People get drunk. People sometimes get so drunk, that a simple indiscretion such as someone bumping into you means you have to retaliate with fists. On a dance floor, people are drinking, and people do get unfortunately close at times. Fights don’t happen all the time, far from it. Most of the time, people are forgiving, and just out to have a good time, but you do get the odd occasion.

As a photographer for the club, my remit is to take pictures for them to use on their social networking sites. However, when a fight does unfortunately break out… I find myself in a situation where half of me screams run away, but the other half of me forces me to stay, and take pictures. I’ve been raised in an environment where I know what power evidence is in a criminal case. This is not particularly to protect the club or it’s staff, but for the protection of the customers as well. If I do catch a bouncer acting out of line (I have yet to, the people I work with are professionals), that photo doesn’t mysteriously disappear, it is offered on a whole CD with the rest of the photos to club. If the Police want a copy of a CD, the club can’t simply give them my CD minus some photos.

The point is, I am there as a neutral observer. This extends further to the point that as the bouncers decide to turf a customer out the back exit, I will follow the bouncers and customer, but I choose to stay a couple of steps behind. The bouncers know why I am there. If anything kicks off, having a neutral individual to prove that it was “X who threw the first punch” is valuable to them. But the customers who are pumped up on alcohol and adrenaline won’t appreciate the fact I am there is also for their protection. If the bouncers were to act out of line to a now cooperating customer, I am also there to capture that.

So I have to take a cautious decision each time I follow the bouncers out the back exit how close I will stay behind, how ready I am with the camera, how much I let the customer know I am there. I know that if the customer objects to my presence, it could be enough to kick them off again, and that is a situation I intend to avoid… an observer is exactly that… not a participator or antagonizer.

So if any of my fellow photographers out there shoot in club land, talk with your bouncers and explain how you can help them if/when fights kick off, explain how you are there purely as observer, and talk about the following of them and customer out the door and why this is necessary. And remember that even on a wide angle, the chances are your camera will equal if not exceed the CCTV systems which traditionally are mostly 640×512 pixels in size.

And to everyone else… fights do happen, but they are not something you need to worry about, but the staff and associated members like me do.