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Tips for Low Light Photography

By Autumn Lockwood

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 01Dec2010 Word count: 574 Viewed: 298 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

At their most primary level, all photographs are simply light interacting with chemicals. Photography would be impossible without light, and in almost every situation the more light you have, the better. Unfortunately there are lots of different situations where light isn't available and you're forced to get creative. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your camera in low-light situations, all without using a flash.

Plan Ahead

If you're going somewhere where you think the light might be dim, plan to bring a tripod and some high speed film. Additionally, if you have the good fortune of having several cameras to choose from, be sure to select the camera that features the lowest F-Stop value - 1.7 or 1.5 would be ideal for low-light situations.

Stay Steady

Lower shutter speeds are going to be a requirement no matter how open your aperture can go, so use a tripod whenever possible. Placing your camera on a tripod will protect it from the shake of your body and will allow you to use even slower shutter speeds than would have been possible if you were relying entirely on your hands. If a tripod isn't available or appropriate, try resting your arms or camera on available surfaces whenever possible.

Speed Up Your Film

400 ISO film is what many consider to be the industry standard, but a film that slow is going to be a liability in a low light situation. If you're taking pictures of a fixed object then a slower shutter speed and slow film may work, but if you're taking pictures of moving subjects you're going to need 800 or higher. Be warned that as a film's ISO increases, so does its graininess. When you use film speeds over 800 you'll have considerable quality loss in the grain of the picture.

Let it Blur

As photographers, we often teach ourselves that blur is bad and clear is good. However, the deliberate use of motion blur can be a compelling element of a great photograph; don't be afraid to let your subjects move around a bit. You will likely not end up with sharply focused photographs but the interest of a blurry picture is often more interesting than a bunch of stationary objects.

Bracket

Light meters and humans are unreliable. If you're in low light and aren't sure your pictures will turn out, try bracketing your shots by taking 3 photos each with different exposure times. Essentially, you'll shoot one photograph at the shutter speed you think is right, then shoot another with your speed turned to the value just below that, then another with the speed turned to the value just above. This serves as a bit of a safety net for your photographs. And sometimes an under or over exposed picture can turn out even better than one taken using a light meter.

Low light photography is an incredible challenge, especially if you're attempting to do it without the use of a flash. Equip yourself right, understand the nature of your film and camera, and consider every shot carefully. If you do all of these things, you won't be able to tell the difference between your low light photos and those shot during the day. As long as you have fun when you shoot and don't stress too heavily about the end results, you should have no trouble teaching yourself to adapt to even the worst lighting situations.

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