D I S CO
discothèque (n.)
“club where recorded dance music is played.”
I bloody love a disco. Photographing them seems an obvious character arc.
What Happens on the Dancefloor
There’s something about photographing people on a dancefloor that I never get bored of. Once the music is properly going, people forget there’s a camera there. They stop posing and start being themselves. Shapes are thrown, heels are tossed to the side and all back pain is forgotten.
And that’s exactly what I want to photograph. It’s the Lazarus effect.
Give me the person absolutely going for it in the corner. The friends who haven’t seen each other for six months. The DJ losing their mind behind the decks. The couple who have disappeared into their own little world. The person who has somehow acquired a hat. Suddenly I lose myself and become part of it too, and I’ve got videos to prove it.
These are the photographs I love.
Photographing the Night, Not Posing It
Face-pulling aside, only the flattering pictures are delivered (naturally). I’m not particularly interested in making everyone look perfectly polished, but true dancefloor liberation has to be seen to be believed. A good night out isn’t polished. It’s sweaty, loud, ridiculous, affectionate, chaotic and occasionally completely unhinged.
My Kind of Dancefloor Photography
My job is to be in the middle of it without getting in the way.
That means watching what’s happening rather than constantly asking people to look at the camera. I’ll grab the big group moments, of course, but I’m always looking for the little things happening around them too — the expressions, the dancing, the hugs, the children staring bewildered at adults going berserk!
Basically, I want the photographs to take you straight back to the night. You can’t be everywhere when you’re having a good time.
There are also bonus points for being able to dance while holding food or a drink without getting any of it on me or my kit.
This is an underrated skill.
If you can bust a move, hold a glass, twerk, navigate a crowded dancefloor and somehow keep your drink exactly where it belongs, you have my utmost respect.
😂
London Party Photography
I’ve been photographing events across London for years, from parties and birthdays to club nights and larger events. As a London party photographer, my approach is to get a combination of candid and posed, keeping the night or event as authentic as possible.
If you’re planning a party, club night or celebration and want photographs that capture what it actually felt like to be there, you can find out more about my event photography in London or get in touch to book.
Where Does the Word Discothèque Come From?
And because I’m a bit of a word nerd, I had to look up where discothèque actually came from.
Next time conversation dries up at a party, start with:
“Did you know… disco comes from the French word discothèque, borrowed from the Italian discoteca, meaning a record collection or record library?”
Who knew?! Bound to win over a new dance partner.
So, technically, a discothèque started life as somewhere you kept records, before becoming somewhere you danced to them. The Italian discoteca was made up of disco — a phonograph record — plus -teca, meaning a collection or repository, ultimately from the Greek thēkē, meaning a case or receptacle.
And I’ll keep a record for you!
(Cheese level 10/10.)
If you’re planning a party, club night or celebration and want photographs that capture all the fun, you can find out more about my party and birthday photography in London, family photography or get in touch to book.