I did some shots of a zombie walk at a convention a while ago and none of them came out; near as I can tell the reason is because it was at the darker end of dusk, the shots I was trying to get were high action shots, and my onboard flash (nikon d3000) isn't fast enough or bright enough to allow for high speed night shots. Do you have any suggestions for methods or equipment that would solve this problem?
Hi! Kaitlin here:
Shooting anything at nightâespecially something that requires actionâcan be really, really difficult.Â
There is a lot of equipment you could get to solve this. A lot of event photographers I know use strobes, because theyâre lightweight, unobtrusive, and really solve a lot of issues. There are a number of really powerful flashes out there on the market that can help a lot. However, if youâre not an event photographer by trade, investing in the equipment it takes to get really solid event photos might not be worth it. (For example, in the few times Iâve been asked to cover events for friends, Iâve just used my dadâs old 1970s Nikon manual flash. Works well, itâs powerful enough that when I need bright flash fill itâs there, and most of all I got it for free.)
There are some things you can do, though, to make a situation like that easier without buying new equipment:
Donât use your flash, and bump up the ISO instead. A weak on-board flash is going to just cause more problems than solutions. However, many modern cameras (especially Nikons) have great high-ISO performance will much less grain/noise than they use to have. Given film, our eyes are much more accepting of seeing grain than youâd believe, and I truly find as a Nikon shooter that Nikonâs digital noise actually is more similar in pattern to high ISO film stock. Using a high ISO and the slowest shutter speed you can get away with without blurring movement will at least make sure youâre getting a shot, even if grainy, that has everything evenly lit and in focus, versus weird shadows or worst of all, a flash that reflected off something too close to the camera and failed to get the subject.
Shoot in RAW. Youâll have much more latitude in post with your light. You can really bump up the exposure and the shadows to get an image thatâs much brighter and clearer than youâd get in JPG.Â
Make grain and darkness an aesthetic choice. If youâre shooting a night event, whether itâs zombies or a masquerade, you can make grain and shadows work in your favor. Maybe do some really stark, contrasty black and whites! Amp up the grain in photoshop and tinge things green to give it a creepy, apocalyptic look! You can also invest in in the VSCO film packs for Lightroom, which are great for giving problem photos a much more intentionally lo-fi look.Â
Carry an iPhone or other powerful smartphone camera. It sounds weird, but these cameras are built for getting pretty great results in a variety of light. Whenever Iâve had to shoot at event spaces, Iâve used my iPhone as a sort of backup camera to get wide, group shots on the fly. Theyâre good as a backup and the flash on them is really powerful that up close enough, you can get pretty good fill. Also, using the Torch/Flashlight function can be a quick fill light if youâre doing an up close shot.Â
If you do want to drop some $, buy a lightbox or ring with a shoe mount. I have a small light box with a shoe mount thatâs perfect for close-quarters events. It throws off enough light to make a huge difference, especially in medium to close up shots, and wasnât very expensive. Itâs not high tech; itâs dimmable and comes with different plastic sheets that act as gels that slide into a slot in front of the light, and thatâs it. On itâs brightest setting it throws off a lot of light.Â
In terms of after-the-fact, the best I can say is approach them with a really fun, creative eye. You have nothing to lose. Itâs of a zombie walk, so you have a lot of freedom in which to make them look creepy or scary. Go wild. You might make something awesome.Â

















