This post was the result of a request from Karen, one of my facebook fans. Thanks Karen. Enjoy!
People get the photography bug everyday. Many hope to perfectly preserve the precious moments of childhood; Others want to start working with photography as a fine art; others still are anxious to help propel their businesses forward with the personal touch of photographic elements. One major issue people often encounter is how to manage the use of light or lack of light.
It’s easy to shoot outside when sunlight perfectly illuminates everything around you! The problem becomes when you move indoors and shoot in low light areas. Chances are you are probably getting more blurry shots than you know what to do with. At this point many people say to themselves, " I just bought this thing! Why isn't it working? Novice photographers rarely realize something all artists know and say, “It's not the camera; it's the photographer.” It doesn't matter what camera you have. If you’re not trained to use a camera, you won't be happy with your results. With this in mind, here are some good pointers to guide you through tough low lighting situations.
1) Buy A Faster Lens:
I know what you are thinking. You don't or shouldn't have to purchase ANOTHER lens when your camera came with one. This is true and the following tips will help you with any lens. But if you want to be sure not to miss those key moments in low lighting situations, a fast lens is the way to go.
I recommend the Canon 50mm 1.8 lens
and the Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens
. These two lenses are what the pros use all the time in low lighting situations. However, you don't have to just use it for low light. My 50mm lens is my "all the time" lens. This lens is very fast so the low light is less likely to interfere with capturing that pivotal moment. Hoping for a more artistic shot? Try this: Set the aperture to 2.8 - 1.8. The background will be totally out of focus; also know as "blown out". This creates a dramatic and beautiful effect around your subject. (See Examples 1 & 2)
People get the photography bug everyday. Many hope to perfectly preserve the precious moments of childhood; Others want to start working with photography as a fine art; others still are anxious to help propel their businesses forward with the personal touch of photographic elements. One major issue people often encounter is how to manage the use of light or lack of light.
It’s easy to shoot outside when sunlight perfectly illuminates everything around you! The problem becomes when you move indoors and shoot in low light areas. Chances are you are probably getting more blurry shots than you know what to do with. At this point many people say to themselves, " I just bought this thing! Why isn't it working? Novice photographers rarely realize something all artists know and say, “It's not the camera; it's the photographer.” It doesn't matter what camera you have. If you’re not trained to use a camera, you won't be happy with your results. With this in mind, here are some good pointers to guide you through tough low lighting situations.
1) Buy A Faster Lens:
I know what you are thinking. You don't or shouldn't have to purchase ANOTHER lens when your camera came with one. This is true and the following tips will help you with any lens. But if you want to be sure not to miss those key moments in low lighting situations, a fast lens is the way to go.
I recommend the Canon 50mm 1.8 lens
and the Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens. These two lenses are what the pros use all the time in low lighting situations. However, you don't have to just use it for low light. My 50mm lens is my "all the time" lens. This lens is very fast so the low light is less likely to interfere with capturing that pivotal moment. Hoping for a more artistic shot? Try this: Set the aperture to 2.8 - 1.8. The background will be totally out of focus; also know as "blown out". This creates a dramatic and beautiful effect around your subject. (See Examples 1 & 2) |
| Example 1 |
 |
| Example 2 |
What if my lens doesn't detach? I have a point and shoot.
Good question. You are not left in the dark. (Hehe, get it?) Ok bad joke. Point and shoots are very advanced today, so all you have to do is set your camera's aperture to the lowest number. This number varies between camera’s but the second you do this you are telling your camera to see the light differently. This will help you in those low light situations.
2) Raise Your ISO:
Back when we used film we had to choose the speed of the film. The different speeds were used for different situations. Today, ISO serves the same function in digital photography. It allows more or less light from the scene to hit the camera's sensor. The brightness of your photo is determined by the ISO setting. Simply put: the darker the scene; the higher your ISO should be. Some point and shoot cameras even have a High ISO setting in the menu. One caveat: the higher the ISO setting is the grainer the photo will be. Lower quality point and shoot cameras simply won't have as much success as a DSLR. Taking the time to carefully balance the aperture and ISO settings will help you achieve your photography goals resulting in a product that is sure to make you happy. So if you are in a low light area and your photos are blurry, try lowering the aperture. If that doesn't work keep the aperture low and raise the ISO. Usually this will do the trick for you in a normal low lighting situation.
3) Flash:
If you have a point and shoot or a low level DSLR, you have a flash built-in. As a last resort ,in low light situations, use your flash. The reason I say this is because the built in flash is just that, "built in". The flash is firing straight onto the subject which creates flat light, shinny foreheads, red-eye and a "deer in headlights" look on your subjects. Review your photos. you know what I’m talking about. This ruins a photo and doesn't capture the feeling of the photo you wanted to capture in the first place. Also, remember that your built in flash is really only good for 8-10' in front of you. So when you are at a ball game and you see all the flashes in the stands going off. They are only lighting the people in the rows in front of them and doing nothing to capture the field. They should raise the ISO instead.
Buy a flash:
If you have a DSLR or a point and shoot with a hotshoe like the Canon G12
,or the Nikon P7000
, you have the option to buy a flash. Now they are expensive and not something you really want to look at unless you are serious about your photography. Remember photography is an expensive hobby, art and trade. One option to circumvent a major financial commitment is renting a flash for the time you need it from a place like Borrow Lenses.com. I rent equipment from there all the time and they are great. You can use the flash on camera and set it to a very low amount to use as a "fill" flash. This will give just a small pop of light onto the subject. Just enough to capture the shot you want. Or if you are feeling creative and want to work like the pros, rent / buy a 10' TTL cord
. This will allow you to use your flash off camera to really fill the room with light and give your subject some dramatic light creating more interesting and beautiful photos all around.
These tips / suggestions are all starting points for you. The only way to get better photos is to take lots of photos. Shoot, shoot, then shoot again. My DSLR is on me or close to me 95% of the time. The other 5% I have my iPhone to capture moments. You have to look at light, study it, and finally play with the lighting and your camera. If you have a child, follow them around with your camera. Leave them alone, don't give them directions just let them play and you sit back and choose your moments. If you don't have a child, use your pet or a still subject like a bowl of fruit. Hey there are reasons why beginning artists study still lifes.
If you REALLY want to learn about exposure Read this...
2) Raise Your ISO:
Back when we used film we had to choose the speed of the film. The different speeds were used for different situations. Today, ISO serves the same function in digital photography. It allows more or less light from the scene to hit the camera's sensor. The brightness of your photo is determined by the ISO setting. Simply put: the darker the scene; the higher your ISO should be. Some point and shoot cameras even have a High ISO setting in the menu. One caveat: the higher the ISO setting is the grainer the photo will be. Lower quality point and shoot cameras simply won't have as much success as a DSLR. Taking the time to carefully balance the aperture and ISO settings will help you achieve your photography goals resulting in a product that is sure to make you happy. So if you are in a low light area and your photos are blurry, try lowering the aperture. If that doesn't work keep the aperture low and raise the ISO. Usually this will do the trick for you in a normal low lighting situation.
3) Flash:
If you have a point and shoot or a low level DSLR, you have a flash built-in. As a last resort ,in low light situations, use your flash. The reason I say this is because the built in flash is just that, "built in". The flash is firing straight onto the subject which creates flat light, shinny foreheads, red-eye and a "deer in headlights" look on your subjects. Review your photos. you know what I’m talking about. This ruins a photo and doesn't capture the feeling of the photo you wanted to capture in the first place. Also, remember that your built in flash is really only good for 8-10' in front of you. So when you are at a ball game and you see all the flashes in the stands going off. They are only lighting the people in the rows in front of them and doing nothing to capture the field. They should raise the ISO instead.
Buy a flash:
If you have a DSLR or a point and shoot with a hotshoe like the Canon G12
,or the Nikon P7000, you have the option to buy a flash. Now they are expensive and not something you really want to look at unless you are serious about your photography. Remember photography is an expensive hobby, art and trade. One option to circumvent a major financial commitment is renting a flash for the time you need it from a place like Borrow Lenses.com. I rent equipment from there all the time and they are great. You can use the flash on camera and set it to a very low amount to use as a "fill" flash. This will give just a small pop of light onto the subject. Just enough to capture the shot you want. Or if you are feeling creative and want to work like the pros, rent / buy a 10' TTL cord. This will allow you to use your flash off camera to really fill the room with light and give your subject some dramatic light creating more interesting and beautiful photos all around. These tips / suggestions are all starting points for you. The only way to get better photos is to take lots of photos. Shoot, shoot, then shoot again. My DSLR is on me or close to me 95% of the time. The other 5% I have my iPhone to capture moments. You have to look at light, study it, and finally play with the lighting and your camera. If you have a child, follow them around with your camera. Leave them alone, don't give them directions just let them play and you sit back and choose your moments. If you don't have a child, use your pet or a still subject like a bowl of fruit. Hey there are reasons why beginning artists study still lifes.
If you REALLY want to learn about exposure Read this...
Good luck and enjoy shooting.
~ Jarrod
Jarrod Michael Studios
Long Island Wedding & Portrait Photography
www.jarrodmichaelstudios.com
631-390-5948
Find me on Facebook
www.Facebook.com/jarrodmichaelstudios
