Sometimes I can't always use a flash. If I'm inside a bar for a party and it isn't a private event, then I usually can not use a flash. I have ways of compensating by raising my ISO or using what light is available. I wanted to show a few photos from two evens where this was the case.
They all have some amount of grain in them because of the lack of flash, but this made the photos in my opinion. After all, grain did not become an ugly word until the digital age.
Enough tech talk, lets get into the shots.
The first shoot was a goodbye shoot I did in Midland, TX. A good friend of mine named Saige was moving to Austin (This is before I moved out to Austin). So, she had a party at a local Karaoke bar called Rockstar. I took many photos out there, many of them were not great as I could not use the flash and had to shoot at a slower shutter speed with a high ISO, thus meaning that I could not freeze motion easily and had to work with grain.
These are to shots of Saige and Fabian. I utilized the given backlighting which created these two fun shots. I love how gritty it looks and how their tattoos really stand out.
This is a close friend named Marcos, who was at this party. I could have corrected for the crazy lighting colors, but I feel that it would be fake to change them.
This is the same shot I just processed it twice. At the time, I could not decide which I liked better. As time has gone by, I have grown to love the color, as the lights really pop around her face. This is why the color photo is in my Urban gallery.
The last two photos are from Blue Max in Midland, TX. This was a special event showing of the horror film, Circus of the Dead. It was a way to support the bar, as it was running into hard times. These two are my favorites.
This is the classic stage from Blue Max. They did many a live concert from there.
This shot was very grainy, but in a bar like this and with the proper contrast, I managed to capture a personal moment that will never be had at this bar again. This is a prime example of how grain is not a naughty word.
Cheers.
Shane H. Wilder