| No-Flash Photography In Low-Light Situations |
| Tips and techniques for indoor shooting without a flash |
From "The Whole Picture"
episode DTWP-111 |
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NOTE: Because of technical issues, images for this article are not yet available. Please come back soon to see the article complete with images.Some of the best opportunities for taking interesting photos occur indoors and in situations where a flash can't be used. Consider the photo opportunities of shooting a live music concert, a children's play or at a museum. Professional photographer Erin Manning offers tips advice on how you can get dramatic shots in low-light situations by carefully choosing and manipulating specific settings on your digital camera.
Materials:digital camera
camera owner's manual
tripod
computer with image-editing software
Low-Light Photography BasicsFor novice photographers, shooting indoors with available light (i.e, no flash) often results in images that are blurred, lacking in detail or "muddy," In some cases, the subject may be barely unrecognizable (figure A). With some basic understanding of image sensors, ISO, aperture and shutter speed, you can improve your chances of getting impressive shots, and even achieve some "special effects", when shooting in low-light situations.
In digital photography, the basic concepts to master for shooting in low light include:- Using your camera's image sensor to adjust for various low-light situations.
- Working with exposure settings--shutter priority and aperture priority--to achieve specific results.
- Use of white balance to adjust for different indoor lighting situations and take pictures in which the lighting appears natural. This helps you avoid getting pictures that appear, for example, too yellowish or pale and washed out..
Finally, as in most things related to digital photography, the image you take with your camera doesn't necessarily have to be the final result. If an picture you shot indoors appears too dark or has an unnatural hue, you may be able to fix the problem (at least to some degree) in the "digital darkroom" using image-editing software on your computer.
As seen in the photos below, professional photographer Erin Manning was able to utilize lower aperture and manipulate the shutter speed to get good photos and achieve some specific effects in low-light situations and without a flash.
Sensitivity TrainingIn film photography, a basic principle is the film speed,once commonly known as "ASA." The more contemporary term for ASA is ISO. Those versed in film photography are familiar with the common ISO's or film speeds--e.g., 64, 100, 200, 400 and so on. In digital photography, the camera uses an electronic image sensor rather than film, and the functional counterpart to film speed is known as the camera's sensitivity. The image sensor is where the camera converts what's coming through the lens into digital information. Think of the image sensor like the film in a traditional camera.
Adjusting your digital camera's sensitivity to light is achieved by means of its ISO setting. Raising the ISO setting on your digital camera essentially results in letting more light in when you take a picture. A higher ISO setting, then, is preferred when shooting in low-light situations without a flash.
Tips for Adjusting ISO and Camera SensitivityWhen shooting in low light, you have a better chance of producing a good photograph by taking full manual control of your camera and telling it to do things it wouldn't normally do in the automatic mode. Changing the ISO is one way to do this.
For most digital cameras, the ISO settings can be adjusted simply by going into your function menu and selecting the ISO speed you wish to use (figure B). In low-light situations, you would choose a higher ISO to increase the camera's sensitivity. One advantage of digital cameras is that they allow you to change the ISO quickly to adapt to changing light conditions or to respond to different shooting situations. Even better, unlike film cameras which "lock you in" to a single film speed for an entire roll of film, digital cameras enable you to change the ISO from one image to the next. Just when your camera "thinks" there isn't enough light to take the picture, you can raise the ISO to let more light in and "convince" your camera to take the picture. Refer to your owner's manual for specifics on how to adjust ISO on your camera.
But you should be aware that raising your camera's ISO setting also increases your chances getting "noise" in your photos. Noise in digital photography is analogous to "grain" in film photography, so a picture with a lot of noise is one that appears overly grainy. With digital photography, this phenomenon appears as pixilation or blocks of random colors, especially in the darker areas of your photos (figure C). Unfortunately, there's no perfect world. If you want to shoot in low light, raising the ISO is necessary and getting around the "noise" that is created as a result can be hard to do.
Some digital cameras come with built in "noise reduction" features (figure D) so you do have some control over noise when using a higher ISO. If your camera doesn't have this feature, you'll just have to experiment to try and get the best results you can. Keep in mind that you can always work with the pictures once you get them back home and downloaded to your computer.
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