November 7, 2024

Our recent post entitled ‘Photography Careers You Need to Know pointed out some of the many ways we can use our skills as professionals as a way to earn more money. We’ll follow along the same lines with today’s topic but specialize even further.

Photography is an exciting profession that’s filled with exploration and adventure. You could be at a stadium shooting a sports event one day and be at a church capturing a wedding the next day. Every day is an opportunity to take photos in a different setting with a new subject, which in turn can make you a better photographer.

Becoming a great photographer is not easy, as there are many things to master on the camera, like understanding the ISO, knowing what shutter speed to use, as well as the best aperture setting at any given time. While these are all important aspects of any camera, they can all be easily learned with practice. What’s not easy to learn is learning how to shoot random, unrehearsed people at some events or the perfect timing for amazing candid shots. Take a casino, for example – if you’re not familiar with the games and how they play out, it can be difficult to know the exact moment when to press the shutter.

Luckily, we’ve put together some tips for a casino shoot scenario. Here’s what you need to know to prepare you before going all-in on a casino photoshoot.

  1. Check The House Rules

Most casinos have rules against taking photos on the casino floor, but don’t worry! The rules are usually in place for security purposes. Especially since most smartphones are equipped with cameras, casinos tend not to be very strict with their rules against photos. So, security and management will probably let you get away with taking a few photos, like selfies with chips and group shots with friends next to the blackjack table. Just don’t go overboard or take several photos of random people. To ensure you’re safe, you can always befriend security and let them know you plan to take a few photos.

  1. Understand The Game

There are many games on a casino floor, but the one that stands out the most is always poker. Even poker can be confusing to understand as there are many different rules, covered in this article titled ‘The Rules of Poker. You’ll need to be familiar with those, as well as the different variants, all of which have different play patterns. To get good pictures, you need to understand what is due to happen next. Plus, you’ll need to know the order of play and how the cards are dealt, so studying how to play Texas Hold’em before setting up would be a good idea. Getting to know the lingo could help, too. Basic phrases like “big blind” and “all-in” could give you a better understanding of what’s going on, and you’d be able to predict what might happen next, thus where to point and when to click. Knowledge of the hand rankings is a must so that you’ll know who wins if the players are holding a Full House, Flush, and Straight.

  1. Capture Emotion In Your Photos

The best photographs tell stories, so be sure to capture every possible emotion you can. Whether it’s a big win that takes the pot or a massive loss after going all-in, your subjects will reveal raw emotions that tell great stories of the night. A recent photography piece on Forbes recommends storytelling through dynamic images as a way to improve the quality of photos. Therefore, to add to your story, be sure to capture the casino décor as part of the background. Details like poker chips to show off winnings, kissing of the dice on the craps table, and the roulette wheel can add to the casino evening adventure.

Doing a photoshoot in a casino is not as easy as it sounds, but it can be done. With our tips and a little practice, it’ll soon become one of your favorite places to do a shoot at.

Blake Aldrich

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