How to capture great dancefloor photos
The Flash!!
As a documentary wedding photographer, the evening dance floor is one of the best places to get those extraordinary candid images. Everyone is focused on having fun without any self-consciousness, and the wheels of social interaction are usually oiled by …erm… other things. For a good observer, its like shooting fish in a barrel. The secret to getting great action photos from the dance floor is being able to see the interaction of your subject with the light or create and craft your own.
Photography is all about seeing light, finding light and showing your subject in the best light. We can either work with what we’ve got or make our own. I’m all for using available light and it is possible to get some very striking images. But otherwise, using flash is a very old and effective way of doing this and for wedding photographers it is, or should be, our stock-in-trade. It can be a wonderful creative tool. I am in a bit of a dilemma though – as a documentary style photographer I don’t think using a flash is conducive to the style or approach so I don’t use it most of the time. But on the dancefloor, nobody cares, they are too busy having fun.
However, here’s the magic.
I use flash creatively to add an extra dimension, accentuating action and adding energy to dancefloor photos. The technique is called “shutter drag” and combines moving the camera to blur and streak ambient light around the subject and then using the flash to freeze the subject. I think the results are amazing!
