low light Archives

Five Reasons to Invest in External Light

People more or less start the same way. Someone somewhere loves us dearly enough so as to send us a camera for Christmas gift. Some of us may have even inherited it from their granddad or maternal uncle. Regardless, of the origin a camera arrives in our lives. That’s the ‘Allspark’ that we needed. Life never remains the same after that seemingly inert incident. We end up getting hooked to our camera and to photography for the rest of our best days. Read more...

A technical term that you are likely to hear a lot is lens vignetting. Lens vignetting (sometimes also referred to as light fall-off) is a phenomenon that causes light to not reach the entire sensor after travelling through the lens aperture. A number of reasons are attributed to the phenomenon of lens vignetting. They are mainly segregated into two – mechanical and optical. The result however is the same, dark shadows in the shape of a circle at the corner of the image. Read more...

How to Get Started in Wedding Photography – Part 3

One of things that you must learn is how to use off-camera flash. Or if I may recompose that statement, you must get the habit of using on-camera flash out of your system as early as you can. Of course those without the money to buy lights or those who prefer to shoot mainly with natural lights would disagree with me here. They would argue natural light is the best possible light for shooting weddings. I would agree, if I could have a way to ensure consistent natural light all through the day and during the evening. On many occasions you would find yourself in a desperate situation trying to complete a shoot because the sun is going behind the horizon. Read more...

The Basic Rules of Photography and Common Mistakes

Everyone, even professionals, makes mistakes, although their mistakes are rare and usually caused by lack of concentration. Many mistakes can be easily avoided by just remembering them, understanding their causes and following the basic rules of photography. Read more...

Understanding the Basics of a Good Exposure

Exposure is the key concept that governs all forms of photography where light in some form or the other is used. Regardless of the camera, lens or other gear you may have, or post processing skills you may possess, if you are unfamiliar with the concepts of exposure and are incapable of getting a good exposure 9 out of 10 times, in camera, you will never be a good photographer. Even if your concept is a good one, a poor exposure is going to ruin the image. Read more...

5 Useful Tips for Making Great Images in Low Light

Cameras like the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D3X have completely changed the playing field when it comes to low light photography. In the earlier days photographers would have no way to change the ASA (ISO as it was called in those days) once they had loaded a film in their cameras. They were pretty much stuck with the film sensitivity until they changed it. That had a limiting effect on their creativity and it ensured that they were careful about their selection of film before heading out.

These days, digital photographers have a much easier time. They could change the ISO (light sensitivity of the sensor) just with the flick of a button. Cameras like the D800 comes with the added advantage of a greater dynamic range, allowing photographers to compose and make images that are closer to what they see with their naked eyes.

Yet, there are certain time-tested and useful tips that you need to know in order to nail good exposures in low light conditions. These are, in no way, alternatives to the ability of your camera to shoot in low light. Rather, these are complimentary to a high ISO capability.

Low Light and the Wildlife Photographer: How to Take a Photo an Editor Can Work With

Wildlife photographers are faced with a unique set of challenges. Not only do they often have to travel long distances to find their subject matter, but their success is dependent upon whether or not they have the understanding of the animal and the patience to wait for just the right moment. And yet ask any photographer what is the toughest part of shooting wildlife, and you'll likely get a response that falls somewhere along the lines of dealing with low light. The majority of animals, and especially those where I shoot in Africa, are most active once the sun begins to go down, making early evening the perfect time to snap a great photograph. This is when the predators are hunting (or at least doing more than cat-napping), and the watering holes are flush with the harder-to-spot animals such as rhinos, big cats, and hyenas, to name but a few. Read more...