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| Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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Clubbers Guide to Photography: Part One
Reported by Steve Milton
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Submitted 29-07-09 13:42
Taking photographs in clubs and capturing the weird and wonderful fauna that exist there can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Many times however shots are poorly framed, or have no interesting subject, or are just plain bad. It’s also a confusing area to move into with so many options, makes and gadgets. HarderFaster set correspondent Steve Milton one task; work with photographer Daf to help new snappers with info on the best kit and how to take good shots.
A slight departure for me in this feature as I get away from all things DJ and music and take a different tack and a quick look into the realms of photography. No doubt we’ve all been snapped at some point on our nights out by that person patrolling the clubs with the impressive looking camera attached to a big expensive lens and an access all areas pass dangling round their neck and yet how many fancy their chances of grabbing that cool shot of their favourite DJ or the atmospheric reminder of a great night with hands in the air and dazzling lasers? Hopefully here we’ll give you an insight into what you need and a few tips in catching that special moment. Helping me with this feature I’m lucky enough to have HarderFasters resident photographic guru Daf alongside me so lets get things started.
The Kit.
It’s never been so easy to buy good and cheap cameras that’ll provide excellent results. However for the purpose of this article we’ll move on from the average point and click and jump straight in to where anyone considering something a little more than just holiday snaps should be – the digital SLR.
While you can get excellent result from non-SLR cameras, the flexibility and control offered by these is often the crucial point. Not so long ago D-SLR’s were expensive and out of the range of the average snapper but advances in technology and reduction in prices means this type of equipment can be picked up for a very reasonable price, something in the region of £300 and even the base model Nikon and Canon for less than £400. Of course if you’re happy to look through the second hand ads then some true bargains can be found. However a word of warning when buying second hand: D-SLR’s have a shelf life, or more accurately a shutter life (something like 50,000 actuations for the beginner/intermediate range) so be sure to check out how much life is left in that bargain.
For those that don’t know SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex – this essentially means you’re looking through the lens so what you see in the view finder is exactly the image you’ll capture. (Full explanation on how it works here). And what of the advantages? Well most D-SLRs will have preset settings to allow for hassle free and quick snapping. These range from fully automatic through to specialised night time, portrait and sports settings however it’s not until you get into the manual modes that the versatility comes to light. Being able to change pretty much everything allows the photographer to create both artistic and visually stunning images. Shutter speeds and aperture settings combined with quick and easy ISO changes and a whole host beside mean the limitations of what can be created are purely with the person holding the camera. Add to the fact that there are a whole host of different types of lenses available from wide angle to telephoto only restricted by the depth of your pockets and you’ll begin to understand the capability they offer.
So what should you choose?
This is down to personal opinion and photographers usually find themselves in one of two camps – Nikon or Canon. That’s not to say other makes should be avoided but these two are probably the most popular and for good reason. Both the introduction models from these manufacturers are sound jumping off points into the world of photography. The Nikon D60 with the kit lens comes in at around £379 while the Canon EOS 1000D with kit lens is a little more at £399. Both offer similar capabilities so it’s probably best to go and have a look and see what you feel most comfortable with and what you can get the best deal on. There are also models from Sony and Olympus well within that price bracket so clearly these may be worth checking out if your budget won’t quite stretch that far.
Extras
Will you need anything else? Well you’ll have to include a suitable memory card with the camera and it’s always good to have a spare. Likewise with the battery, there’s nothing worse than having a great photo opportunity pass you by while the battery is on charge. We’ll cover the flash later but a good solid tripod is money well spent and a must for those shots where the camera has to be absolutely still although this can wait a little while as you get used to the camera and utilise all of its capabilities. Various lenses will add extra dimensions to your photography. If you’re not going to be able to get close to your subject then a good telephoto/zoom may be in order however these can run into the many thousands of pounds and not always something you can do on a budget. A macro will give you the option for extreme close-ups and a wide angle great for the times when you need that extra field of view but again these can be added as and when you feel the need and have the money to spend. Other gadgets like the remote control shutter release are fairly cheap and simple to operate and a handy thing to have for long exposure and portrait shots where you don’t want to touch the camera or be away from the line of sight.
Taking the pictures
This is a subject that many books have been written on and I think it’s something that’s impossible to cover fully in this feature however here are the basics regarding the technicalities that’ll get you started.
ISO settings
ISO (or ASA) used to be your films sensitivity to light, however in digital terms this applies to the sensor in your camera. The measurements are the same as with film (ISO 100, 200, 400 etc) and can be adjusted to suit your needs. Low ISO settings will mean less sensitivity to light and due to this you’ll get a much finer image with no grain or noise. Higher ISO settings will allow you to set faster shutter speeds in lower light situations but due to the increased sensitivity however the image will be grainier so it’s up to the photographer to understand the trade off.
Shutter Speeds
This is in effect the exposure time of the sensor. Fast shutter speeds can freeze a single moment in a fast action sport or create artistic effects and blur with a longer one. However a fast shutter speed may need a lower aperture or higher ISO setting to get enough light to the sensor so it’s a case of balancing these out for the perfect shot.
Aperture Settings
This is simply the size of the hole which lets in the light to your cameras sensor. The more light you let in, the brighter the shot will be and visa-versa. These are measured in F-numbers, with the lowest (largest hole) at F2.8 and the largest (smallest hole) F22 although some cameras with go up to F32. Aperture settings will also affect the depth of field. This is essentially the amount of the image that will be in focus. With a high F number setting the subject matter will be clear and in focus but the background will be blurred with the opposite true for a low F number setting, the background (to a lesser or greater extent) as well as the subject matter will be in focus hence the depth of field. As a rule of thumb a lower aperture setting will create more depth in the image than a higher one.
Next week we’ll look at actually taking pictures in the club and have a round up of Daf’s top tips, so in the meantime go out and get yourself a camera and take some time to get used to all the different settings and options!
See you (and your camera) on the dancefloor.
Photos courtesy of Daf. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Other Features By Steve Milton:
The Final Zoo
The Death of Clubland?
Trousers, Caps and Trance Anthems - It's Dave Pearce!
Boom Box, Bulldog Breaks and V1 - It's Time to Reload with DJ-X(lab4)
Clubbers Guide to Photography: Part Two
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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