I am a beginner photographer, and I am on our school's yearbook committee. We have school dances. There are lots of strobe lights, lasers, and UV lights. So basically, the worst conditions for photo taking. The dances are held at night, in a commons and there is also a balcony above it, with one lit hallway in the far corner. I have about half an hour to get ready.
I have a fairly ok-ish camera and I can fiddle with most settings (ISO, shutter speed, etc.) Any tips welcome! Oh, I also have a tripod.
Answer
To me, a school dance is roughly similar to a wedding reception and techniques for photographing that type of event are likely to be applicable. In particular, the use of flash is appropriate -- it's just another strobe.
My advice:
Learn how flash works. Learn how to perform manual calculations.
Prepare by practicing beforehand with a flash under similar ambiant lighting. Try both TTL and Manual modes. If multiple flashes are available and can be sync'd, play with those.
Strobes and lasers will almost certainly alter some pictures at the actual event. Some of those will turn out lucky.
A lot of getting great shots at a dance will require 'soft skills': getting close to other people, keeping them relaxed and happy, and working the room.
Read up on wedding reception photography because it is a good starting point.
Experiment.
Chimp early and often.
Have fun.
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