Nightclub photos help

[Starskream666]

I had my first nightclub photo experience last night. I hate using my flashgun especialy with my 50mm. I also have a fisheye which most of the time gives cool results.

I need help on exposure because when I use my flash in really dark places such as this club, I can never keep the ambient lights... its either an ugly white lit background and subject or an underexposed photo. #

I was using my 50mm with the flash, i tried various different powers but I think it has more to do with the zoom distance im using on the flash... it was at about 24 mm most the time and it was pointing slightly up say 60 degrees

 

[sleist]

Have you read this?

http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/dragging-the-shutter/

 

[Dominantly]

That's a good breakdown right there^^^^


I would add that some club photographers use diffusers like the Gary Fong lightsphere to bounce light. I would refrain from direct blasts as that has less than appealing results in that kind of environment.

 

[Starskream666]

I'll give that a read in a sec, like I said I wasn't directing flashing them I was aiming it slightly up more to the ceiling, which is gonna fill the frame white, which is my problem, you miss all the nice colourful lights.

I left early as I started to feel really ill (maybe the anxiety of not getting the shots I wanted)

Another BIG problem is how to focus when it is that dark? My old nikon d80 had an orange light that would come on when you were focusing in low light but my 60d doesn't have that for some reason, and neither does my YongNuo 560 II

Here are a few exampels anyway





This was too bright but it was pure luck that it was in such good focus as it was pitch black and I have no focus illuminator in my 60D






I much prefer when I can get natural light shots with the 50 like this, but wasn't always possible

 

[Braineack]

I personally like the three flash examples better than the natural light shot shown...


Maybe it would help for you to buy a nice bright tactical led flashlight to help focus? I don't believe canons have this feature on any of their bodies and it's a nikon thing.

 

[Mach0]

I've had good success using a stoffen omnibounce, higher ISO and slower shutter speeds.

 

[cgipson1]

on the focusing in the dark, according to Canons website Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS 60D on the 60d:

AF Assist Beam
Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash

Effective range: Approx. 13.1 ft./4.0m at center, approx. 11.5 ft./3.5m at periphery*.

* With an EOS-dedicated Speedlite attached, the Speedlite's AF-assist beam is emitted instead.

Maybe pick up a Canon Flash? That has the AF assist beam? (or go back to Nikon?)

 

[Starskream666]

Man its so annoying... if I turn on the pop up flash to pre focus flash then the orange light fires out on to the surface to keep focus, why can't it just do that without the flash! stupid design