 Tina Brookes |
Nightclub Photos I have been trying to get shots of my husband's band and can't seem to get it right. I need specific info on what speed the film should be, what the aperture should be set at, and what shutter speed. Everything I try comes out over or under exposed. My camera has a TTL lightmeter and it's impossible to see the needle in a nightclub setting. What can I do?? I'm a total amateur but would really like to take good gig photos. Any help would be appreciated. P.S. --stupid question-- what does a "fast lens" mean?
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
A fast lens is one with a very wide aperture. For example a standard 50mm lens with an aperture of f1.4-f1.8 is considered fast. Fast refers to the fact that with the lens set at its widest aperture you use higher shutter speeds. So the wider the aperture the faster the shutter speed. It is essential for this kind of shooting. The best way to shoot this sort of scene is to pre-meter your shots. Get there early and take meter readings off of a gray card or your palm (open a stop if you do this) wherever you know you will be shooting. You don't say what film you will be using. I have always used a high speed black and white film like Ilford Delta 3200. The last time I shot there was no light on the band so I shot at 3200 and push processed the film a stop and got good results. Most of my shots were at f1.5 @ 1/30th. You can determine what ISO will work best when you pre-meter. That's another reason I like films like Delta 3200 or Tri-x. You can push them or pull them for great results. I have heard good things about the Delta shot at 1600 though I haven't tried it yet.
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Tina Brookes |
Thanks for the info Jeff. The gig was actually last night and the bar ended up having some really great lighting so all I needed was 1600iso film and the aperture was wide open most of the night. My 50mm only opens to 2 so I think I'll look into something faster because I intend to take these kinds of shots alot. I also used a digital camera that I borrowed from a friend and found that NOT using the flash gave a better "club" feel to the shots. The flash tended to blanket the shots with light and they didn't have the right "feel." I really appreciate the info though. Thanks Got one more question. How large can I go with the prints using 1600 film before they get "grainy" and is there a better film out there that doesn't go grainy when enlarged. I used Fujipress 1600 color. ( I would have prefered Black and white but the band wanted color)
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Zafar Malik |
Hi there Tina, Your question regarding enlarging images captured on high speed films. I think the first thing depends on the type of film you're using. Negative or slides! Negative films does tend to get more grainy than the slides. ISO/ASA 800 can get grainy when images are enlarged more than 6x8 (inches). Slides are a different ballgame altogether though. Like I said, this is 'my' impression/experience. I'm sure there are helping hands out there with more info. I hope my contribution helps. Happy clicking :-)
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I agree about the flash. I don't like to use it for these shots for a couple of reasons. First of all is the appearance as you said. Secondly, I think it distracts the band and draws attention to the photographer. In regard to the enlargements, I have never shot that particular film but I would guess you would be safe with 5x7's. I would guess you would start to see the grain by 8x10. Personally, I don't mind grain in these sorts of shots. To me it adds to the atmosphere. I don't think slide films are the best answer here either. They don't have the range of print film and prints from slides are more expensive to make. Depending upon the lighting you might want to experiment with tungsten film. Although, I think the only fast (ISO320) tungsten film is a slide film. But it might be worth experimenting with.
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Tina Brookes |
thanks alot Z and J I really appreciate the quick responses. I'm so glad I finally found this place. Tina
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John A. Lind |
Jeff's right about tungsten films. The fastest tungsten color negative I know about is Fuji's NPL 160 (a pro film). The fastest tungsten slide film is Kodak's EPJ-320 (also a pro film). Kodak's data sheet for it doesn't mention pushing it to a higher speed. Not that you can't do it, but it's something usually mentioned in the data sheet if it's "friendly" to being pushed. -- John
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I've seen examples of it pushed a stop. From what I've seen there is a color shift which may or may not be something you will like.
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