Digital Camera World » night photography

Photography Lighting: how to master shooting in low light

jmeyer — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:01:29 +0000

In the latest instalment of our Shoot Like A Pro series on photography lighting we take a look at the best settings and methods to use when shooting in low light.

From dimly lit interiors to shooting outdoors before sunrise or after sunset, shooting in low light presents very different challenges to shooting in bright conditions.

It’s often difficult to get the right exposure using the automatic modes in dark conditions, so you’ll need to master Manual mode.

These conditions can also make things like focusing and white balance more challenging, but it’s worth overcoming them, because shooting in low light can result in stunning images.

Exposing in low light

Shooting in darker conditions can play havoc with your camera’s exposure settings, especially if you’re using any of the automatic exposure modes, because the subject will rarely contain a normal range of tones.

In most low-light situations you will get much better, and more predictable, results by switching to Manual.

If the subject contains mainly dark tones you’ll find that your camera will over-expose your shots. This is easily visible, as there will be too much detail in the shadow areas.

The best way to assess the exposure is to take a test shot, and then check the histogram graph. If there’s a gap to the left, the image is over-exposed so you need to use a faster shutter speed, smaller aperture or lower ISO.

When it comes to choosing the exposure settings for shooting in low light you have some decisions to make.

Firstly, do you need to use a fast shutter speed to freeze movement or prevent camera shake if you are handholding the camera, or are you happy to put the camera on a tripod and use long shutter speeds?

To use a fast shutter speed in low light you’ll have to use a high ISO setting, such as 800 or above. But when using a tripod you should set a lower ISO such as 200 or lower for the best quality.

PAGE 1: Exposing in low light
PAGE 2: Shooting in twilight vs complete darkness
PAGE 3: How to shoot handheld in low light

Moonlight photography tips for making magical midnight landscapes

jmeyer — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:01:36 +0000

In our latest Professional Photographer to the Rescue post our professional photographer offers our apprentice his best moonlight photography tips for using long exposures and light-painting techniques to create amazing midnight landscape images.

Meet our professional photographer

David Clapp lives near Dartmoor in Devon, and he travels the globe shooting all kinds of landscapes, both by day and by night. He uses both natural and artificial lighting for his night shoots, and is an expert in light-painting techniques. To view David’s images and for details on his photography workshops visit www.davidclapp.co.uk.

Meet our apprentice

Mark Lake, a teaching assistant from Paignton in Devon, is a keen landscape photographer, and wants to take advantage of the long winter nights to try light-painting and other night photography techniques.

Technique Assessment

Mark was only getting the night shots he was after once in a blue moon, so David helped him out with some advice on camera settings and techniques…

Manual exposure
“To control the exposure its best to shoot in Manual mode,” David advises. “Start with the aperture at around f/8, and open it wider if you need to let in more light. The experimental approach to this type of photography means you’ll need to fire off a few frames to see what shutter speed and aperture work best.”

Bulb setting
“If you need a longer shutter speed then 30 secs you’ll need to use the Bulb setting.” David explains. “To control the Bulb mode you have to manually open and close the shutter. Press the shutter release to start the exposure, and let go to stop it – use a remote shutter release to avoid moving the camera.”

PAGE 1: Meet our professional photographer and apprentice
PAGE 2: Moonlight photography tips for during the shoot
PAGE 3: Final tips from our professional photographer
PAGE 4: Our professional photographer’s recommended gear
PAGE 5: Shot of the Day

Night photography ideas: light painting your subject over ultra-long exposures

jmeyer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:18 +0000

If you’re looking for new night photography ideas to boost your creative output after dark, painting with light is the perfect technique, which can be used with just about any subject. In this quick tutorial we’ll show you how light painting your subject while shooting in your camera’s Bulb mode can help you create a range of different moods in your images.

Light painting involves using a light source such as a torch or a flashgun to illuminate your subject.

By leaving the shutter open for a long period of time you can shine the light onto parts of the subject, so that you create pools of light.

This gives your night shots a unique and slightly surreal appearance. By moving the lights during the exposure you can control the brightness of specific areas of the subject, and even use different light sources or coloured gels to achieve different ‘moods’.

Judging the exposure is one of the most difficult aspects of light painting, so remember to time how long you paint each area of the subject. Also, try to make sure that you light the subject from the same distance each time. Get more advice below…

Night photography ideas for creative photographers: how to set up for light painting

Frame your shot
Composing your photos in the dark can be tricky, so set your camera to the highest ISO light sensitivity setting. You do this via a dedicated button or menu entry, so check your manual. Then switch to Live View mode to give a visible image on the screen. With the camera on a tripod, use this Live View image to compose your shot.

Set up the camera
Now set the camera to manual focus, making sure MF is selected on the side of the lens if appropriate, and carefully focus on the subject that you are going to illuminate with the light. Remember to change the ISO light sensitivity down to ISO 200, and in Manual exposure mode set the shutter speed to ‘B’ (Bulb exposure) and the aperture to f/11.

Light your subject
Using a remote release, lock the shutter open and start painting the light onto the subject. Just like any other form of lighting, a directional side-light will reveal much more detail than lighting from the camera position. Just remember not to wander into the frame, or it will render the whole exercise pointless!

Check the result
Because of the nature of painting the subject with light it’s very difficult to judge the exposure and direction of the lighting. You’ll need to check the results on the LCD screen on the rear of your camera. Don’t forget, if the subject is under-exposed you need to light the subject for a longer time or move the light a little closer.

Color Photography: achieving accurate tones at night

jmeyer — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:46:44 +0000

Our latest post in our series on color photography explores some of the common photography problems encountered with different light sources when shooting low light photography. Find out how you can use mixed lighting in your night photography and get the most accurate color balance possible.

Night poses special problems for color photography. It’s not the level of illumination that’s the problem, but the color of the lighting.

If you shoot in a busy city centre, you may have a mixture of tungsten lights, fluorescent lamps, yellow/orange street lamps and even multicolored neon.

How are you supposed to reconcile all these with a single white balance setting? Our advice would be not to try. This is one situation where your camera’s auto white balance should just be left to get on with it.

Only if the colors look completely wrong should you worry about taking over manually.

Using different light sources at night

It’s not possible to compensate for every single light source, and sometimes the color of the light doesn’t fall neatly on the warm-cool color temperature scale.

White balance adjustments work by shifting the whole spectrum of the light source up or down the scale.

They rely on the light having a full spectrum of colors, but simply shifted one way or the other.

Some light sources don’t have a full spectrum of colors. The prime example is orange street lamps.

They look orange because that’s all there is – no blue, no green. It’s impossible to correct orange street lighting to produce a full range of colors.

Fluorescent lighting is the other oddity because it contains excess green. Digital cameras deal with this with one or more dedicated ‘fluorescent’ settings.

These increase the levels of magenta (green’s complementary color) to restore a natural-looking color balance.

PAGE 1: Using different light sources at night
PAGE 2: How to achieve a good mix

New Canon low-light sensor can record images in pitch dark

jmeyer — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:49:01 +0000

A new Canon full frame sensor is capable of recording faint stars and capturing images in extreme low light.

Canon has announced it has developed a new high-sensitivity 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor designed for video recording, which can capture Full HD video with low noise in the darkest of environments, according to the company.

The newly developed CMOS sensor features pixels measuring 19 microns square in size – which is more than 7.5 times the surface area of the pixels on the sensor in Canon’s flagship full-frame DSLR the Canon EOS-1DX.

“Thanks to these technologies, the sensor facilitates the shooting of clearly visible video images even in dimly lit environments with as little as 0.03 lux of illumination, or approximately the brightness of a crescent moon—a level of brightness in which it is difficult for the naked eye to perceive objects,” according to the Canon announcement.

“When recording video of astral bodies, while an electron-multiplying CCD,*2 which realizes approximately the same level of perception as the naked eye, can capture magnitude-6 stars, Canon’s newly developed CMOS sensor is capable of recording faint stars with a magnitude of 8.5 and above.”

Using a prototype camera which housed the new Canon full frame sensor, the company recorded footage of a dark room being illuminated only by burning incense sticks (approximately 0.05–0.01 lux) and video footage of the Geminid meteor shower.

The image below shows a moonlight scene recorded before and after increasing sensitivity using the new Canon full frame sensor.

The company says it his aiming the new Canon full frame sensor at astronomical and natural observation, as well as medical support and the surveillance and security industries.

However, the announcement suggests that through further innovation the sensor could “expand the world of new imaging expression.”

DIY Photography Hacks: build a light painting kit – what to use & what to wear

jmeyer — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:00:04 +0000

In our latest DIY Photography Hacks post we show you how to get creative with some common household items and build your own light painting kit for hours of long exposure fun.

There are lots of ways to capture great images after the sun has set. We’ll help you get started in the creative, inventive sport of light painting – photographing moving light to build up an image on your sensor.

It can range from simple hand-drawing with an LED torch, to creating sophisticated geometric patterns using a variety of homemade tools. In this area of photography you’re limited only by your imagination!

And one of the great things about light painting is that you don’t need a fancy location or expensive, specialist gear: just darkness.

In fact, the ‘tools’ of this trade are fun to source. You can use something as basic as an LED torch. But if you like a bit of DIY photography, you’ll enjoy adapting implements for the job.

Light painting is all about sharing ideas, working with friends, building and improvising, and modifying gadgets. The pound shop may even become your favourite haunt!

Below we show you how to use a few common items to make spectacular floating orbs, domes of light and other light painting creations.

Build your own DIY light painting kit

01 The tools of the trade!
One inventive aspect of light painting is making helpful gadgets out of everyday items. Torches, lamps, laser pointers, Christmas lights and decorations all provide good sources of light. Space blankets or water can be used for reflections.

Dog leads, chain, ropes, bird feeders and plastic plumbing parts can be used to make spinners and light movers. Balls, bicycle wheels, roller skates and hula hoops have all been pressed into service.

If it moves and you can attach a light to it, it’s fair game.

To create amazing lighting effects, a DIY photography approach is required. For the orb, you’ll need a set of battery-powered LED fairy lights, electrical tape and cable ties, nylon rope, an off-cut plumbing tube to use as a handle, and a large washer.

To create sparks, get a chain dog lead, a wire whisk, a handle (such as a cut-down paint roller handle) and some wire wool. The dome requires an old wheel, an elongated axle, and some more LEDs.

02 Create a floating orb
The set-up for an orb is straightforward. Cable tie the LEDs into a bundle with the knotted rope in the centre. Insert batteries and test. Cable tie and/or tape the battery pack to the bundle, but don’t cover the switch.

Measure a comfortable rope length, about one metre, and thread this through the pipe and washer. Then tie a knot in the rope so its length is adjustable. Alternatively, tape the rope to a wooden dowel. See the Video Disc and Super Tip! for more on this technique.

03 Make some sparks!
Creating an awesome shower of sparks is also a relatively simple procedure. Cut the dog lead chain in the centre with a hacksaw. Clip the kitchen whisk to the end of the dog lead, and cable tie or tape the other end of the lead to the handle – securely and strongly! Stuff the whisk with super-fine 0000 grade steel wool.

04 Build a dome of light
Domes require a little more DIY construction, but results can be spectacular! You need a wheel – an old bicycle wheel is ideal as the slender spokes help with the illusion – set on an axle the same length as the wheel’s radius (so when resting on it the wheel slants at 45 degrees, with the top rim directly over the axle).

Use a string of 10 or 20 LED fairy lights equally spaced around the circumference of the wheel, facing up and out. Secure them with cable ties or electrical tape.

For the dome, start with the wheel facing away from the camera, put the lights on and begin your exposure. Rotate the wheel one turn around the axle on the ground, taking care not to move it, then switch off the lights again when it is facing away from the camera.

Now walk away, taking the wheel with you, and close the shutter. It’s best if you wear dark clothes and keep moving.

05 What to wear
Wear dark clothes because any light objects may show up in the images. A dark hoodie works well and also protects from sparks – but be careful you don’t scare the neighbours or local dog walkers!

As long as you keep moving, you’re less likely to show up in the final image. Just don’t stand in front of the LED lights or in front of a light background.

You can paint light on things with an LED torch, or shine it directly at the camera to draw lines. Tracing around an object or person works well, and strapping the light to an object that moves around can produce great trails or patterns. You can even hang it on a string. Lots of creativity here!

PAGE 1: Building your own DIY photography light painting kit
PAGE 2: How to set up your shot the DIY photography way

Night Sky Photography: pro secrets for stunning moonlight landscapes

jmeyer — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:00:25 +0000

You may think it seems counter-intuitive to shoot landscapes once the sun has disappeared and light levels drop, but night sky photography actually has a special quality that brings a completely new dimension to your images.

Image by Daryl Benson

The low-light conditions can present a challenge in terms of the practicalities of taking pictures, but much of this is a psychological aversion to shooting in the dark (which is actually a common photography problem).

Once these mental barriers are overcome, the rewards of night sky photography far outweigh any personal discomfort, opening up  a whole host of new image-making opportunities.

Lighting is clearly an issue when shooting night sky photography – there simply isn’t much of it, especially out in the countryside away from artificial light sources.

So how do you light your subject? One way is to use the light reflected from the moon. Under a fullish moon it’s possible to produce a fully illuminated landscape picture using a long exposure.

Moonlit images have a mystical, tranquil quality. The light is unlike that  from the harsh rays of the sun, and the results are amazing.

In a similar way that our eyes adjust to moonlight and allow us to see almost as well as in daylight, a camera is able to capture images illuminated solely by moonlight.

However, there is a big difference between daylight images and those taken using the much softer light from the moon. The way that light interacts with a scene to reveal shape and form looks very different when captured over a long exposure  of ten, 20 or even 40 minutes.

PAGE 1: Using moonlight in your night sky photography
PAGE 2: Timing your moonlight photography
PAGE 3: Three ways to get great photos in moonlight
PAGE 4: How to photograph the moon
PAGE 5: Essential night sky photography tips to remember

Best digital camera features for low-light photography: all the specs you need

jmeyer — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:00:25 +0000

We’re firmly into that time of year again, when daylight photography is often off the menu. Unless you’re working nights, it’s probably dark all the time you’re not at the office. The good news is that, compared with film relics, digital camera features now include a number of tools that have great potential for low-light photography.

High ISO settings
You can easily adjust white balance to the prevailing lighting conditions, for instance. Better still, you can check the results while you shoot, taking the guesswork out of exposure settings. Even so, when it comes to dark arts, some digital camera features offer more than others.

The presence of at least some light is essential for night photography. But with little light, good performance at high sensitivity (ISO) settings is a huge bonus.

This gives the option of handheld shooting in low-light scenarios, plus enables sufficiently fast shutter speeds to freeze motion – something no amount of image stabilisation can achieve.

Sensor size
In digital cameras that have image sensors with high pixel counts, individual photosites are smaller and have less light-gathering potential. This makes high signal-to-noise ratios trickier to achieve, so cunning sensor design and good image processing are required to avoid grainy-looking pictures.

It’s even more of a challenge in Micro Four Thirds cameras, as the physical size of the image sensors is smaller than in the other four APS-C cameras.

Sony’s DSLT cameras face a different challenge for low-light photography. Whereas Canon, Nikon and Pentax DSLRs have a conventional reflex mirror that flips up out of the way during exposures, the Sony’s translucent mirror remains fixed in place. This reduces the amount of light that can pass through from the lens to the image sensor.

PAGE 1: Overview of key digital camera features for low-light photography
PAGE 2: Cheat sheet on what specs to look for

9 creative photo ideas to try in January 2013

jmeyer — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:01:54 +0000

As part of our ongoing series to help you get more creative with your digital camera, each month we publish some fun, seasonal, creative photo ideas to help inspire your imagination. Along with some amazing images, we’ve also provided some quick photography tips by photographers who are experts in these fields.

To kick off 2013, we have some excellent new photo ideas for January that will have you playing with light, perspective – even your food!

This month our list covers fun projects like clever bokeh effects, seasonal flora and fauna, not to mention some still life photography we guarantee you haven’t tried before.

On each page you’ll find a stunning image and an explanation from the photographer on how it was made.

If you attempt any of these photo ideas, don’t forget to share them on our Facebook wall!

We’d love to see how you get on.

01 Shoot frozen water

As ice forms, cracks and refreezes on the surface of water, it can make for fantastic photographic studies of patterns and textures. You don’t have to travel far, or work with large expanses of ice either – this is something that can be done close to home, as nature and landscape photographer Mark Hamblin points out.

“I found these interesting ice patterns in a small puddle, and took this shot [shown above] with a Tamron 90mm macro lens,” he reveals. “This allowed me to achieve the close focus required to fill the whole frame.”

Of course, you don’t need a dedicated macro lens to get similar shots. Most standard lenses focus close enough to capture interesting shots, and you can always crop the image for a tighter composition later.

Whatever lens you choose, Mark says the principle remains the same: “Close-up shots require attention to detail in terms of focusing and photo composition in particular.

“I always use a tripod and make sure the back of the camera is parallel with the subject for maximum sharpness across the picture. It’s also very important to tweak the composition to eliminate any distractions around the  edge of the frame.”

Get started today…
* Use your camera’s on-screen level to ensure it’s parallel to the surface of the ice.
* Use small apertures to maximise depth of field, but avoid the smallest aperture on the lens, because this can lead to softer pictures.
* Try using your camera’s Tungsten white balance preset to give the shot a blue hue.
* If you’re heading further afield to find frozen water, never travel alone.

PAGE 1: Shoot frozen water
PAGE 2: Shoot outdoor portraits with flash
PAGE 3: Shoot still life photography with food from your fridge
PAGE 4: Shoot migrating swans
PAGE 5: Shoot frost-covered flowers
PAGE 6: Shoot seasonal bokeh
PAGE 7: Shoot woodland abstracts
PAGE 8: Shoot futuristic city photography
PAGE 9: Shoot light sculptures

Camera tricks: make fake moonlight photos in-camera

jmeyer — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Looking for fun photo ideas? Below we show you how to do one of our favourite camera tricks: adjusting your camera’s white balance and exposure compensation settings to create fake moonlight photos in-camera.

If you’ve ever tried taking pictures by moonlight, you’ll realise it’s not easy! You need much longer exposures, obviously, but the real problem is that you end up with a shot that looks almost as if it was taken in the daytime. That’s because moonlight really is just reflected daylight, albeit far dimmer.

But the image we have of moonlight is quite different. To our eyes, moonlight is dark, mysterious and heavily tinged with blue, while shadows appear dense. So how do you get the camera to ‘see’ moonlight in the same way?

Well, you can do what film-makers have been doing for decades. It’s possible to simulate the appearance of moonlight by shooting in broad daylight but with heavily modified camera settings and the help of graduated filters.

For the illusion to be complete, you need the right kind of subject, so we used the ancient ruins of Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset to create the perfect ‘moonlit’ atmosphere.

How to create fake moonlight photos in-camera

01 Change the white balance
First you need to change the colour balance to give the blue tones associated with moonlight. You can do this by changing the White Balance to the Incandescent setting. This is designed to counteract the warm tinge of artificial lighting, but when used in daylight it gives a blue look.

02 Apply EV compensation
Daylight is bright, moonlight is dark. By reducing the exposure, you can get closer to the moonlight effect. You could shoot in Manual mode or, easier still, shoot in one of the auto modes, press the EV compensation button and turn the command dial to reduce the exposure.

03 Judge the exposure
The amount you need to reduce the exposure by will depend on the subject and light. Start with a setting of -2EV, take some shots, check them on the LCD display and adjust the exposure if necessary. Forget ‘correct’ settings; this technique is all about what looks right.

04 Select a Picture Control
To the eye, moonlight appears less saturated than daylight, but with more contrast. To achieve this look, select one of your Picture Controls (Shooting menu) that you don’t use for anything else, then press right on the multi-selector to change its settings.

05 Change the settings
There are sliders here for adjusting a series of picture properties. Reduce the Saturation value to just one notch above the minimum setting, then select the Contrast setting and move it up to maximum. When you click OK, these settings are saved – you can change or reset them later.

06 Use a graduated filter
These adjustments can create a convincing moonlight effect. There’s one more thing you can do to complete the illusion. A graduated filter, or two used in combination, applies a heavy darkening effect to the sky, which really does make it look as if you’re shooting at night.