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Dark room dancing

sonamair
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Dark room dancing

Fav lens and settings
ASA, SS,Aperature,focus settings
I am shooting with a Z9

Got some hits and many misses tonight at a party with DJ
Lots of darkness
Did not use flash

Dec 18, 2023 at 02:29 AM

douter
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Dark room dancing

That's all good to know, but where's the evidence, Doc?
Douglas

Dec 18, 2023 at 08:31 AM

LeeSimms
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Dark room dancing

Congratulations, you've discovered how hard event photography is. WIthout a flash, you're good for one or two big room motion-blur images that show the way the room really looked to the guests. Anything meaningful is going to have to be lit.

For most parties, I'm wide open with a fast 35 or 85. At 1.2, you can bring up a ton of ambient light (some I make with an LED light), then you 'kiss' the subjects, defining their faces and expressions with a little flash (on or off-camera, often a mix of both). As for ISO, whatever it takes to bring up the ambient with a fast lens. Shutter? Slow if you want that ghosty shutter-blur look, but often I'm often at 1/100 or so to stop the ambient action.

Everyone lights a dance floor differently. Most of our people have two 12ft stands, each with the flash far off in opposing corners, plus a little on-camera flash that selectively gets turned on and off if a little fill is needed. Your unique receipe for lighting a dance floor over time will become one of your 'secret sauces' in your wedding day coverage that definds you as a vendor.

Dec 18, 2023 at 09:53 AM

sonamair
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Dark room dancing

Thank u so much

Dec 23, 2023 at 07:43 PM

Ziffl3
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Dark room dancing

to add onto Lee's post....
other factors play a roll... like what type of coverage you want to deliver, who you have shot with, who's style you see and like ... this is all about OCF (off camera flash).

Once you get going in this world of OCF.... it is used more than you think.

If you are shooting larger weddings ... 500+ guest.... OCF will be a must. There are exceptions ... but not many.
I may not need flash durning the ceremony.... but for other events or reception at night ... yes.

Can you incorporate creative shots with out flash ... sure. but not the entire wedding. generally.

Can I find a different approach ... sure.
Without flash you will run into so much motion blur the images become useless.
I have seen a few shooters run with one flash for the entire reception..... most do not last long with large weddings.

There is a group of shooters... 'natural light shooters' who run this way. .... To me, no OCF - you limit what you can cover.

for me... I don't like the Las Vegas look or the TV studio look ... meaning turning on 1000 of watts of lights everywhere. This is also bad video too.
It is about shaping the light with what you bring.... or to blend the current ambient with some additional lighting of your client.

Dec 24, 2023 at 12:25 PM

sonamair
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Dark room dancing

So .. people dancing
Using on camera settings
Going for a couple only
What settings generally with on camera flash only

Dec 24, 2023 at 12:31 PM

ronchau
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Dark room dancing

LeeSimms wrote:
...

Everyone lights a dance floor differently. Most of our people have two 12ft stands, each with the flash far off in opposing corners, plus a little on-camera flash that selectively gets turned on and off if a little fill is needed. Your unique receipe for lighting a dance floor over time will become one of your 'secret sauces' in your wedding day coverage that definds you as a vendor.

I am new, so I only have white sauce and red sauce.

.

I currently just try to maintain the ambient lighting mood and use lights as fill or spot.

Dec 25, 2023 at 01:05 AM

LeeSimms
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Dark room dancing

> What settings generally with on camera flash only

Safe play? 1/100, ƒ4, iso1600 (play with it), and flash on TTL. I have an old attachable bounce panel (Demb flip-it PJ size) on my flash so I get a mix of bounce and panel direct light that's consistent between horizontal or vertical shooting. There's many velcro attached bounce panels out there, and some will use the MagMod fish bowl on top (I'm not a fan). That's a basic set-up that will yield a ton of great photos in a room that has a neutral-tone ceiling 25ft high, or less.

Most single-flash shooters I know will dive into a bit of shutter drag motion-blur shots at some point in the dance floor fun. 1/5sec, ƒ8, flash straight ahead (or on coiled TTL cord held by your opposite hand). iso will vary after a few test shots to see how much (or little) motion-blurred ambient light looks right. It's a creative look that can be spectacular but the shoot-to-keep ratio is very high. Shoot 10, get one keeper. For every 10 keepers there's a top-tier hero shot.

Dec 25, 2023 at 11:00 AM

elkhornsun
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Dark room dancing

I have always used a off camera (using a Custom Brackets bracket) flash and a f/1.4 lens in truly dark venues. I have it stipulated in my contract that I will not be liable for any problems I have taking pictures when those in charge of the venue turn the lights way down for any reason.

I get the important shots of the B&G and family members and those in bridal party. Anyone else is not that important and the pictures are not likely to be selected by the B&G for their album.

Jan 09, 2024 at 07:12 PM

gmccroskery
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Dark room dancing

Brides and Grooms, and their families are interested in emotion and expression -- they don't care one whit about ambience on the dance floor. On-camera/bracket flash is essential in my experience to freeze fast action and facial expressions. If you get some bride's dad with a crowd around him 'break dancing' on the dance floor, you'd better have a decent flash to hold your camera up high over people's heads and get sharp shots -- those are images that sell, and bring referrals.
I once shot an outdoor, night time national trade association conference social event at a 'dude ranch'. It was very dark and flash was essential to get good quality shots. I happen to get a very funny shot of the trade association president and his wife sitting backwards on a horse, while the president held the horse's tail and pointed at the horse's rear. That shot brought the house down at the slide show the following night. The result of that and my other work resulted in a 15 yr. exclusive photography contract for their annual conferences held all over the US. No flash, and the shots would have looked like blurred mud.
There are times when ambient shots with no flash make perfect sense. Fast action on a dark reception dance floor is generally not one of them.

Jan 16, 2024 at 12:40 PM

johnld
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Dark room dancing

50mp cameras aren't the greatest at high ISO either. We shoot with the R6 and an on camera Profoto A1. You can shoot a few frames in TTL to get a base setting then just play with those to create the ambient that works. Shutter speed controls ambient light. Turn off your flash, take a photo and adjust the ambient to what you like. (We usually underexpose 2 or 3 stops). Turn on the flash, but leave the camera controls in your previous ambient settings that you like. Adjust the flash's output (manual) and get the look you want. The camera settings (ambient) don't change, only the light on your subject does. You want to create a mood as most receptions have lots of color and (sometimes), the dreaded laser light show that all but obliterates any useful features of guests emotions. If you're going to be doing more indoor, dark receptions or events, I'd use an on camera flash with modifiers. We use a 10 degree grid sometimes to isolate the couple during a dance. Receptions tend to drag on relentlessly, so a good time to play with settings. Of course, after all the first dances.

Edited on Jan 17, 2024 at 01:46 PM · View previous versions

Jan 17, 2024 at 11:40 AM

DannyBostwick
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Dark room dancing

I use flash too. A combo of direct, bounced, OCF, whatever the situation calls for -- but these are all available light - ISO 10K F1.4 1/50th (ish) gives me a result I'm pleased with - I aim for a classic look, grainy BWs are okay for me and I love to use DJ lights. Here's a few from the last few weddings this year, but I've done this for a long time and my clients are always happy with it. I know the aesthetic isn't for everyone but I enjoy it.

Jan 17, 2024 at 12:03 PM

LeeSimms
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Dark room dancing

I love all the crazy ambient light, Danny. This is my kind of shooting.

If there's no fun light on-scene I throw a bit in with one of the new LED panels. The Ivisii G2 I've been packing has two fun party modes that cycle through colors. One shot it's blue, next shot purple, next shot red. The color rotation's slow enough that guests really dig it ("look, this guy brought his own party").

Some nights I still use more flash like it's 2006 - depends on the vibe. Still carry my coiled TTL cord for strobe-on-rope shooting when it strikes my fancy.

Carry on

Jan 18, 2024 at 12:31 PM


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