Low Light and Night Photography

Low Light and Tripod ...

As the names suggests we are trying to capture a scene or a subject under very little
ambient light.
This brings the needs to leave the Shutter open for a longer time ,than we would, under
normal lighting conditions to give the Sensor enough time to take in the subject with the
available light...
Now.. that introduces another euipment... the Tripod... because we normally cannot
have the camera hand held ... and be able to hold it steady for a long time as well ..
ISO can be kicked up to a higher value to increase the sensitivity of the sensor
Note ! Longer "hutter speeds would need you decrease the # "top $e.g %& "econds....and
#' in the e(ample below.. )y cam doesn*t go beyond that +
The ,(ample here.. was shot with "hutter Priority ... meaning... i only had to set the
"hutter -alue to %& "econds... the Aperture$#+ and the ,(posure $&./&+ were automated..
This shot was taken with the camera mounted on a tripod looking out the window and
with shutter open for %& seconds.
i0ve pasted the ,12# info below ...
3amera ! "ony 4"3 56 set to "hutter Priority
,(posure! %& sec $%&+
Aperture! f.'
#ocal Length! 7 mm
,(posure 8ias! &./& ,-
#lash! #lash did not fire
As the light fades, do thoughts of photography wane also9 2f that0s the way you think then
read on as we will be showing you that low light photography is awash with
opportunities:
2mages, whether from film or digital cameras, need one ingredient... light. 5ow then can
photographers get good images in low light conditions9 ;sing flash would be one way.
8ut even the most dimly lit scene has some light < and that means the potential for a great
photo:
What equipment will I need?
=ell, you will need a camera as well as charged batteries, that0s for sure. Also, a tripod is
invaluable for e(posures lasting greater than /.%&th second $/.7&th in some cases+. A
torch, a decent lens and think about a remote shutter release < using long shutter speeds
means the potential for camera shake and blurred images is even greater than usual $the
alternative is to use a self timing mechanism to trip the shutter+.
What about white balance?
Night time often means scenes lit with artificial light. This will inevitably give a colour
cast to your shots although this can be pleasing sometimes. There are many types of
lighting $tungsten, halogen, fluorescent+ and they will all come out with different colour
casts < live with it: Try different white balance settings to see what effect it has on the
final image.
How do I calculate the exposure?
This can be difficult. 8ut with modern digital cameras you can see the results
immediately and therefore make any adjustments straight away. >our meter may lie: 8e
ready to change the settings $and give a longer e(posure+. Night time shots can be very
contrasty $bright lights and deep shadows+ < the camera won0t be able to cope with the
e(tremities of e(posure so just change the settings yourself until you are happy with the
results: >ou may need to use the ?8? or ?8ulb? setting to hold your shutter open for long
periods.
What can I photograph at night?
-irtually anything: The choices are almost limitless. =e suggest you consider!
8uildings
Lights
"igns
8ridges
3ars . vehicles
Lit houses . pubs . shops
People $motion blur can be a useful effect+
"treet illuminations
#ireworks
8onfires
#airgrounds
@eflections in lakes, pools
Look around for other ideas. 4on0t forget if there is any light at all, it can be turned into
an image.
To calculate e(posures you can use a rule of thumb < see below for rough e(amples of
e(posure times. 5owever, each circumstance will reuire a different approach so you can
e(pect to adjust things freuently:
Night assume !"# ISO "$$%
Town . 3ity A& sec
"igns . Lights A secs
"treets A& secs
"treets A& secs
3hurches %& sec
#airgrounds /& < /6 secs
3andlelight 7& secs
#ireworks / < 7& secs
Bne interesting aspect of night photography is the recording of moving trails of light.
3ars, buses, trains, bikes will have bright headlights and tail lights which will record as
trails across your image if you shoot them whilst they are moving with a slow shutter
speed of anything from A < A& seconds. Try it: The same goes for fairground rides. And
don0t forget that you can create your own trails with statically lit objects by Cooming in or
our during a long e(posure or even panning the tripod head.
&rac'eting
8y taking a shot of a scene with, say, as stop of under e(posure and a stop of over
e(posure, you will be more likely to capture an image that is correctly e(posed. 8right
lights tells the camera to undere(pose. )any cameras will have automatic e(posure
bracketing to allow this to be done with minimal fuss: >ou are trying to record some
detail in the shadows without burning out the highlights. 2f you take an image of a scene
at D second e(posure, take the same scene with ' seconds and A seconds. 2n this way you
will be likely to get the e(posure you are looking for.
Night photography EfeelsF different. 4ifferent sights, different sounds, different locations
and different camera settings. Nobody is an e(pert G we all have to e(periment. =ith
modern digital cameras this is something that can easily be achieved.