Tag Archives: low light

Advice, Tutorials

Photographing fire dancers in low light

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This fire-eater was taken with my old 80-200 f2.8 zoom set at 145mm. Exposure was ISO 6400 f2.8 @1/1500sec to freeze the flames on the torch as well as on his tongue.
This fire-eater image was taken with my old 80-200 f2.8 zoom set at 145mm. Since it doesn’t have image stabilization, I had to make sure to hold the lens steady. Exposure was ISO 6400 f2.8 @1/1500sec to freeze the flames on the torch as well as on his tongue.
Also shot at ISO 6400, this very pretty Polynesian dancer was shot with 1/180 sec @f2.8 with my old style 80-200 zoom which has no image stabilization.
Also shot at ISO 6400, this very pretty Polynesian dancer was shot with 1/180 sec @f2.8 with my old style 80-200 zoom which has no image stabilization.

Advancements in digital photography used to be measured by the megapixels that its sensor can capture for each image.

Thank goodness that race has ended at least in the DSLR market.

Now, it’s about how good the image looks at high ISO.

It’s not that I have an aversion to digital noise in an image.

I lived with digital noise for years when I worked in news because there are lots of instances when flash photography is not allowed yet I had to had to produce an image to illustrate what took place.

Two such instances that come to mind is in the courtroom and some athletic events like badminton tournaments.

These days the ISO setting on my Canon 5DMarkII is never set higher than 400.

Even though I know the camera handles low light very well, I prefer to ‘light’ my subjects if it’s a portrait for better control.

I find if I’m doing a portrait, I want to be in control of the lighting anyway except in the case of this Saturday at the close of the 2013 Lunar Festival in Riverside.. Continue reading Photographing fire dancers in low light →

Photography, Tutorials

A portrait for the holiday season

Hadia Bendelhoum, one of my students wanted a new FB profile picture while we were on our field trip to Shutterstories a photography studio in Riverside, so I dug out my 580EX Speedlite, a grid spot and cybersync radio slaves and I also used a big silvered reflector.

A portrait to match the holiday season is fairly easy  if you have a flash you can fire off-camera.

But you’ll need a lens that has a wide aperture.

That is often called a fast lens because the  wide opening or aperture allows you to shoot with a ‘fast’ shutter speed.

Then it’s a matter of finding a location where there are tiny twinkly lights like outdoors or even indoors next to a decorated Christmas tree.

The more colorful, the better.

Yes, you can shoot this with only available light too.

Just be warned you will most likely be shooting at high ISO using really long/low shutter speeds  and may have strange white balance issues. Continue reading A portrait for the holiday season →

Photography

Capturing carnival ambience

At dusk, the sun may have set but the sky still has traces of light. Since the window is extremely small, you have to shoot fast and bracket your exosures.

When I left off on my previos post on friendly faces at the carnival, I had mentioned ambience.

Once the sun sets, the carnival looks very different especially during that very brief window when the sun has set but there is still a lot of light left in the sky.

Objects in the vicinity of lights stand out while the rest of scene recedes and lose their prominence.

Colored lights start to stand out.

But to get those color saturated, you have to guess a little with your exposure.

With any digital camera where you can adjust shutter speeds manually, all you need is a tripod.

A cable release helps but you can always use the self timer.

The idea is to not shake the camera during long exposures.

Bracket Exposures for Success

I used my Manfrotto superclamp to mount my Canon 40D to a railing at the top of the giant slide. I knew a tripod would have been impractical in that tight space. 2 seconds f22 ISO 200.

Bracket your exposures by changing the shutter speeds instead of the aperture especially if you want to try your hand at HDR (High Dynamic Range).
Continue reading Capturing carnival ambience →

Assignment, Photography

Low light action photography Part 2

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Acrobats in small circuses like Circus Vargas often work in very dim lights of their big top. ISO 400 1/160 f2.8 Nikon 1D. In 2001, the Nikon D1 was the best camera of its time, however, its low light capability was horrendous, that's why I exposed this at ISO 400

Of the obstacles you face whenever you want to take a picture, low light is probably the toughest to overcome. Things get even dicier when your subject is moving.

#3 Lighting

At religious ceremonies in church, you can sometimes get away with low shutter speeds like 1/30 sec @f2.8 ISO 800. With my 50mm, I could have used a higher shutter speed like 1/125 sec @ f1.4 but I wanted my son's hand to register as more of a blur as he waved to my wife. Canon 1D

Whenever light levels are low:

  • you won’t have the shutter speeds needed to handhold long lenses successfully
  • you can’t freeze the action even if you use a tripod or image stabilization because your subject is moving
  • your lens might not focus
  • color temperature or white balance might be an issue because most environments choose lights based on practicality and efficiency instead of whether it’s good for photography

Bear in mind, your ISO is already set to the highest that you can live with taking into account digital noise. Continue reading Low light action photography Part 2 →