Night indoor party questions.

[red24amos]

Hi,
A friend of mine ask me to shoot a party in his apartment in a few weeks. I never had taken professional night/indoors photos at a party. I would like to get some advice on camera setting, etc etc. I am bringing my new portable flash, but I seen people in clubs putting a sort of a white cart board around the top of the flash. Please any information of sites recommendation would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

:lmao:

Luccanazario.com

 

[tibrunner]

That "white cardboard" you are referring to is most likely a DIY diffuser for someone who didn't already have one.

As I am sure you are well aware, direct flash in a naturally dark area can create very harsh shadows behind the subject. Hints the reason for a diffuser, no matter how crude.

As for camera settings there is no definitive answer. My suggestion would be arrive early and play with your camera. But if you feel more comfortable with numbers for a starting point here you go:

Use higher than normal ISO 400, 800, 1600...makes your camera sensor more sensitive to the low light level, but also can potentially cause excessive noise.

Drop your shutter speed down a bit, but try not to go below 1/40th this is where blur starts becoming a potential problem.

Open your aperture as wide as you can (smaller the f/# the better) this will allow for more light to enter the camera.

Again, arrive early, play with your camera and try to find a happy balance.

Oh, and google "Gary Fong Lightsphere"
Highly recommended, I never leave home without mine.

 

[red24amos]

Thank you so much Tibrunner.