How to Photograph in Low Light
Low-light photography requires a better understanding of camera functions than daylight photography. You'll need to know how to adjust your lens aperture and shutter speed, choose the right film speed and, when practical, add unobtrusive fill light. With study and experimentation, though, you'll get a feel for how to work in typical low-light situations. Learn how to photograph in low light and you can capture sharp, richly colored images of holiday lights, nighttime cityscapes and other low-9light scenes.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Add a diffused light source. Bounce your flash off a white surface to diffuse it and prevent it from diluting other light sources such as candles. If you have only a build-in flash, turn it upward. Increase the light level with light from a source similar to your subject. For example, to photograph something by candlelight, line candles up in front of a mirror near the subject, but out of the shot. For night photography shots, start about an hour before dusk.
-
2
Switch to a lower f-stop number. This increases the lens aperture and lets more light through faster. A lens with a wide maximum aperture such as F/2.8 or F/1.8 is known as fast lens because it allows for a faster shutter speed. Fast lenses are typically more expensive than slow lenses, but they might be worth the investment if you do frequent low-light photography. Remember that at wide apertures, depth of field is shallow, so focus is especially important.
-
-
3
Choose a slower shutter speed. Keeping the shutter open longer allows more time for light to pass through the lens and act on the film or CCD sensor. With speeds slower than 1/250, use a tripod and a cable release or self-timer to avoid blurring. For shots in which blurring is desirable, like streams of car headlights, use the B (bulb) or T (time) setting to hold the shutter open for 30 seconds or longer.
-
4
Use film with a higher ISO rating or choose a higher ISO camera setting. The ISO rating tells how sensitive film or a CCD sensor is to light. High ISO film will be more sensitive to whatever light you have available. For dimly lit indoor shots when you can use a flash, try ISO 400. If you can't use a flash, consider ISO 1000 or 1600. Be aware that a high ISO increases graininess in film photographs and noise in digital photographs.
-
5
Select the right white balance setting. Digital cameras let you control your white balance, which effects how the camera reacts to lighting conditions and different levels of contrast. Take some shots in low light using a few different white balance settings, then view the shots to check which setting worked best. Film cameras don't let you adjust white balance, but you can improve color results with a warm lens filter. The 81-series of yellow-toned filters will correct for unwanted blue tones in low-light conditions.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use film that's designed for the light by which you'll be shooting. For shots indoors or under streetlights, use tungsten-balanced film instead of daylight-balanced film. Some high-end digital cameras use a CCD that's more sensitive to light than usual. These cameras are harder to use in normal lighting conditions but are worth considering if you specialize in low-light photography.
Before photographing an important event, experiment with your camera and peripheral equipment in lighting conditions similar to those in which you'll be working.
