Low Light Photography Tips
An article on Low Light Photography Tips by Bryan Peterson
There seems to be this unwritten rule that it’s not really possible to get any good
pictures before the sun comes up or after it goes down. After all, if “there’s no
light,” then why bother? However, nothing could be farther from the truth. Low-light
and night photography do pose special challenges though, not the least of which
is the need to use a tripod (assuming, of course, that you want to record exacting
sharpness).
There are no excuses
The greatest hindrance to shooting at night or in the low light of predawn is in
the area of self-discipline: “It’s time for dinner” (pack a sandwich); “I want to
go to a movie” (rent it when it comes out on DVD); “I’m not a morning person” (don’t
go to bed the night before); “I’m all alone and don’t feel safe” (join a camera
club and go out with a fellow photographer); “I don’t have a tripod” (buy one!).
If it’s your goal to record compelling imagery— and it should be—then night and
low-light photography are two areas where compelling imagery abounds. The rewards
of night and low-light photography far outweigh the sacrifices.
The correct exposure
Once you pick a subject, the only question remains is how to expose for it. With
the sophistication of today’s cameras and their highly sensitive light meters, getting
a correct exposure is easy, even in the dimmest of light. And yet many photographers
get confused: “Where should I take my meter reading? How long
should my exposure be? Should I use any filters?” In many years of taking meter
readings, the Low Light Photography Tips team have found there’s nothing better—or
more consistent—than taking meter readings off the sky. This holds whether I’m shooting
backlight, frontlight, sidelight, sunrise, or sunset. If I want great storytelling
depth of field, I set the lens (i.e. a wide-angle lens for storytelling) tof/l6
or f/22, raise my camera to the sky above the scene, adjust the shutter speed for
a correct exposure, recompose, and press the shutter release.
Capturing motion at low light
Consider whether the night-time scene before you offers the chance to capture motion.
At Low Light Photography Tips we love cityscapes as they often provide wonderful
opportunities to show the flow of traffic. Keep in mind that the car lights will
appear as streaks of red and white, so when you set up your composition, you must
ask yourself if these lines will keep the eye in the scene or lead it out of it.
At a minimum, a 4-second exposure will render the traffic as streaks. With your
camera’s shutter speed set to 4 seconds, simply aim at the sky above the scene and
adjust your aperture until you get a correct exposure. Then recompose the scene,
and trigger the shutter release either via the camera’s self-timer or with a locking
cable release.
Shore lines
Many rocky shorelines offer opportunities to convey both tranquillity and motion.
This exposure, although it appears difficult, is really quite easy to make. I first
placed my FLW magenta filter on my 2.4mm lens and then went looking for my meter
reading. Using the reflecting sky and with my aperture at f/4,
I metered off the light reflecting on the surface of the water, adjusting my shutter
speed until 1 second indicated a correct exposure. I then pointed the lens above
the horizon and, with the aperture still at f/4, took a meter reading using the
backlit sky. I got a correct exposure at 1/15 sec, a difference of 4 stops (F/4
for 1 second vs. f/4 for 1/15 sec. is 4 stops—from 1 second to 1/2 sec. to 1/4 sec.
to 1/8 sec. to 1/15 sec.). So, which exposure wins? Both, thanks to my trusty 3-stop
graduated soft-edge neutral-density filter.
Graduated Neutral Density
The graduated neutral density had effectively slashed 3 stops of exposure from the
backlit sky, so the exposure time had to change from f/4 for 1/15 sec. to f/4 for
1/2 sec. In other words, the backlit sky and reflecting would only be separated
by 1 stop, and a 1-stop difference in backlit exposures like these is nothing. But
wait! Since I wanted to shoot a long exposure and use the first exposure I took
using the reflecting sky, I had to do the math. Since f/4 was correct at 1 second,
then f/5.6 for 2 seconds would also be good, as would f/8 for 4 seconds and f/11
for 8 seconds and f/16 for 16 seconds. Stop! That’s good enough for me! After setting
my depth of field via the distance setting on my lens (in this case setting five
feet out ahead of the center focus mark), I was ready to shoot—and presto, the result
was fantastic.
Here at Low Light Photography Tips we hope you’ve enjoyed this article on food photography.
Why not try one of our other Photography Tips article. Check the menu down the left
of this page.