We all want to take the best nightclub photos to share with our friends. We’ve all been there. You want to document your night out, but you always end up with garish photograph taken with the camera flash light on or a blurry silhouette of your group selfie.
So how do you take the perfect photograph for Instagram?
Find the light
Look for the well-lit areas of the club to act as the backdrop for your perfect shot (try the bar area or if there’s a cool neon sign, sidle up to that). You could try some DIY photography lighting, such as mobile accessories, but you may irritate other club goers. Perhaps it’s better to try some more subtle lighting tricks.
If the club has strobe lighting, try to shoot through this by setting your camera to burst mode. That way, you’re likely to get at least one or two photographs that aren’t ruined by the harsh light.
Your phone’s flash doesn’t need to be your enemy. Soften the light by putting a tissue over the flash, which will help to create a much more effective, bright photograph.
Stay vertical
That’s the hope of many nightclub goers, anyway. But it’s also a mantra to use when taking photographs during your night out. You should turn your phone on its side before taking any photograph – trust us, it’ll look so much better on Instagram. You’ll also be able to use two hands to keep the phone steady, reducing blurring.
Don’t use your zoom
You lose a lot of the detail if you use your camera’s zoom function. Instead of zooming in, just take a few steps closer to the subject and see if that captures the detail you’re looking for.
Get Appy
Download apps such as Manual Camera to help you control the shutter speed of your phone camera. This’ll help get the perfect night-time photograph.
Using gridlines is another useful tool for framing your photograph, helping you to create a more balanced and aesthetically effective photograph.
You should also make the most of filters and editing software. For example, if you’ve got a particularly grainy photograph, why not make it black and white with high contrast for a dramatic pic?
Capture the nightclub vibe
It’s tempting to force your friends into a staged pose and take nightclub photos again and again until you get it right. But this won’t capture the fun of the night, and won’t give you a fond memory to look back on.
Take photographs of your friends in-situ, enjoying dancing and drinking without being inhibited by the camera lens.
Think of other people
Nightclubs are busy places, and it’s more than likely another nightclub goer will get in the way of your shot. Don’t push or move people out of the way to try and get the perfect shot – everyone’s there to have fun, and you’ll just have to work round other people.
Head to the toilets
If the nightclub itself is too dark and too crowded to take a great photograph, head to the bathrooms. They’re likely to have much better lighting. 37% of women have taken a bathroom selfie, and venues are now recognising this new trend. Public bathrooms in venues such as clubs, bars and restaurants are often the pride and joy of the whole place, as managers know people are likely to snap a selfie there.
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