How to Take Better Photos in Dark Places
Darkness is the enemy of photography, but as a horror fanatic, I wanted to learn how to take photos in creepy places in very low light. I turned to an expert and here’s what I found out.
Use a lens with a very wide aperture
When shooting in low light, equipment is important – especially lenses. Renan Ozturk, a professional photographer and filmmaker, says you need a lens that’s really fast. What did he mean? Well, he means the f-number of the lens or the width of its aperture.
Light travels through the lens aperture to hit the image sensor in your camera. A large aperture lets in more light, making it easier to shoot in dark places. As you can see in the diagram above, the lower the number, the larger the maximum aperture.
According to Oztürk, you need a lens with an aperture of at least f / 4 or lower, but better than f / 2.8. Anything in the range of f / 1.4 to f / 1.8 would be perfect. You can probably buy a decent 50mm or 35mm f / 1.8 lens for pretty cheap prices ($ 150).
Raise your ISO
The next thing you need to do is increase your camera’s ISO, which is a measure of how sensitive the camera’s image sensor is. The higher the number, the more sensitive your camera’s image sensor will be to light. Adjust it manually and be sure to lock it in – don’t let your camera do this with automatic functions.
However, do not twist it all the way. Ozturk suggests that you should not exceed 1600 or 3200 if you do not have a specialized camera. Otherwise, all your shots in low light or at night will be very grainy. If you get to know your camera better, Oztürk says, you will get a feel for when the ISO is too high. You will see how the image becomes pixelated and noisy, or, as he calls it, “hamburger”.
Now about these specialized cameras … If you are going to shoot a lot of things in low light, you can buy a camera that does the job better. Like Sony a7S II . Oztürk calls this “low light camera phenomenon”. It sees even more than the human eye can see, and you can shoot useful images at 10,000 ISO. Basically, it allows you to wander around at night without a tripod and do things you’ve never gotten away with before. It has fewer megapixels, so the resolution is not as high as other cameras in the same price category ($ 2,500), but the pixels themselves can collect more light. Oztürk used it to shoot videos and footage for Under an Arctic Sky , a documentary about surfing under the northern lights in Iceland in winter, and it looks incredible.
Reduce shutter speed
So you are letting in more light and have made your camera’s image sensor more sensitive to that light. Now you need to give the camera time to capture that light as best as possible. You do this by slowing down the shutter speed and taking pictures with slow shutter speeds.
Go to your camera settings and manually adjust the exposure time. Again, don’t let your camera’s automatic functions make this decision for you. Oztürk says that if it is super, super dark, he could use a five second shutter speed. However, if you are shooting the moon or something slightly lit, a 2 second shutter speed will probably help.
Don’t use autofocus – focusing manually
Ozturk always goes into manual mode when shooting in low light and you should do the same. The camera’s autofocus technology has gotten really good , but it’s still easy to get confused in low light so it’s not even both.
There is still a topic
Since you need to take pictures with such slow shutter speeds, everything should be perfectly still. Any movement, be it a subject or a camera, is bad. Ozturk says that if you are filming a person, he should be ready to stand for you as long as possible. This is due to the fact that you are not filming things at the moment, but this is a compromise in the land of darkness.
Find the light source and determine the best angle
Low-light photography is not only about creativity, but also technical know-how, Oztürk said. This means that everything has to be positioned correctly so that you can see what you want to see and not draw attention to any distractions in the frame.
If there is any light around, use it to your advantage. Even small lighting adjustments can make a huge difference when you move on to editing later. Take time to move the subject, rotate around the subject for the best angle, and look around for anything that gives you that particular advantage. And, if you can, beware of shiny objects as they can ruin your low-light shot.
If you need to use flash, diffuse it
It’s usually best to avoid using flash as it can blur the image very badly when shooting in a dark place, but it’s still an option. Oztürk says use it when you need it – even what is filmed – but try to diffuse it if you can. A plastic shopping bag is a great option . It is better to shine light on the subject and edit it later than when there is not enough light to work with.
Use a tripod and external shutter button
As mentioned earlier, when shooting in low light, movement is bad. It’s especially bad if you, the photographer, move at all. So Oztürk says that you need to use a tripod to keep the camera still. Not only that, he recommends taking it one step further and using the external shutter button. Think about it: when you press the shutter button for a long exposure, you nudge the camera and cause movement. Even the smallest impacts can ruin the picture.
If you don’t have an external shutter button, at least set your shots to a one second delay so that the camera doesn’t take a photo until you touch it again. And if you don’t have a tripod either, keep your elbows together when shooting, and don’t bend or wide. You can keep the camera still for longer.
Scale with your feet
In dark places, it is better to use a prime lens or prime lens than a zoom lens. But the trade-off is that you cannot zoom in on the object at all. So, do what the pros call your feet scaling. Get closer to your subject and don’t rely on the zoom, especially if it’s some kind of digital zoom.
Shooting in RAW color
Oztürk says it’s always best to shoot RAW if you have space on your memory card. You end up with higher resolution images and more metadata to manipulate when you get down to editing, which is especially important when shooting in low light. Also, while black and white looks great in low light, it’s best to shoot in color and then convert it to black and white if you want. It’s always best to have more data to work with just in case you prefer to keep it in color. Hope these low light photography tips help you because I can’t wait to try them myself!