Nightlife shooting is not easy...

Think it is all just fun and parties when I go out and shoot nightlife stories? It is fun and rewarding, but it is not a party when I'm on the clock, and it is not always easy. Just like any other shoot, there are a lot of variables that can go wrong...

I'm at a new club every weekend, shooting it for a story/feature/review and I need to get good action images. Things that show what the place might look like to any of the readers, if they decided to go. However, sometimes bar owners and managers have their own agenda. They try to steer me towards certain areas of the club, even if that's not what the writer is focusing on. Sometimes they are worried about a bad review and can be uncooperative - forcing me to spend thirty extra minutes just getting permission to shoot inside. Sometimes, the bar owner is a media hog and tries to get in EVERY photo, making it hard to get the shots I need.

But that's not the only issue. Because so many factors effect the nightclubs, some have been open and running when the story was assigned, only to close down for good on the day before or day of my shoot. That happened this last weekend and the writer called me to scramble for a back-up club to visit. Then, at the back-up club, the owner was hesitant to let us in for a review and photo shoot, so it took twice as long to complete.

Of course, there is always the safety factor. I'm carrying around expensive equipment around drunk people, on dark streets, late at night. Drunks could easily bump into you or fall on you and break something expensive - like a flash or lens.

And theft... I'm lucky, but I know people who have lost all their photo gear when someone broke into their car right before or after a shoot. I know several bar managers and musicians who have been mugged late at night. Makes the job a little more scary than fun.

Then of course, there is the problem of getting correct names to go in the cutline. The cutline, the info right under the picture, usually has the person's name, like "Mr. So and So dances at X Club in Dallas, TX, on Saturday, blah, blah, blah." Well, drunk people in loud clubs are not the best people to get properly spelled, accurate identification from. Some slur their words, some try to give fake names, and some are so drunk they can't remember their name.

And let's not forget this:

There are ALWAY drunk people who grab at you, stop you and yell, "Hey! Camera guy! Take MY picture!!!" The images are often very funny and/or embarrassing, but not what I came for. They just slow me down, but what can you do?!? I can't just tell them to get lost. It causes less trouble If I just take the picture and smile.

I'm not complaining or whining. I like shooting nightlife. I'm just letting you know there are a lot of things to deal with when I go out. It's not all champagne and caviar as I randomly point my camera and pop my flash. Nope, I'm out there working... and enjoying the feeling of capturing such a vibrant part of society on film (well, virtual film).