Flash for Nightclub Photography
Why Use Flash?
Flash isn't necessarily about simply making a dark photograph brighter, You can use light in many ways to create dynamic lighting.
A Godox external flash transmitter, used for off camera flash
You can use it to:
Freeze movement
Separate subjects from the background
Create depth
Emphasise movement
Balance ambient light
Create dramatic lighting ( light trails )
Speedlights ( flash )
Speedlights are portable types of external flash units designed to mount on a camera's hot shoe or use off-camera, they generally have a swivel to change the direction of light and can be used with accessories to adjust the light they emit.
Considerations:
Power
Size
Recharge time
TTL vs manual
Zoom
Attachable accessories
On-Camera vs Off-Camera Flash
On camera flash means that your flash is mounted to your camera’s hot shoe, working well for portrait photography & when you need even light coverage.
Off camera flash means that you are either mounting your flash somewhere or holding it while you shoot, this gives you more control over the light & you can create a more dramatic effect using this method.
On-Camera Pros: Predictable lighting evenly spread over the subject, easily managed as its mounted to your cameras hotshoe & can be setup fairly quickly with minimal tweaking.
Cons : Lighting can sometimes be a little flat, with less dynamic effect. Subjects further away cannot be lit sufficiently.
Off-camera pros: Your able to really home in the light to your preference, subjects at distance can now be lit correctly.
Cons: Usually a little faffy to do as you may need to hold / setup the flash, not something that can be deployed as quickly as using on camera flash. The results also need to be tweaked to ensure lighting is correct.
For me both on-camera and off-camera flash serve a purpose & I will use both methods throughout a night as the lighting, scene changes.
I now have two flashes that I can deploy, 1x on my camera ready for crowd shots or people shots & another flash setup static on the stage ready for a shot across the crowd framing the djs.
What Equipment Do You Need for Off-Camera Flash?
My items:
1. Speedlight
Godox V1 C speedlight ( using a compatible trigger means you can sync to the flash directly rather than needing another transmitter )
Fast resync speeds along with various accessories make this flasha great choise.
2. Trigger
Godox X3c Trigger, USBC with a lovely touch screen, it’s great to setup and speeds up your workflow with the quick menu touchscreen.
3. Clamp / Mount
Small rig, amazon, theres plently of options out there, usually the pricier ones are more sturdy and robust, it depends where you’ll be using it.
Smallrig offer good options on magic arms including a clamp, these are usually built well and work well.
4. Modifier
Sometimes the light your flash emits might be too bright for the scene or may need pointing in a certain direction.
This is where a modifer comes in, you can attach this to the flash & direct light better ( using a honeycone insert ), You can also reduce the light with filters incase its over powering.