The holidays are probably the time when more photos are taken per minute, but quantity does not always go hand in hand with quality. You will have found on countless occasions that the photographs of a celebration are almost all the same and very similar to those of other parties, the guests in the same pose and at night or indoor parties, the background is dark or almost black, for nothing. say blacker than the mouth of the wolf. When we talk about parties, we are talking about a birthday, a disco party, a New Year’s Eve party, a costume party, an anniversary, a party because we feel like it, or any other that comes to mind. They can be day or night, indoors or outdoors, the conditions being highly variable, for that reason, we cannot make a tutorial to tell you how to adjust the parameters of your camera, but we can give you some general advice that They will be useful for any type of celebration and will help you immortalize that moment, obtaining somewhat more interesting results. do you want to sign up in the party? So come with me through these. 17 tips from today.
17 tips for photographing a party
1. Work in manual mode. The first and most important rule is that if you want to get some interesting photos, forget about the automatic mode and work with the manual mode. Take the shots you need to adjust the appropriate parameters according to the lighting conditions you have.
2. Avoid flash. Whenever you can, avoid it to obtain more natural photos, although in many cases it will be essential. If you use it indoors and at night, the lens will be very bright but the background will be black and part of the scene will be lost. In case you have to use it, use an external one, the integrated one barely covers a very short distance and you can’t bounce it. And if you want to know how to take photos with natural light, be sure to read this article.
3. Depth of field. If you photograph guests placed in different planes, widen the depth of field so that everyone is in focus. If they are in the same plane you can reduce the depth and thus obtain brighter photos.
4. Upload the ISO. In these types of parties it is usually more important to capture the moment than not to obtain an excellent image quality. Don’t be afraid to raise your camera’s ISO if lighting conditions are limited, even if it means your photos have some noise. At normal size the noise will hardly be appreciated.
5. Spot measurement. Use spot metering mode instead of auto metering to ensure a better result.
6. Shoot in RAW. When shooting in RAW, you can later adjust the white balance. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t stop reading this post.
7. Take several shots. In this way you will have more chances of getting a suitable photo in which all the guests leave with their eyes open, and you will also prevent the photo from being spoiled by a bad gesture from someone you catch off guard.
8. Do not forget the rules of composition. At parties we usually put aside the rules and everything that brackets us, however, in this case you can’t park the rules of composition. Here’s a review. Skip them only when you do it intentionally ;).
9. Capture the preparations. If you have the opportunity, try to capture images of the preparations, your friends or family preparing the food, others placing the decorative elements, the arrival of the first guests who dare to help…
10. Immortalize important moments. Anticipate certain moments of the party and prepare not to miss them. What would your report be if you didn’t capture the moment of blowing out the candles, a toast, the hug of two relatives or friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time, the opening of gifts…?
11. Take advantage of the lights to obtain the Bokeh effect. Mario explains here how to achieve them, step by step.
12. Shows the atmosphere. Upon arrival, take photos that show the atmosphere and decoration of the place. Take some wider shots first that show the whole scene and then focus on the details, these are always important and can tell a lot about any event. Take some time to photograph parts of the table, the food, candles, balloons, flags or any other decorative element, it is also part of the party.
13. Get spontaneous images. Although you will have to take group photos in which the guests pose, try to look for spontaneous moments, they will tell much more about the party and will be more fun to contemplate later.
14. Be creative. Play with perspectives, photograph from unusual angles, capture the movement of a dance with slow shutters, improvise a “photocall”… In short, let your imagination run wild and get different photos.
15. Tell a story. Don’t just take photos of people and objects, it’s a party, with a beginning and an end. Tell in images what is happening from the beginning to the end, so that whoever sees the photos later can feel what has happened.
16. Don’t forget to go out. I am convinced that more than once you have regretted seeing the photos you have taken on a trip, a party or any other event, for not appearing in them. Photography lovers tend to photograph everyone but then we never get our portraits taken. Pass the camera to someone and let them take your picture, in a few years you will like to see yourself. Of course, look for someone you know who is more or less familiar with photography, it would not occur to me to pass the camera to my grandmother, surely she would appear in the photo of everything except her granddaughter 😉
17. Have fun. You are at a party, do not forget, if you have a good time, your photos will be more cheerful and fun. If you spend only looking through the viewfinder and seeing how others have a good time, the task will be much more tedious and the images will not be as interesting.
You already know that what is not practiced is not retained, surely you have a party around the corner where you can put my humble advice into practice. And if you don’t have any celebration in sight… what are you waiting for to organize it? Life’s two days!
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