No Photos Please!

No Photos Please!
Originally uploaded by bongopix
In the photographer's universe, club shooters are the bottom feeders. We lurk at night. We work in loud, crowded spaces. We get pushed around. Gear gets splashed with alcohol and subjects are always in the classiest of states. The client demands the photos quickly and creativity is an afterthought. The goal is to go after "the hotties" and dish out as many promotional pamphlets as possible. To fellow photographers, this sort of environment may sound dreadful. For me, club photography has become a sublime love affair.

Every artist needs a break. A healthy dose of pulp keeps you grounded. And you know what? There’s actually a lot of skill that goes into a successful night of club photography. There’s so much emphasis in the on-line photography community about strobism (off-camera flash) that on-camera flash has become overlooked and forgotten. Of course, the results produced by a shoot-through umbrella at the perfect angle are usually stunning. But we can’t afford to be constantly walking about with umbrellas and lighting stands. In a way, on-camera flash demands more acute knowledge of light because it is just that much harder to create flattering lighting effects.

There is a sort of glamourous charm behind the high contrast and highly saturated look of on-camera flash. Combine this with the attention-hungry behaviour of clubbers, you get a kind of faux-celebrity paparazzi experience as a club shooter. People at clubs want to show how much fun they’re having. They embrace the camera, and in a way, act as if they’re stars. The later you work into the night, the more fun people get (for obvious reasons). The fun also intensifies after you’re offered a few drinks and end up bouncing up and down with the dancing crowd. It turns into a euphoric atmosphere that makes you forget that you’re working.

Anyways, I guess what I’m trying to say is that every genre of this business has its perks. It’s not worthwhile to scoff at one style of shooting and think less of it. Instead, look at all of one’s shooting experiences and try your best to make them worthwhile. Even in club photography, there are precious moments to be captured. Of course, a club photographer, by nature of the job, churns out the repetitive and thoughtless “social shots” that the client is expecting. Jack up the glamour by taking advantage of the flash. Make the people look and feel like celebrities, and they will becomes celebrities. The night turns into a performance. It's up to a keen photographer to seek these performances and capture them. The atmosphere turns into something really special as opposed to a loose party. But then again, I wish I was partying!