How I shoot the dancefloor fun

Photographing the dancefloor action has always been one of my favourite parts of a wedding… and no, not because once I’ve shot that I can go home!

I genuinely love the spontaneous and action-packed images I get from this final part of a couples big day.

wedding dancefloor photos

Everything from hunting out the shot, to just coming across a random and funny moment, it really is a documentary photographers dream. Not to mention the fact most people have got so used to me being around by that point that I’m either treated like one of the family, or ignored because they know I’m just doing my job and getting on with capturing all the fun.

For the evenings my kit selection is very simple. I’ll use a two camera, two lens setup. One Sony a7iv with the 35mm GM lens attached, and the other Sony a7iv with a wideangle lens (either a 20mm if I feel the guests can handle me getting really close! Or the 24mm lens if I don’t want to go quite so wide, or quite so close).

With the 35mm GM lens I will shoot all the images wide open at f/1.4 and really capture the atmosphere of the evening by making the most of the light getting in, and just shooting with available light. On the other camera however I will attach my tiny Godox TT350 flashgun and flash away at my subjects!

I also have my 3rd camera which has my Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens on it, and if I see an interesting scene/moment from distance I’ll quickly grab that and snap an available light shot.

My settings on the camera with the flash gun will vary depending on the effect I want to create, and also how dark or light the dancefloor is. Some venues really do a great job when it comes to lighting up the dancefloor, and some are as dark and dingy as a dodgy nightclub!


“The evening is generally the first and only time on a wedding day where I will pop the flash on my camera”


Not every wedding venue/dancefloor area is the same, but my base level for the camera settings is nearly always the same. On my cameras I have assigned different flash settings to my custom buttons. This was honestly a game-changer doing this, and I would urge any photographer that finds themself faffing around on a dark dancefloor at a wedding to do the same. On the Sony a7iv there are 3 custom setting options on the top dial, and I have mine set as follows…


CUSTOM ONE

1/30 SEC - ISO 800 - F/8 - This I like to call my cutting the cake shot option. Such a boring and simple setting, yet gets the job done.


CUSTOM TWO

1/10 SEC - ISO 1600 - F/8 - This is the my slow(ish) shutter speed setting I like to use where I know I can get visible shutter-drag images. (Blurry lines and all that jazz!)


CUSTOM THREE

1/2 SEC - ISO 800 - F/8 - It may not seem a lot slower than custom 2, but it really can produce a very different effect.



I love having these set up and pre-dialled into my camera as it means I’m not messing around on the dancefloor looking at my camera as if I’ve never held it before! The more time you spend messing around with your kit at a wedding the more amazing photos you’re going to miss.

As far as the settings on my flashgun are concerned, I keep it very simple. I nearly always use TTL and let the flashgun do the hard work! I’m getting really close, firing with direct flash (not bounced, I never bounce flash, I just don’t like the look it gives), so only need to light up the person/people that are about 3-6 feet in front of me… I don’t need strong flash power.

If after a few shots I feel the people are being lit up too much i’ll just pop the flashgun into manual mode and play about with lowering/reducing the output setting. Normally starting at around 1/32 power.


MY TOP 5 TIPS FOR SHOOTING DANCEFLOOR

1 - When shooting with direct flash get close… then… GET EVEN CLOSER!

2 - Don’t be afraid to go really slow with the shutter speed to get more creative and extended light trails.

3 - If you think you’re annoying someone by flashing away too much… you almost definitely ARE annoying them! Stop, and move on.

4 - When shooting using available light make sure you keep an eye on your shutter speed. You may be able to handhold a camera at 1/60sec, but the people in the scene may be too blurred at that speed. Unless thats the look you’re going for of course!

5 - Take breaks. Some couples book me to just stay until a few songs after the first dance. Others want me there until last orders!

If I’m shooting the dancefloor for a long period of time I always make sure I take a break so I’m not just flashing the direct flash in guests faces constantly. It also allows me to take a break after a bloody long day of working my arse off!

JUST HAVE FUN!

My final piece of advice is to just have fun! Everyone else will be. If you’re stood around looking serious, or worst still, looking grumpy, chances are your photographs are going to carry that energy too. I don’t mind admitting that by the evening time I very often have a bottle of beer in one hand, whilst wandering around with a camera in the other.

My couples get it, they want me to relax, they want me to be having fun like their guests. They’ve no doubt seen me working really hard all day, know that my day is nearly over, and want me to celebrate with them. Yes, I am lucky to have these sorts of clients, but it’s years of hard graft, and me showing the kind of work I want to shoot that has got me to this position.

Just have fun, enjoy yourself, get involved on the dancefloor instead of creeping on the outskirts of it, and you will come away with some fantastic evening shots.

Below is a gallery of some of my favourite dancefloor photos. You may even spot a few outside dancing shots… Taking the dancefloor out into the open!

As with all my camera/photography related blog posts, this is just how I shoot, and what works for me. This blog post is barely scratching the surface of a huge part of a wedding day.

If you’d like to learn about shooting the dancefloor in more depth from me, or ANY part of the wedding day, please get in touch or take a look at my 1-2-1 wedding photography training days.