Taking nightclub photos with a Powershot A95

[Mr K]

Hi everybody,

I've just got a Canon Poweshot A95 and I'm just getting to grips with it. I was wondering if anybody could give me some hints/tips for taking photos in nightclubs. I've learnt a few things like pump the ISO right up and switch the flash off. The only problem is my pictures tend to look "grainy" and don't look very sharp.

I'd love to be able to take pictures like on this site:

http://www.cscot.com/photos/

However I don't know if my A95 is capable of this.

Thanks for you help in advance folks. :)

[Zekevarg]

The graininess comes when you crank up the ISO. At ISO 400 the granininess becomes very evident in a picture taken with a digital compact.

I checked the site you mentioned, several of the pictures were taken with an Olympus, http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Olympus/oly_c4040z.asp Some of the better pictures were taken with an Nikon D70.

I also noticed that the pictures were rather small, ~ 500x400, the graininess will dominate the picture less when you scale the pictures to smaller size.

In my opinion you should be able to take similar pictures with an A95. Taking pictures at concerts and clubs is difficult, I've been trying for years and I still feel unsatisfied with the results.

Just a few thought out of my head:

Try to get a feeling for which situations works best with flash. Experiment with the ISO to find out in which situations the graininess is acceptable in a picture. Zooming in demands more light, try instead to move closer to the objects. When taking pictures try to lean on walls, put your elbows on tables or otherwise steady the camera. Experiment with the "slow flash" setting on the camera, i.e. the setting on the rotary knob where there's a head on shoulders with a star in the background. Often the flash overexposes faces on close range, try changing the exposure compensation setting to values around -1. Often I see photographers on concerts with tripods with one leg ("monopod" in english?). Try experimenting with the white balance setting; light from lightbulbs normally generate yellow pictures if the WB is not set to incandecent light.

Hope that helps a little bit.

Cheers, Zeke

[multiplexor]

Just a thought from an amateur :)

Try setting it on mode P, iso 100, flash on, exposure compensation -1 (play with this setting)
adjusting the exposure compensation should hopefully give the picture a less "flash" type of effect... :)

[multiplexor]

Another option is to diffuse the flash... place a piece of paper or some object in from of the flash. :D

[tvdwouw]

Looking at the website you mention, it is a mix of flash and non-flash. Close-ups and group pics are with flash (see white for close distance, dark for longer distance and the flash reflecting in the faces of people). pictures at a distacne are without. Then you should often use 1.3-2 stops underexposure for best results.
Kind regards,
Tinus