The holidays are probably the times when more photos are taken per minute, but quantity doesn’t always go hand in hand with quality. You will have noticed on countless occasions that the photographs of a party are almost all the same and very similar to those of the other parties, the guests in the same pose and late at night or in the hall, the dark or almost black background, not to say blacker than the wolf’s mouth. When we talk about parties, we talk about a birthday, a night at a disco, an end-of-the-year party, a costume party, a birthday, a party because we want it, or whatever else you can think of. They can be day or night, indoors or outdoors, the conditions being highly variable, for this reason we cannot do a tutorial to tell you how to adjust the settings of your camera, but we can give you some general advice that will be useful for any type celebration and it will help you immortalize this moment with slightly more interesting results. do you want to join the party? Well join me in these 17 tips today.
1. Work in manual mode. The first and most important rule is that if you want to take interesting photos, forget about the automatic mode and do it with manual mode. Take the photos you need to adjust the appropriate settings for the lighting conditions you have.
- 2.
- Avoid the flash.
- Whenever possible.
- Avoid it to get more natural looking photos.
- Although in many cases this 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 need to use it.
- Use an external one.
- The built-in barely covers a very short distance and can’t bounce either.
- And if you want to know how to take photos in natural light.
- Be sure to read this article.
3. Deepen the field. If you’re photographing guests in different shots, zoom in on the depth of field so everyone’s focused, if they’re on the same plane, you can reduce the depth to get brighter photos.
4. Download ISO. In these types of parties, it is usually more important to capture the moment than not to obtain excellent image quality. Don’t be afraid to increase your camera’s ISO if lighting conditions are limited, even if it means your photos are noisy. We will hardly notice the noise.
5. Point measurement. Use point measurement mode instead of automatic measurement to ensure a better result.
6. Record in RAW. When shooting RAW, you can adjust the white balance later. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t stop reading this article.
7. Take multiple photos. That way, you have a better chance of getting a suitable photo in which all the guests come out with their eyes open, and you will also prevent the photo from being spoiled by a bad gesture from someone caught off guard.
8. Remember the rules of composition. At parties we usually set aside the rules and everything around us, however, in this case, you can’t park the dialing rules. Here’s a review. Skip them only when you do so 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 are encouraged to help?
10. Immortalize important moments. Anticipate certain moments of the party and prepare not to get lost. What would your report be like if you didn’t have time to blow out the candles, a toast, the embrace of two family members or friends who have not seen? each other for a long time, opening gifts?
11. Take advantage of the lights to get the Bokeh effect, here’s how to get them, step by step.
12. Show the atmosphere. Upon arrival, take photos that show the atmosphere and decor of the place. Take larger shots first that show the entire scene, then focus on the details, these are always important and can say a lot about any event. Take time to photograph parts of the table, food, candles, balloons, flags or any other decorative element, this is also part of the party.
13. Get spontaneous images. Although you will have to take group photos where the guests are posing, try to find spontaneous moments, they will say much more about the party and it will be more fun to contemplate them later.
14. Be creative. Playing with perspectives, photographing from unusual angles, capturing the movement of a dance with slow shutters, improvising a photocall… In short, let your imagination run wild and get different photos.
15. Tell a story. You don’t just take photos of people and objects, it’s a party, with a beginning and an end. It tells in pictures what happens from beginning to end, so that everyone who sees the photos later can feel what happened.
16. Not forget to go out. I’m sure more than once you’ve regretted seeing the photos you took on a trip, party or any other event, for not being there. Photography enthusiasts tend to photograph everyone, but we are never represented. Pass the camera to someone and let me photograph you, in a few years you’ll love to see yourself. Of course you’re looking for someone you know who’s more or less familiar with photography, I wouldn’t think of passing the camera on to my grandmother, are you sure everything would stand out in the photo except her granddaughter?
17. Have fun. You are at a party, remember, if you have a good time your photos will be more cheerful and fun, if you only dedicate yourself to watching through the viewer and see how others are having a good time, the task will be much more tedious and the images will not be so interesting.
You know what’s not practiced isn’t retained, you’re sure to have a party around the corner where you can put my humble advice into practice, what if you don’t have a party in sight?What are you waiting for to organize it? Life is two days!
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