Functions & Parties

Necronomicon

I rarely take my camera to parties, for a few reasons (I don't like dragging people into a shot, it can be a bit cumbersome to bring the camera, etc.) but mainly I've never been able to capture people in a particularly interesting way.

I have a few events coming up, and I'd like to put to bed my reluctance to bring the camera with me. I did a search and came across this thread from nearly 2 years ago in which mehfesto and Fajitas! posted some cracking shots. I guess I was hoping for any tips, dos and don'ts, etc. I know shutter speed/aperture/ISO will probably be a case of trial and error (these will be standard pub affairs).

One of the main issues I'm pondering over is an external flash, and if I should get one. I'm very interested in macro stuff so I had been thinking of getting one anyway - I don't use the pop-up flash on my 40D very often because I've always found it a bit harsh, even when I reduced the power. The 270EX Speedlite is probably the most suited for my budget, though I might stretch further for a better model if there was a significant difference.

I think a lot of it depends on the people you're going to be around.

I'd say if you wanted candid shots of people, you'd really need to be waiting until everyone has had plenty of drink in them. Otherwise people would be too aware of you and conscious of how they look/are posed/etc. (i know you don't want particularly posed shots, etc. but I think that when people see a camera they tend to naturally adjust themselves ever so slightly to look 'better' for any potential images).


More than anything else, I think you just need to get used to having a camera with you and taking photos of people like that.

I haven't really done anything like that before, as I'm not really an out and about kinda person (though it looks like I could find myself taking photos formally of people at parties, group shots, etc. for a local paper soon, so that's incredibly daunting) but I'd say the only don't, is to not keep taking photos of a person/people, if they make it quite clear that they don't want their photo taken.


I love cameras. I enjoy photography very much. I don't mind getting my photo taken, but if I was out for the night and drinking, I know I'm going to end up looking like a ****, so I wouldn't want my photo taken, and a DSLR being stuck in my face every couple of minutes would be more than enough for me to call it an early night and head home.

That's about the only thing I'd be worried about if I were you. I can't see any other worries or concerns you'd have. I always hear it said that people love having their photo taken. Dunno how true that is, but I'd say you'd be grand.


Regarding a flashgun; I would be careful here. I broke mine recently and have since been reading up on it (I dropped my camera with the flash attached. The impact of it hitting the ground snapped the "foot" mount, meaning the flash, while it still works, couldn't be mounted to a camera).

Not a house party person, never been to one, but I imagine a lot of people in small places with doorways and narrow halls, it wouldn't be long until someone's leg, handbag, etc. brushed off your camera a little too heavily and took your flashgun out.

I'd recommend using a flash off camera. Unless you're too trendy, you can wear a pair of combats and throw the flash in the side pockets, or buy a little bag for it to clip onto your pants, and leave it in there. The upside to this is that your flash is safe and sound and can't be damaged. The downside is that using your camera and flash becomes a two hand job, meaning it can be a little more awkward.


What lens are you using? A 50mm 1.8 would be a cheaper, and probably better, investment.

Necronomicon

I have a nifty! I was thinking it was the way to go alright, my other lenses are 100 mil and a 17-85.

Thecageyone

For casual events, where you're not hired to shoot, you just want clear pictures for yourself and friends, wide aperture and high ISO are your friends. If it was a case you were hired to shoot in around the event, you could set up your flash on a stand, in a safe corner, with wireless triggers. Every time you shoot the flash will throw some light out for you and you don't have to carry it around. You might even get away with trying this at friendly events. The stands fold up neat and come with bags, it's a 2 minute set up.

smelltheglove

For me I think having a bit of a neck comes into it. If I photograph an event, even if it is a friends party, I know the client wants pics of everyone there but not frozen pics so I would just plonk myself at each tabe, have a little bit of a chat, ensure the people are a bit more relaxed and then get the pics. Later on then I find people are much more forthcoming at getting their pics taken while they are dancing the night away.

Necronomicon

smelltheglove wrote: »

For me I think having a bit of a neck comes into it. If I photograph an event, even if it is a friends party, I know the client wants pics of everyone there but not frozen pics so I would just plonk myself at each tabe, have a little bit of a chat, ensure the people are a bit more relaxed and then get the pics. Later on then I find people are much more forthcoming at getting their pics taken while they are dancing the night away.

Thanks for the advice, it's definitely something I have to work on. Whatever about the ins and outs of technique, first and foremost I have to get over the reluctance (particularly with people I don't know).

Thecageyone wrote: »

For casual events, where you're not hired to shoot, you just want clear pictures for yourself and friends, wide aperture and high ISO are your friends. If it was a case you were hired to shoot in around the event, you could set up your flash on a stand, in a safe corner, with wireless triggers. Every time you shoot the flash will throw some light out for you and you don't have to carry it around. You might even get away with trying this at friendly events. The stands fold up neat and come with bags, it's a 2 minute set up.

This will be the case for the few events coming up, so I'll bear this in mind, cheers! Think I'm overthinking the importance of a Speedlite over on-camera flash?

Thecageyone

Off cam flash is so much better, as you can bounce the flash off the ceiling/walls, aim it any angle/direction you need to get the desired lighting - on board flash tends to give flat images and dirty, annoying red-eye. I've not used the flash on my camera once.

If your camera is good enough at handling noise at higher ISO levels, then your 50mm wide open might do the job without flash. A bit of grain in these situations is grand, you're not going to get super smooth/sharp images in bad lighting but you should be able to capture faces and atmosphere pretty well.

smelltheglove

Necronomicon wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, it's definitely something I have to work on. Whatever about the ins and outs of technique, first and foremost I have to get over the reluctance (particularly with people I don't know).

It can be hard but once you do it a few times you will realise your camera is like a security blanket, when its in your hand all of a sudden you are somebody else. I mean I would never stand up in a crowd of people I know never mind dont know and tell them all to shut up and look at me, but with the camera in my hand they listen. You need to be able to put yourself at the same mindset as people, I mean if you are at a table full of football heads, you might slag their favourite team, get a bit of banter out of them for example, if you are at a table of older elequent married women you would be using words such as stunning and extrordinary etc. My favourite is a big old knees up where everyone is getting hammered and you can just have the craic to be honest, after time you learn to read people, to see how they will respond before you even go over, its actually one of my favourite parts of my job as a photographer, the interaction and the craic.

smelltheglove

smelltheglove wrote: »

having a bit of a neck comes into it.

I think that pretty much sums up my entire opinion on it to be honest. You have to be able to get stuck in. otherwise you end up looking like a cunt. Trust me.

Got this the other day, though, as you can probably tell by the item blocking the way on the bottom right, i wasn't the "main" photographer, nor did I assemble the group or such. Was fascinating to watch one person round up about 40 teenagers, though!





I was just happy to get a decently exposed, in-focus photograph. Though I think that's a different thing to what the OP was talking about altogether.

CabanSail

Get a "Beer Camera". If you start of point a DSLR at people in a Pub or at a party they shy away as it look serious. Add a Speedlight to that and it gets worse. Get out a P&S and they accept it more readily. Having said that, my Beer Camera is a Canon G9 which is very capable but non-togs see it as being a P&S yoke.