Shooting in a night club

LRussoPhoto

I was asked by a friend to shoot his band playing at a club. Suggestions on equipment needed? Lenses, speed lights, studio strobes, light mods?

pathfinder

Bands have been shot with every thing from a camera body with a single fast optic, to full studio lighting and makeup artists.

Depends on what you and the band want, I think. Or what the band is willing to pay for.

Also, the lighting the venue will play a role as well.

But modern DSLRs can do pretty well with high ISO. At ISO 1600 even a little speed lite packs a pretty big wallop.

I would suggest some devices to diffuse the flash's light, or bounce it off a appropriate wall if available

If you're going to shoot available light, maybe a Color Checker for a grey card for white balance might be worthwhile as well. Some available light shots of bands end up Black and White for more drama.

I would start by asking what equipment you have and are comfortable using. Speedlites - one, two, three or more? Lighting modifiers. Studio Umbrellas, Reflectors, etc,

akurcan

Given the gear you've listed in your signature, I think you're all set. I would bring a couple of speedlights on tall stands, with domes/diffusion pockets pointed straight up, and take a "bare bulb" approach. Position these wide at the edges of the stage.

Ferguson

I have not done this much, but when I have, I find that natural light (i.e. the band's own special effects lighting) yields far more interesting shots than speedlights or flash, unless you are going to convert to mono. And don't work too hard at the white balance to get rid of the off color, go with it for effect, e.g.

Not one natural skin tone in there anywhere.