Vibrant classy party photos from a Casino Royale house party
Gorgeous guests, delicious drinks, casino games like poker, blackjack and roulette. Now this was a party.
This was one of the greatest parties I’ve ever attended. The hosts are my good friends and I was there as their guest, but I brought my cameras along. For me, capturing moments and making gorgeous images only adds to the fun :)
Always nice to get to be in a few photos myself.
Me, my Nikon Zf, and my friend Christina (just as Zac in the bottom right deals out a blackjack)
Last guests standing, circa 3:30am.
Mid-party album cover shoot
There was a live band (and later a DJ to get the dancefloor bumping). I caught the musical trio outside and they asked for a pic. So I posed them at the top of the stairs, handed off my LED pocket light to another guest to hold, and voila, a complementary mid-party album cover.
Which do you prefer, black-and-white, cool, or warm?
There was a general spirit of warmth and camaraderie as guests took turns dealing at tables, manning the well-stocked bar, and sharing their story of how they ended up at this party.
Gear used
I wanted to capture and document without being intrusive. I wanted to avoid walking around with a big noticeable camera or a distracting flash. So, for the first half of the party, I slung my Nikon Zf slung over my shoulder with a 40mm f2 lens. Unlike a big chunky DSLR with a large zoom lens that can make party guests feel like wildlife being hunted by National Geographic, this compact package is sleek and good-looking, allowing me to fly under the radar and capture scenes without interrupting them. I used my Nikon for all my no-flash shots and candids. It’s an optimal documentary package. I continue to be floored by the autofocus and lowlight performance of the Nikon Zf, with most of my images shot between ISO 6,400 and 16,000! I kept an Ivisii G2 LED light in my pocket and occasionally whipped it out to add neutral or colored light to a scene.
Later in the night, after the alcohol had been flowing and the dancefloor was live, I brought out my Fuji X-H2 with a Viltrox 13mm f1.4 lens and Godox V1 flash for my dancefloor and flash photos. The wide angle 20mm focal length is a lot of fun for telling the whole story of the action or photographing groups of people from up close. The Viltrox 13mm f1.4 has become my favorite dancefloor lens.
