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How does this photographer do it? Flash photography in a nightclub.
I've found this photographer's work - Inbar Levi - she takes photos in an Israeli night-club - and I would love to know how she does it.
Such awesome light. Every photo that she posts.
Any ideas?
Comments
If you can figure out who the photographer is, sometimes you can find shots of the photographer in action in the club.
Here is the other thing. Focusing a fast prime at a nightclub can be challenging and if the subject moves in one direction the shot goes out of focus at 1.4. She nailed the focus point right on the face. So these were posed shots and probably pre arranged models. It probably took some time and a few shots to really nail that focus point.
The models dont appear to be Israeli, but most probably Ukraine or Russian. Probably Ukraine.
I think simplicity is part of the shooting. I really don't think she has a big entourage of assistants and light stands, softboxes, etc. - to me that seems completely unrealistic. I'm thinking on camera flash, I'm thinking some sort of modifier on the flash (dome diffuser like stofen, Lumiquest 80/20, something like that).
That's my speculative $0.02. We could ask her, but that seems a little intrusive.
Just my 2p worth.
Iain.
I do have my trusty Sigma 50mm 1.4 which I can try to duplicate the bounce and see how well I do. I would choose 1.4 aperture and 1600 iso (or more) with a 1/60 shutter speed. That setup might be able to bounce it off the high ceiling. Lets say it does bounce the background would be as lit up as the subject. In these pictures the flash seems controlled and not spilling out into the crowd.
A lot of soft light and the ability to focus, could this be on camera LED?
Graham.
Hm, another photog shooting in that club, with quite similar soft and nice results, is Tom Azaria (visible via Facebook, and there are also shots from the club there)...
Actually, I'd vote for mostly bounce flash, because the catchlight seems large, but not really circular or rectangle, more uneven shaped.
And looking at the youtube video from that club, it seems like, there is plenty stuff to bounce from around. Like balloons, walls, other people ...
And then we spotted the photog in the movie with on-cam flash, alreay swiveled to the ceiling, so ...
just my two cents :-)
Yes, bounce flash from a white wall behind him, that was! :-)
This was the shot in question: http://tiny.cc/qt6ewx
Well, yes, it works, and even colored surfaced serve quite well for bouncing:
https://www.rockynook.com/workshop-flash-bouncing-even-via-colored-surfaces/
cheers, Vicco
Not sure if this applies to a black wall, but in principle it made sense to me.
Dave
EDIT: Link removed from a new member as self-promoting.
Do feel free to upload your sample images in here directly, but please make sure they are 'web sized' images and not large files if you can. 1200 px on the long side @ 72ppi is ideal, thanks.
Trev, Moderator.
3rd photo below with clapping hands on the foreground: considering inverse square law and light fall off, why aren't these hands overexposed if it's on-camera flash?
There's no unflattering highlights on people's noses and foreheads. The photos I take in nightclubs, I have the flash on-camera, not backwards, head straight up with built-in diffusion panel and bounce card out, TTL, 1/60, ISO~800, 24-70mm 2.8, and there are these nasty highlights on my subject's noses, foreheads and cheeks. Sighs. If there's something on the foreground like another person's head or hands it's really bright and not nice looking. I can't seem to think that people retouch those highlights in post-production, it can be over 200 photos each event.
I can't bring a softbox or anything heavy like that in a nightclub or reception wedding, it's packed and full of people like at Natbag and I have to be mobile. The walls are way too far from the dance floor and it's black and the ceiling is way to high to bounce it off there.