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Last Friday, we took pictures and danced at the Salsa Caliente Red & White Anniversary Ball.
Photography notes:
- Flash is compulsory. We tried two types of flash diffusers that night: Gary Fong’s “Lightsphere” and STO-FEN “Omni-bounce”. The “Lightsphere” produced slightly better results overall, so we later returned the “Omni-bounce” to the store. The only apparent disadvantages of the “Lightsphere” are higher price and larger size. If you have experience with these two types of diffusers, I would appreciate your comments.
- Lenses: relatively short focal length is recommended. We used Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8 L and EF 24-105 f/4 L. The wide lenses are useful because one needs to be close to the subjects to benefit from the flash. The composition is also easier with wide lenses, as there is more flexibility during shooting (mistakes can be corrected by cropping in post-processing).
- Camera settings: ISO: 800+; manual mode; shutter speed: 1/80 – 1/250, aperture: f 2.8 – 4. We didn’t have a chance to try “dragging” the shutter (using slow shutter speeds (approx. 1/10) with flash), but the diffuser produced reasonably balanced exposure. For more information on this technique, see Canon digital photography forum.
Please share your tips and techniques on dance and night club photography.