Shooting In Low Light

Hi fellow photographers! I thought I would send along a few tips on photographing in low light conditions or at night. This can be a little tricky. One of the most important pieces of equipment for this shoot may be your tripod. If you don’t have one, find something sturdy to place your camera on (or carry a beanbag with you and place it on that). You can either use a remote for the shutter button or set your self-timer). That will help with eliminating the blur from moving the camera. O.K., now to the technical part.

Set Your Aperture: Pick an appropriate aperture (f-stop) setting. For long night exposures (30 seconds or more) it is often recommended to use a bigger number (smaller opening) aperture such as f16 or f22 in order to capture crisp detail in the foreground and background. If your camera does not offer long exposure (at least 30 seconds), you should try using an aperture setting of f2.8 or 5.6 in order to capture enough light for a properly exposed photograph. Keep in mind that with smaller number apertures, focus will start to become a major issue. If you are photographing a landscape where the objects are mostly far away from your lens, try using a small aperture (say, f22), and focusing manually to infinity (as far out as you can focus). This technique often gives good results in situations where it is otherwise difficult to focus.

Point And Shoot Camera Users: Don’t despair. You can also shoot at night. Set your camera to the M setting (manual). Push the Func/Set button (in the middle of your wheel), push the Menu button (may be at the bottom right of your camera). You want Long Shutter and then you start playing with the times. Try anywhere between 1-6 seconds and see what happens. As mentioned above, you will need a tripod or a way to steady your camera. Good luck and have fun!