How to take better party pictures.

Although not an A-lister himself, photographer Mr James Peltekian has partied with more major celebrities than, well… just about anyone. From photographs of Mr Noel Gallagher and Ms Kate Moss sharing a joke over a cigarette, to a surprising image of Boy George and Ms Margaret Thatcher side by side at the end of the 1980s, as well as a host of royals, Hollywood stars and fashion industry luminaries – this man about town has captured some of the most glamorous (and occasionally debauched) moments of celebrity society, his photographs characterised by good-time candour rather than excruciating poses. We spoke to the seasoned soirée-goer about amping up the jollification, and gleaned some advice on how to take great pictures at a party – ’tis the season, after all.

Although it can be tempting to put on your “photo-face” and get your angles just right whenever the flash bulbs come out, a natural look always trumps a self-conscious one: “Don’t worry about your image. I think the best photos come out when people are enjoying themselves and they’re relaxed,” says Mr Peltekian. “Of course, you must know the camera is there, but just have a good time. First of all, we’re very lucky to be at a party! It could be much worse – we’re here to have fun.” And if you’re not having fun, at least pretend you are for the camera: “That works just as well. It’s all theatre!”

Like a decent bottle of Malbec, allowing party guests to breathe for a few minutes is crucial to the subsequent merriment, so before assaulting them with a strobe of flashes from your Canon EOS, leave them to it for a bit. “You shouldn’t take a picture of guests when people are just walking in. Ideally, leave them alone, let them come in, relax, and have a drink,” advises Mr Peltekian. Still, that doesn’t mean they’ve escaped. “At the same time, [as a photographer] I say hello to them, give them eye contact, and let them know I’m here and that they’re not going to get away without having their picture taken.”

As well as having some kind of interaction going on in a picture, it’s even better if that interaction is between two people you’d least expect it from: “It’s nice to have eclectic personalities in one place. I don’t like it when there are all big celebrities in the same picture – it’s boring, and it’s better to have a picture where people aren’t trying to outdo each other,” says Mr Peltekian, explaining a photograph he took of Boy George and Ms Margaret Thatcher back in the day: “It works because they’re complete opposites. They represent the same era, and [Boy George] was very famous when [Ms Thatcher] was Prime Minister. I like that, to mix people together, especially if they are unusual and they’ve also been through their own road in a different way, and they achieved something.”

Two’s company, three’s a crowd, and anything over that? That just won’t do, says Mr Peltekian: “Ideally, you’ll have two people in a picture. Maybe three, but that’s pushing it. It works better than just one because of the interactions going on, but too many and the focus on the moment is taken away. If there are [too many people], it becomes like a big photo shoot and it doesn’t look natural. You want to get those small moments, and if there are too many people in a picture, unless they’re a real A-list celebrity, then they lose their identity in the group, and you can’t capture it.”

“Be cheeky, smile, and say something funny to get them going,” says Mr Peltekian. “I hate having my photograph taken and I look bad because I’m not relaxed, too stiff, but if someone gets me going, that’s so much better.” He relays one of his many celebrity anecdotes: “Once, I was having my picture taken with Paul McCartney, it was just me and him, he was drinking, and he held it up and said ‘Have some of my drink!’ so I drank his drink – it was a great picture. Just be silly – it’s a party!”