After an absence that seemed way too long, the Bohemian Carnival returned to DNA on Friday night.

Pics after the jump ...













Clowns, burlesque, contortionists, and a mood that makes you wonder what it would have been like if there were a Burning Man sensibility in '30s Germany; think Cabaret on the playa.

The semi-regular Bohemian event is about a year and a half old, and while it's less fiery now than in previous incarnations (pesky Fire Department regulations, no doubt), it's still a blast.  Fou Fou Hah! (above), maybe San Francisco's favorite New Burlesque troupe, was really sharply choreographed.



The Vau de Vire Society and Gooferman (above and below) were the organizing forces behind this night. Gooferman were totally on top of their game. They've really been making it happen lately, with appearances in the past several months at everything from the Super Bowl to Lightning in a Bottle last weekend in Southern California.



And for you photo geeks out there, here's how to get pics like this: Get yourself a fast lens. The biggest bang for the buck comes from a 50mm 1.4 or 1.6, just about the cheapest way to get into indoor low light photography. I mostly stay away from using a flash in situations like these, because I like to see the stage lighting effects show up in the photos. The top two photos almost look like they have some flash fill, but they don't; that's the spotlight the lighting director wanted you to see. The next two photos show you what the performers looked like on stage, bathed in red and green light. A flash would have overwhelmed a lot of that effect.

  

That's not to say that a little flash isn't helpful sometimes, like the hula shot above. I tried to maintain the integrity of the scene but still light up the face a little bit; to do that I dialed back the flash exposure setting a couple of stops to make sure I'd still get enough ambient light to capture the mood. Events like this move too fast to use manual adjustments, so I shoot TTL and dial back the exposure settings.



Sweet nothings were being whispered into ears outside on the sidewalk during a break ...