Itchy Brighton article

Careful, Itchy's got a camera...

We get a few tips from professional clubland snapper Debbie Bragg

Clubbing photography is a definite skill; a good pic shows people instantly if a club’s for them, painting a picture that a thousand words would have trouble with. But can just anyone take a good club shot? 

We turned to Debbie Bragg of Everynight Images to explain clubland photography to us. Debbie's work has latterly been shown in a recent exhibit, ('I'm proper f**ked') that was judged too controversial by Camden Council, and she’s become quite the dab hand with a magazine cover shot too. When Lilly Allen needs some photos taking for the cover of Time Out, it’s Debbie who gets the call.

But how easy is it to break into the world of photography?  Itchy’s new friend reckons that anyone can take a good amateur snap. She also tells us that as long the picture is not to be used to sell something, you’re legally ok to snap someone in a club – though that might not stop the bouncers nicking your camera, so check the club's policy first! 

‘A good start is to take pictures of something that you really enjoy, that you know about. If you really know a club, then you’ll know what’s going to make a good pic, who to watch out for.’ 

‘I still have a normal camera, or a ‘point-and-shoot’ one as they’re known in the trade. That’s all you need to take decent personal shots, even in a clubby environment.’ 

Here Debbie enlightens us with five useful tips for clubland snapping: 

• ‘First, use a long exposure (or ‘night mode’ on most point-and-shoot cameras) to capture all the cool lighting that you get in clubs. Steady yourself on a speaker or wedge yourself against something to keep yourself balanced for those wide shots of people dancing.’ 
• ‘If it’s a closer shot of a friend, get them to lean against a wall. This makes your flash bounce off the wall, so you get a brighter picture.’ 
• ‘Look for different angles. You could get down low, or even stand up on a sofa (or even a speaker) to get a different perspective.’ 
• ‘Instead of holding the camera straight on, hold it at an angle. This is called is a “Dutch Tilt” in the business, which I believe refers to using a tripod with one leg shorter than the others… why that’s “Dutch” is beyond me, but there we are.’ 
• ‘And finally, take lots of pictures! When I’m working I take hundreds to get a few where everything is just right – people dancing, the lights looking good, the right angles – so taking a few extra shots on a digital camera is nothing to be afraid of.’ 

 See how the pro’s do it here: http://www.everynight.co.uk/ and see Debbie’s banned exhibit here: http://www.everynight.co.uk/search_results.asp?CatID=219  

Or check out a great site for sharing amateur club snaps here: http://www.dontstayin.com/

Pictures by Debbie Bragg (top) and Dougie Wallace.

Comments

Clubland photography a skill? Are you joking? I did it for 5 years and I know the only skill involved is not getting too pissed and not getting too annoyed with all the drunk idiots...
- peanut from london on 27/02/2007 -

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