from shooting in a nightclub with lots of "club" or "disco" style lighting: What are appropriate lenses for concert photography? and How can I take photos during a school dance? and Best ways of photographing at a concert/festival The end of the accepted answer to the last linked question includes a lot of other links you may also find helpful. — Michael C, Jan 24 '19 at 12:21
I think I'd take something like a D3s, not a D300, and something like the 1.8/35 (fast and aspherical prime) into a lowlight hell :) — rackandboneman, Jan 24 '19 at 16:33
@rackandboneman If you use the 35/1.8 DX you give away half the FF sensor of the D3s. — Michael C, Jan 26 '19 at 17:16
Thought they made a FX version too, though not as cheap? Also, tried the DX one on an A7, you get vignetting that would not have ruined the pictures shown if you had let them FF, and would make a perfect APS-H sized crop :) — rackandboneman, Jan 26 '19 at 21:16

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 24 '19 at 13:28

2

Firstly, your Nikon D300s is more than adequate for the job, but a fast-wide lens (zoom or prime) will definitely help in producing a more desired look. (more about this is a little later)

Secondly, for the Events Manager to approach you, suggests that he is not completely satisfied with his current image types.

So, the question is, what are the Events Managers pain points and what can you as a photographer do to satisfy his requirements?

Perhaps this is a question you need to ask before endeavouring on purchasing any new equipment.

With this out of the way, having worked on and off as a freelance events/wedding photographer for many years, this is my take on it.

The current images do not show off the venue.
These images can be from anywhere where people are gathered and having fun.
There are no distinguishing features in any of the images that show off the club.
The club does not look attractive or appealing.
The flash has ensured that the light fall of is too quick and therefore leaving the background dark and unappealing
If these images are shared on social media, it can be difficult to determine which club they belong to.

However, saying that, this maybe just what the manager wants; for his clientele to visit a gallery of themselves. Perhaps with a view to selling merchandise such as insta-prints, key-rings and other products.

However, this is not always the case and what the managers generally want, is to show people having fun inside a recognisable and attractive venue that potential clubbers will be attracted to.

In my experience, I found Managers always wanted to sell the venue and not just the clubbers when these images are shared on social media so that they generate popularity and more customers.

A fast-wide angle lens such as the Tokina AT-X Pro 11-16mm f/2.8 DX Nikon Lens for about $500 amongst many others, will ensure that you are able to capture the ambient beauty, the clubs appeal and the attractiveness of the venue whilst capturing clubbers and images of big crowds.

It provides sufficient focal range for both extreme wide angles for groups at close range and a 24mm full frame equivalent at the 16mm end for even closer shots with minimal lens distortion, all whilst maintaining a constant f/2.8.

If you are not keen on the ultra-wide look, then you have options for 17-50mm f/2.8 from Tamron at under $400 but you will lose quite a significant amount of FOV. Means you will need to be creative.

And then, by adding a cheap $50 flash to complement the ambient light you will provide an overall pop to the image and also not have to worry too much about camera shake.

answered Jan 24 '19 at 13:28

Abdul N Quraishi

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Can you include a sample image to illustrate what you are talking about? – xiota Jan 25 '19 at 20:23
On the other hand, if the club is as much of a dump as it appears to be in the sample photos, maybe the entire point is to not show the distinctive features of the club? In a club that dark, f/2.8 doesn't begin get it for using ambient light as the main illumination, either, particularly not with a crop body. f/1.4 or f/2 and a FF sensor is still going to need flash as the primary light source. – Michael C Jan 26 '19 at 17:13
@Micheal C - Good point about not showing the venue, but the question remains, why would the manager approach someone else to take the pictures? OP needs to ask this ask question. Regarding using f/2.8, trust me, you will get a lot of ambient light, but of course, ideally f/1.4 will be better, but then the trade off happens between either a wide angle zoom lens at f/2.8 or a 28mm at f1.8 or 50mm at 1.4. I found the compromise in aperture compensated for the FOV when in tight situations. – Abdul N Quraishi Jan 26 '19 at 22:00
Well, that shoot went really well.
Here's some pictures from the night.

https://ibb.co/pwFmf5n https://ibb.co/vzLdNxS https://ibb.co/KbH9S4L
– diece Jan 27 '19 at 19:09
"... why would the manager approach someone else to take the pictures?" Because he wants someone cheaper/free? Because the other guy doesn't want to do it anymore (or maybe he got a real job to support his photography habit that requires working weekend nights)? – Michael C Jan 30 '19 at 21:10
@MichaelC - in business there is no space for assumptions or presumptions! until you don't ask the question, you don't get the answer! and since when is Photography a Habit? smoking is a habit! if you put your business cap on, you will notice that photography can be a very real job! – Abdul N Quraishi Jan 30 '19 at 22:29
@AbdulQuraishi I hope that in your culture photography continues to be valued enough that customers are willing to pay enough for quality images that one can continue to make a living at it. Sadly, in too many places, the only acceptable price for image creation by way too many potential "customers" seems to be "exposure", rather than compensation. – Michael C Jan 30 '19 at 22:34
@MichaelC - and what culture would that be? are you discriminating or being racist? are you making assumptions based on my name? FYI, I may have a foreign sounding name, but I am a 3rd Gen Londoner. So my guess would be, my culture is the UK culture! what ever that maybe. I also have clients in the US so its these people that find it acceptable to pay what may seem over the odds to some people. – Abdul N Quraishi Jan 30 '19 at 22:53
No. It just seems that many specialties that are no longer viable business models in the U.S. (such as freelance sports - images that used to pay $250 from SI , TSN, or IS, now pay $2.50 from Getty) are still doing a little better in Europe. There are always a few clients in the right markets who will pay for quality. Things are worse here now than they were four years ago when shutterbug published this article: https://www.shutterbug.com/content/what-killed-editorial-sports-photography-you%E2%80%99ve-really-got-hustle-make-living-sports-shooter – Michael C Jan 30 '19 at 22:57

I was just approached to do nightclub photography, I've never done it before and I want to know what I need to pull it off

1 Answers1