People often assume photography is all about having a good camera. In reality, it’s usually all about having good light.
This 30th birthday party at The Grand Hotel in Torquay was a perfect example of that.
As I walked into the function room before guests arrived, I had one immediate thought.
“It’s dark…”
Not just a little bit dark.
The sort of dark where you question whether you’ve accidentally left your lens cap on.
The room relied almost entirely on the stage lighting, with just a few decorative fairy lights around the venue to add a little atmosphere. It looked fantastic if you were attending the party. Photographing it was going to be a very different story.
Thankfully, this is exactly the sort of challenge I enjoy.
Every Event is Different
One of the things I love about event photography is that no two venues are ever the same. Some venues are flooded with beautiful natural light. Some have huge chandeliers that do half the work for you.
Others… well… switch most of the lights off and wish you good luck.
The Grand Hotel in Torquay looked fantastic, creating exactly the atmosphere the birthday girl wanted, but I knew straight away I’d need to build my own lighting rather than relying on what was already there. That’s where experience really comes into its own.
Fast Glass Saves the Day
Whenever I know I’m going into a particularly dark venue, I automatically reach for my fastest lenses.
On one camera I mounted my Sony 24mm f1.4, giving me lovely wide shots of the room, guests and dance floor. On the other camera sat my Sony 85mm f1.4, one of my absolute favourite lenses for events. It allows me to isolate people beautifully while letting in a huge amount of light. Those two lenses are a dream combination when you’re photographing in difficult lighting conditions.
They allow me to keep shutter speeds high enough to freeze people enjoying themselves without pushing the camera to ridiculous ISO settings.
Of course, lenses were only part of the solution.
Building My Own Light
To really make the room work photographically, I set up two Godox AD200 strobes around the venue.
These weren’t there to make the room look like a film set. Quite the opposite. The best lighting is the lighting people don’t even notice.
The AD200s gently lifted the overall brightness of the room, while the Godox V1 speedlights on both of my cameras gave me complete control wherever I happened to be standing.
The result was exactly what I wanted. The room still felt like a party. The atmosphere remained dark and cosy. But everyone looked properly lit. Faces had shape. Eyes had sparkle. Skin tones looked natural.
That is always the aim.
Fairy Lights Are Lovely… Until They Aren’t
The venue had a couple of areas decorated with beautiful fairy lights. As a photographer, fairy lights are brilliant.
Until you point a camera at someone standing underneath them.
Most fairy lights are incredibly warm in colour, which means skin can quickly turn orange or yellow if you simply rely on the ambient lighting. It is one of those little details that people don’t necessarily notice while they’re enjoying the evening, but it becomes very obvious once the photographs are delivered.
By introducing my own lighting into those scenes, I was able to keep all the lovely atmosphere from the fairy lights while producing much more natural skin tones.
The guests probably had no idea any of this was happening. They were too busy enjoying themselves. Exactly as it should be.
Capturing the Atmosphere
One of the biggest differences between event photography and portrait photography is that events are all about storytelling.
You’re documenting reactions.
Friendships.
Conversations.
People laughing until they can’t breathe.
Someone attempting dance moves that probably seemed like a much better idea after a couple of drinks.
Those are the moments people remember.
Throughout the evening I worked my way around the room capturing groups of friends chatting, families celebrating together and plenty of candid moments that showed just how much everyone was enjoying themselves.
I always prefer these natural moments over constantly asking people to pose.
A genuine laugh will always beat a forced smile.
The Red Cups
Providing the soundtrack for the evening was The Red Cups, and they were absolutely brilliant.
You can usually tell within the first couple of songs whether a band is going to get people onto the dance floor. These certainly did. Before long the room was full of people singing along, dancing and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Live bands always create fantastic opportunities for photography because the energy is contagious. Once one table gets up to dance, it doesn’t take long before everyone else follows. That is exactly what happened here.
The atmosphere just kept building as the evening went on.
Why Good Lighting Matters
One thing people often don’t realise is that good event photography is often invisible.
If I’ve done my job properly, nobody is looking at the photographs thinking about flash settings, lighting placement or camera equipment.
They’re looking at the smiles.
The laughter.
The atmosphere.
The memories.
That’s exactly how it should be.
Photography should never distract from the event itself.
It should simply preserve it.
A Brilliant Evening
This was a fantastic evening to photograph. Great venue. Fantastic guests. A brilliant live band. Plenty of laughter.
And one very happy birthday celebration.
Yes, the room was incredibly dark. Yes, photographing it was technically challenging. But that’s part of the fun.
After nearly ten years behind the camera, solving little problems like this has become one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.
After all, anyone can take photographs when the lighting is perfect.
Making a near pitch black room look bright, welcoming and full of life…
Now that’s much more satisfying.
Equipment Used on the Day
2x Sony A7IV
Sony 24mm f1.4
Sony 85mm f1.4
Godox V1 speedlights on both cameras, each controlling the other lights
Godox AD200 strobes positioned on each side of the room
