Nightclub Photography FAQ

Off Camera Flash

2014-08-22T11:58:00.000-05:00

Q: I am a little confused about something you wrote concerning the flash. You said you hold it in your left hand when it's off camera. Please explain that a little more. Is it off camera but supported by a bracket?

A: I use a Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash and a Canon STE2 Speedlite Transmitter when doing nightclub photography. I hold the camera with my right hand and hold the flash unit in my left hand. That is, I don't use a bracket. By the way, the flash is on slave mode.

The Canon STE2 Speedlite Transmitter is a wireless flash controller for the Canon 420EX. It goes on the camera body's hotshoe where the external flash unit would normally go. This means that I'm free to hold or put my flash anywhere as long as the transmitter and the flash are within range of each other and not obstructed by anything that would prevent them from communicating with each other. I find that this technique is more versatile than using a bracket.

Help

2014-04-29T20:14:00.000-05:00

Q:Hi there, I am an amateur photographer in Australia doing mostly studio photo-shoots for clients, however, I have been recently asked to do event photography for a 21st birthday. It is going to be very low light. I have a speedlight, a 55mm f1.8 prime lens, and a 17-70m f2.8 zoom lens. I'm not very familiar with this type of photography and know I will need to use my external flash but am not sure how to set it up in regards to the settings. I am just wondering if you could help me or have any tips!

A: Check out the following page for insights on the camera and flash settings: Nightclub Photography Tips: Camera and Flash Settings

My suggestion would be to use the 17-70mm f/2.8 lens and bounce the flash on the ceiling or walls (try out different angles).

You should position yourself so that the light is behind the subject. Use a slow shutter speed (around 1/4 to 1/2 sec) and set your flash to 2nd or rear curtain sync. This will allow you to catch any colorful backgrounds. You should also try moving your camera around so that there's movement in the light.

Speedlight

2014-04-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

Q:I have a few questions regarding this.

First: are the speedlights hard to set up for different occasions?

Second: what should the settings be like?

Third: is the Canon 17-40mm f/4L an alright beginning lens?

The speedlight is not hard to set up for different occasions. I either have it on the camera and I'm bouncing it on the ceiling or walls at various angles or I'm shooting with the speedlight off camera and I'm holding it with my left hand at different positions with the the flash pointed directly at the subject.
Flash Settings: TTL

I don't use any flash exposure compensation. You might want to try rear/2nd curtain sync if your flash/camera body is capable of doing it. The results you'd get would be different from 1st curtain sync.
The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L Lens is an awesome lens! It's one of my go to lenses for nightclub photography.

Prices

2013-04-29T20:01:00.000-05:00

Q: I have been shooting club events for a few years now and have been working for free. I did my first gig with one company and now they keep asking me to work for them, but since then have not been paid a cent. I'm from Australia and I am wondering a) How much I should be charging? and b) How to ask them for some sort of wage now?

A: Even though it's understandable to do nightclub photography gigs for free at first to get experience, I don't suggest doing it without setting some payment terms in the future. How the payment is going to be made, how much it's going to be, and when to expect it should be clearly discussed if the company is going to have you do the nightclub photography.

When I was starting out, I did my first nightclub photography gig for free with the understanding that it's going to be a trial run and I would get paid on future gigs. They wanted to see if I would be a right fit for them and if they were going to like my photos. It was also a way for me to see if I would actually enjoy doing nightclub photography and if the photography skills I already had would be applicable to nightclub photography. I actually shadowed one of their photographers. They liked my work and I enjoyed doing nightclub photography so they asked me to start the following week.

To answer the questions:

It seems like you've already built up enough experience from having done club events for a few years now. I think it's fair to say that you should be charging $50 to $75 per hour with a two hour minimum per night. That is, you should be charging at least $100 to about $150 per night.
Since the company has the expectation that they would be getting nightclub photography services for free, it's somewhat hard to ask them to start paying now. Try asking them in a way that they see how it would benefit them. For example, mention that you know the venue, the people, etc. and that you're able to make the best photos for them. Be prepared to walk away if they still don't see the value you're providing for them. Because you're not getting paid now, you're not really losing anything. You've already gained experience from shooting for them and you could pursue new opportunities at other companies that are looking for nightclub photographers.

I hope it turns out well. Best of luck!

Please also see the following for additional info:

Nightclub Photography Rates

Social Dancing Photos

2013-04-06T16:12:00.000-05:00

Q: I admire the social dancing photos taken by this Photographer Valentin Behringer.

I love his color vibrancy, sharpness, composition and light effect. Any suggestions/guidance in obtaining similar results would be greatly appreciated.

A: Since a specific photo wasn't provided, I browsed through the Facebook page and looked at the photographer's photos. I think I understand which photos are in question. I think it's similar to the question I received about how to achieve the DJ photo I had on Facebook.

Here are some tips on how to achieve similar results for the social dancing photos:

Position yourself so that there's light behind the subject.
Use 2nd or rear curtain sync for the flash. You could also try shooting with the flash off camera.
Drag the shutter. That is, use a long shutter speed. You may have to experiment to get the desired results.
Rotate the camera from portrait orientation to landscape orientation or vice versa. You could also try moving the camera in a semicircle motion from left to right or in a semicircle motion from top to bottom.

The slow shutter speed means that the camera is capturing the light behind the subject as the camera moves. The flash freezes the subject.

Please also see my other post about background light effect.

Sweet 16 Party

2013-03-04T16:50:00.000-06:00

Q: How much do you charge per photo for a sweet 16? Or how does it work?

A: This is not really a question about nightclub or nightlife photography, but I will still answer the question since I've done some event photography (anniversaries, birthday parties, etc.) in the past.

Doing photography for a sweet 16 party is very different from doing nightclub photography. Photographing a sweet 16 party is more or less comparable to wedding photography so the rates and deliverables would be similar to that. How much to charge would depend on what the client is expecting to get and how much experience you have doing this type of photography.

My pricing is simple and straightforward. Here's my pricing structure for event photography:

My rates start at $_____/hr or $______ for _____ hrs of photography (you could do an hourly rate or a fixed rate for a certain number of hours and additional hour cost $_____). This includes approximately ____ images. The key to my pricing is that clients receive high-resolution images on a DVD that have been optimized and are ready to print. The client controls the reprints and don't have to pay me exorbitant reprint prices or buy packages they don't want or need.

My rates included not just the time I spent photographing the event, but also the time I spent editing the images (basic color correction/post processing/deleting bad pictures), time spent meeting with the client and doing any follow ups, travel expenses, and what I estimated the amount to be made from selling prints. If the client wanted to get prints, a photo book, or more editing on pictures, then those would cost extra.

Do a google search on sweet 16 photography and see what's the going rate and what's being included.

Age

2013-03-04T15:00:00.000-06:00

Q: I just turned 18 on February 28th. I want to get into nightclub photography. Is 18 to young to start?

Also I go to the Dominican Republic and have partied with a bunch of DJ's. One of them was the DJ for the playboy mansions. My friend's family owns 3 bars/nightclubs down there. So I know about all that good stuff. Thanks!!

A: In the US, most clubs are 21 and up so 18 would be too young to do photography in those clubs. I doubt that they would risk losing their liquor license hiring an 18 year old to do the photography. However, if you're going to be doing nightclub photography in the Dominican Republic, then 18 is not too young to start since the legal drinking age there is 18. It also seems like you already have some people in your network who you can approach so I say go for it! Just remember to be professional about it. Good luck!

Nikon SB50 Flash and Post Processing Images

2013-02-24T07:27:00.000-06:00

Q: Hey man! Your website is awesome! It has everything I need to know about nightclub and nightlife photography, but my problem is flash. I have an old Nikon SB50 DX Speedlight Flash and I would like to take pictures in club. My camera is Nikon D3100 with the kit 18-55mm lens. Is it possible to do this thing with my equipment?

I want to ask you what do you mix in post processing except saturation, sharpen, contrast? Is there way to apply these settings to all pictures I have taken?

A: I'm not that familiar with the Nikon SB50 flash so I can't really provide much input on whether or not this flash is adequate for nightclub photography. However, I did notice a couple of things about it that's worth mentioning. 1) It seems like this flash can only tilt; it can't swivel. Thus, it can only be bounced on the ceiling when shooting in landscape orientation. 2) It uses two CR123A or DL123A 3V lithium batteries. It may require a lot of batteries using this flash in nightclub and nightlife photography. I'm not sure how easy it is to find this type of battery at the stores.

If anyone has experience using the Nikon SB50 DX Speedlight Flash in nightclub photography, please send me a message and I'll update this post with your input.

I do very minimal post processing. Please see my post on post processing for more info. And yes, it's possible to apply these settings to all the pictures. It can be done in Photoshop through actions and it can also be done in bulk in Lightroom. However, these topics are beyond what I cover in nightclub photography since I'm not an expert in using either of these programs. There are many tutorials on the web that do a really good job on them.

It's also worth checking out the Creative Live Calendar to see if there are any upcoming workshops that cover Photoshop or Lightroom. Creative Live also has photography workshops that are worth checking out. They've had some on flash photography that I thought were very useful.

Lens for Nikon D5100

2013-02-20T08:01:00.000-06:00

Q: I recently bought my first DSLR. It's a Nikon D5100 with two lenses. The first one is the 18-55mm (kit edition) while the second one is the Nikon 55-200mm Lens. By the way, I have also bought a new flashgun (Nissin ND622MKII-N Speedlite). I'm planning to enter the world of nightlife photography. However I am not sure if those two lens I have are recommended or even satisfactory. If not, what lens do you recommend? Bear in mind that I want to avoid something very expensive. A friend of mine who is actually a photographer told me that the 50mm portrait lens is a good solution. What do you think?

A: Prime lenses such as the 50mm lens are great, but I don't think they're versatile enough for nightclub and nightlife photography. I prefer not carrying a bunch of prime lenses and I also don't want to change lenses in a packed venue where a lot of drunk people can easily bump into me. If the lens is accidentally dropped, getting it repaired or replaced won't be cheap.

In a nightclub environment, the lens needs the flexibility to shoot wide shots of big groups and close up shots of one person. If you're using a prime lens, there might not be enough room to move around in if the club gets really packed. But then again, I'm not familiar with the venues where you're located. It's hard for me to say whether or not the 50mm lens is useful and if you're going actually use the Nikon 55-200mm lens.

To be quite honest, I think that the gear you have now is more than adequate for doing nightclub and nightlife photography. You have a DSLR, an 18-55mm zoom lens, and an external flash. That's pretty much all you really need especially if you're just starting out. Learn the techniques for shooting great nightclub and nightlife images and then decide if you need to upgrade any of the gear you have.

Once you can afford a more expensive lens (if you decide to upgrade), I recommend the following:

Flash for Nikon D3100

2013-01-29T02:48:00.000-06:00

Q: Hello, I'm a beginner in nightlife photography. I would like to ask you if it is possible to photograph nightlife with a Nikon D3100 and a standard 18-55 Nikon lens, and if so, what kind of flash is needed to work with that?

A: Yes, the camera body and lens are good enough for nightclub and nightlife photography. It's great that you're thinking about getting an external flash since the pop up flash is not very useful for nightclub and nightlife photography.

I think that using a flash that's the same brand name as your camera body and lens is the way to go. The camera body, lens, and flash are able to communicate with each other better when they're all the same brand. Thus, I would recommend getting the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight Flash. It's the least expensive of the Nikon flashes that has a flash head that can tilt and swivel. This is a very useful feature for bouncing the flash off the walls and ceilings.

Focus Lock

2012-12-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

Q: One of my worries is focus when I'm shooting in a club at night. I begin to use my focus lock. What is most common when your trying to focus and the scenery isn't that well lit? Thank you.

A: Use an external flash unit and it will help with focusing in dark nightclubs; it emits a focus assist beam. It also helps using a fast lens. If there's still an issue using auto focus, then use manual focusing as a last resort.

Also not that when I'm shooting at a dark club, I walk around to find an area that has good lighting. What separates a great shot from a an ok shot is great lighting. Even if the club is dark, there's usually an area that has adequate lighting.

Nikon 1 J1

2012-11-27T23:26:00.000-06:00

Q: I'm moving to Finland next week and got a side job as a photographer for 4 clubs. I'm new to photography and travel a lot, so I purchased the Nikon 1 J1. I was wondering if you had any knowledge on which lens would be best to use for this? They will be packed indoor clubs and will be expected to take all different types of pictures which people can be tagged in. Also do you recommend a certain Photoshop?

A: I've never used or even held a Nikon 1 J1, but it seems like it's a very reasonably priced compact and portable digital camera. It looks like an ideal camera for beginners to use for travel photography especially if they don't want to lug around a digital SLR and a bunch of lenses.

I'm not really familiar with the Nikon 1 J1, so I would assume that the appropriate lens to use with it is the 10-30mm zoom lens. There's also a Nikon FT1 Adapter that can be used to mount F-mount lenses (both DX and those designed for full-frame DSLRs) on the J1. This would significantly increase the number of lenses that can be used. However, to be completely honest, I still don't think that the Nikon 1 J1 is suitable for nightclub photography.

The Nikon 1 J1 does not have a hot shoe for an external flash; it only has the built in pop up flash. As I've mentioned on my site, having an external flash unit is almost a requirement for taking awesome nightclub pictures since it's going to be the main light source. Since the J1 is more or less comparable to a point and shoot camera, I would also assume that there's going to be some shutter lag. The noise level might also not be as good as a DSLR on high ISOs.

Please see my previous post about my recommendation for a camera setup.

For basic photo editing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is the one that most photographers use.

Camera Setup

2012-11-27T01:59:00.002-06:00

Q: I love the blog. I am a complete novice at this point. I want to begin taking photos like Merlin. I am unsure of which camera on your site that you describe would allow me to take those kinds of photos. What camera setup would you recommend that I begin with?

Please see the following:

White Balance

2012-10-24T18:05:00.000-05:00

Q: I am planning to do the nightclub photography and these are the settings I have been recommended.

Manual Mode
ISO: 800
Aperture: f/3.2 to f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/2 - 1/40 sec

White Balance: Flash

Picture Style Parameters:
Sharpness: +1
Contrast: +1
Saturation: +1
Color Tone: 0

I have tried these settings and shot the pictures but I can see that without the flash the pictures are tinted and yellow light dominates. Is there any kind of settings to set without the use of external flash (I can use the built in flash though)?

A: The pictures are tinted and yellow light dominates because the white balance is set to flash, but the flash isn't being used. Note that the camera settings I've recommended is when you're using an external flash. The camera settings used should be different if you don't want to use flash at all. By the way, I don't recommend using the camera's pop up flash. It's not an adequate source of light for nightclub photography. It can also get annoying since it produces several bursts of pre flashes to help focus on the subject. Sometimes the people think that you've already taken the picture because of all the pre flashes.

If you're not already familiar with photography and not quite sure know how the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance affect the final image, please read some introduction to digital photography books to get a better understanding and appreciation of how the camera settings work to get the desired final image. Thank you.

Printing Nightclub Photos on Site

2012-10-10T14:27:00.000-05:00

Q: I plan to use all your recommendations plus the wireless wi-ti printer for nightclub pics. What are your thoughts about this printer?

A: I've never printed nightclub photos on site. I honestly don't know how feasible that would be especially since I shoot by myself. There are quite a few logistical issues that can come up. Nightclubs can get really packed. Would there be a location where the printer could get set up? Who's going to be handling the printing - an assistant or the photographer? When are the prints going to be made - right after the pictures are taken or at the end of the night? How much are the prints going to be? Is it really worth the time an energy to do the prints? Is the club okay with this? Are they going to get a percentage of the money from the prints? Is there enough profit to be made to justify the cost? How safe is it to be handling a lot of cash in that location?

I personally like to keep things simple. Photos are uploaded to a site and the guest can get their pictures there. Most of the time, people just want to put the photos on their facebook page and whatnot. If the photos are going to be sold to the customers, I'd say set up a website (maybe a smugmug pro account) and have them buy the pictures there.

Please also see the following posts:

Nightclub Photography Settings

2012-08-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Q: I'm going to be photographing a private party this weekend at a lounge/bar. I have a Canon 60D. What preferable settings do i use and what about flash? ( And a few of your tips please :)

A: Please go to nightclubphotographer.blogspot.com for my free nightclub photography tips. It covers the following topics:

Please also see my nightclub photography quick reference guide. Thank you.

Background Light Effect

2012-02-03T17:12:00.044-06:00

Q: How did you create the background light effect in this picture?

A: Creating this light effect with the background is actually pretty easy. I position myself so that there's light behind the subject. I drag the shutter and rotate the camera from portrait orientation to landscape orientation or vice versa. The slow shutter speed means that the camera is capturing the light behind the subject as I rotate the camera. The flash freezes the subject. Please see the exposure settings below.

Exposure Mode: Manual
Exposure Settings: f3.5, 1/5 second, ISO 800
White Balance: Flash
Lens: Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS shot at 17mm focal length
Camera: Canon 30D
Flash: Canon 430EX with a Sto-Fen Omnibounce (2nd curtain sync)

Here's how the image looks like when I'm not rotating the camera. Take note of the lights in the background.

Websites for Selling Nightclub Photos

2011-09-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

Q: Thank you for all of the great info on your blog. I am wondering if you have any suggestions for websites that I can use to sell my nightlife photography? I have met photographers that hand out business cards at clubs, and allow people to download them for a fee. I am interested in doing that, but don't have the money to pay a web designer to make me my own site for doing so. Thank you!

A: I kind of touched on the subject of selling nightclub photos in an older post, but it didn't really cover a lot of website options where you can sell your nightclub photos. Listed below are websites that let you sell photos online and many of them include designs or layouts so that you don't have to hire a web designer to customize your website.

Nightclub Photography Rates

2011-07-20T01:44:00.000-05:00

Q: I am interested in your rates and how you came up with the numbers. I am interested in becoming a night club photographer.

Nightclub photography rates can vary greatly depending on your experience and the clubs you shoot. If you're just starting out, you may have to provide your services for free at first, but it's a good way to get started and build a portfolio. The company you shoot for may even ask you to shadow one of their photographers so that you'd get an idea of what it's like to do nightclub photography. If you're a good fit, then the company would ask you to shoot a club the following week. Beginners usually start out at $50 per night.

As you get more experience and your photos start getting better, you may get assigned to a higher end club and get paid between $75 - $100 per night. Once you have enough experience and you've made some connections with club promoters and club owners, you may end up shooting exclusively at certain clubs. At this point, you can negotiate how much you would like to charge. However, keep in mind that there are many people with digital SLRs who also want to get into nightclub photography. Charge too much and the company could hire someone else who charges less. Make sure to charge enough so that you're not under valuing yourself or your photography. I think that $50 to $75 per hour is a pretty reasonable rate for mid-level nightclub photographers.

Camera Settings - which one to keep fixed and which ones to play around?

2011-05-04T06:57:00.000-05:00

Q: I just started nightclub photography and I have a Nikon D3100 with the 18-55 VR lens and a Nissin Di622 Flash. What settings should I use to capture the lights in the club and also to capture my subjects? With what settings I should play and what to let fixed?

The questions in this email is very similar to a couple of previous questions I've gotten so I'm going to be repeating some of the answers. Please read the following:

A: Check out the camera and flash settings I listed on my site. Those are the basic camera and exposure settings that will give you a pretty good starting point.

Shoot in manual mode, ISO 800, using an aperture between f/3.2 and f/5.6, and various shutter speeds between 1/2 - 1/40 sec as a starting point. Play around with the aperture and shutter speed settings till you get the results that you like.

I think that you should play around with all the settings. However, if you really want to keep some settings fixed while you're playing around the other settings, here are my suggestions.

Fixed Settings: ISO 800, Aperture f/4, White Balance Flash, 2nd or rear curtain sync on the external flash. Play around with the shutter speed. Change it around and do some comparisons. Use a fast one 1/80 and see what it looks like. Then use a slow shutter speed 1/4. Compare the two and see the difference. Which one do you like? Which one captures the light and subject the best? One isn't necessarily better than the other. It all really depends on the style you're creating for yourself and your preference. Keep me posted on how it goes.

Fujifilm FinePix S2750 for Nightclub Photography

2011-05-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

Q: Hi. I was wondering if you think the Fujifilm FinePix S2750 12MP Digital Compact Camera would be anygood for nightclub photography (just selling keyrings in clubs nothing special).

I'm just starting out and have this cam and don't have the money to upgrade. I can't really get a good setting on manual mode as the camera won't let me choose the exact aperture I want. It always skips for example 3.2 to 3.4 and won't let me choose an exact number. Hope you can help me.

A: I think that you pretty much answered your own question. It doesn't let you get a good setting on manual mode and it doesn't have a hot shoe for an external flash. That is, you can only use the pop up flash. My answer is, no, this camera isn't good enough for nightclub photography. You really need to have at least an entry level DSLR, a kit lens, and an external flash. Take a look at my gear recommendations for a $500-$800 budget.

Nightlife Photo

2011-04-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

Q: Hi! I was reading your blog. I'm an amateur photographer who does some photography at a bar/club on weekends. I've been doing some things other websites have told me, but I still don't seem to be taking as good of pictures as I want! One of the main things I'm missing is catching the colored lights in the background and making it have that fun look to it. I have a Nikon D3000 and I have a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight. If there are any specific tips or retrogradations you could give me it would be greatly appreciated thank you!

A: Check out the camera and flash settings I listed on my site. Those are the basic camera and exposure settings that will give you a pretty good starting point.

Catching the colorful backgrounds only works if there's actually some light in the background. You should position yourself so that the light is behind the subject. Use a slow shutter speed (around 1/4 to 1/2 sec) and set your flash to 2nd or rear curtain sync.

Changing the aperture will adjust the flash output on the foreground subject. Changing the shutter speed will let more or less background show in the shot. (Popular Photography, June 2011 issue, p.61).

You should also try moving your camera around so that there's movement in the light. I think that this is the "fun" look that you're looking to get. I'm going to cover this in more detail when I update the shooting techniques and composition section of my site.

If you see the effect you want on any of my work, let me know which one and I'll post the camera and exposure settings. You can also send me a link to your work and let me know the look and feel you're trying to achieve with the picture, and I'll give you some suggestions.

Settings for Nikon D5000

2011-02-10T11:54:00.000-06:00

Q: I wanted to know of any good settings for my Nikon D5000? I shoot mostly at nightclubs (individuals and crowd shots). I do have a Speedlight that I use w/ a Fong over it. Thank you for your time =)

A: I'm not Nikon shooter so I'm not all that familiar with Nikon DSLRs, but the camera and flash settings I mentioned on my site pretty much applies to all DSLRs regardless of the brand.

The flash white balance would give you the most accurate colors and it should lessen the amount of color correction in post processing. RAW or JPEG - it's up to you. I personally prefer shooting JPEG.

You can also change some of the in camera processing.
Sharpness: +1
Contrast: +1
Saturation: +1
Color Tone: 0

I would also suggest NOT using the Fong diffuser in nightclub photography because it's big, bulky, expensive, and the quality of light from it isn't all that impressive in really dark venues.

My suggestion would be to use a Sto-Fen Omnibounce and shoot with the flash off camera. Try it out and you'll see a big difference!

Bouncing the Flash and Taking Pictures in a Crowded Room

2010-10-17T11:13:00.002-05:00

Q: I just saw your tips on nightclub photography. I'm a photographer and I'm just recently getting into club photography. I bought a flashgun yesterday.

Just wanted to ask what you think. I was told to put my flashgun mode on TTL and when im taking landscape shots of big groups to bounce the flash at 90 degrees to the ceiling, when taking portrait shots swivel flash and put flash at 40 degrees so it's not dark.

I'm new to flashguns. HELP!

How to get posed pics of people when the room is really really crowded. I have a plan of getting to the event and going to everyone asking if they want a picture, but when it gets really really crowded, I find that I struggle because I dont know where to go or how to get more pictures of people so just go back to people I've already taken.

Any advice?

A: I think it's great that you have an external flash to use with your camera. The external flash unit is essential in getting really good nightclub and nightlife pictures.

Bouncing the flash from the ceiling at 90 degrees when taking pictures in landscape orientation is a good start, but don't limit yourself to that. What if the ceiling is a dark color or black? Bouncing the flash on the ceiling won't help much.

I often play around the angle and where I bounce the flash. Sometimes the angle is 45, 60, or 90 degrees. I bounce the flash on the walls, the ceiling in front, or the ceiling behind me. That's why I've recommended using a flash that can tilt and swivel. You have more choices on how you can light your subject. Read more about my recommended flashes and accessories.

If you're going to bounce the flash from the ceiling at 90 degrees, you might want to try the index card and rubber band trick to throw more light forward to the subject. I also suggest using a Sto-Fen Omnibounce or the combination of the index card trick and the Sto-Fen Omnibounce.

Index Card and Rubber Band Trick

I've taken pictures at venues that can get really crowded. You can see just how crowded it is in the picture below.

It's always a challenge getting good pictures when it's this crowded because there's not much room for you to move. I hope that you're using a lens that's wide enough (at least 18mm on a 1.6 crop body). Read more about my recommended lens.

Basically, you'd have to work your way into the crowd and shoot at the wide angle side a few feet away from the subject. The picture below was taken at 17mm and I was probably 3 feet or 1 meter away from the couple.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 VS Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L

2010-10-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

Q: Why do you recommend the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS Lens for crop DSLR and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II Lens for full frame DSLR? Is it for the EF and EF-S reason? Cost? Or the crop factor?

A: Even though Canon DSLRs that are NOT full frame (1.6 crop factor such as the Rebel T2i, 60D, 7D) can use EF lenses, I still recommend the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS Lens over the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II Lens for the following reasons:

it has a longer focal length
it has image stabilization
it's cheaper

However, if you're planning to go full frame soon, i.e., within the next year or so, then you should really consider getting the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II Lens.

Note that a full frame camera like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II does NOT take lenses that are EF-S mount so you can't use the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS Lens on a full frame camera.