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Low light photography is a challenge; I will sure give you that. There are three things that can help you with your low-light problem:
1. A wider aperture.
2. Adding more light
3. A good photo editing program or a good film scan
1. The Wider Aperture Method
“The more expensive the lens the better photos you can take,” is truly a nomenclature that many will fall into. However, there is some truth to that statement. I am a firm believer that photography is 10 percent camera and 90 percent photographer. Some of the most expensive pieces of artistic photography were taken with a $29.95 Holga.
However, if you are trying to build a house and you have your choice between the carpenter with the Craftsman tools and another with a set of Toys-R-Us Team Talkin' Tools, who would you pick? Who do you think will build the better house? Who do you think will build it in less time?
Consider two photographers, one with a AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and another with a AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED.
All things considered equal, the one with the 18-55mm will take photos just as good as the one shooting with the 17-55mm IF they are shooting in ideal conditions. IF they are both outside, on a sunny day shooting a landscape scene at 20mm f22 you would expect to see very similar exposures. You run into differences when you get inside a building or the daylight is reduced from a heavy cloud cover. Looking at the aperture setting of f2.8 vs. the f3.5, the photographer with f3.5 will get half as much light in comparison to the f2.8 user. The problem only gets progressively worse when you have to zoom to the 55mm focal range. The photographer shooting with the f2.8 will have a much easier time than the one shooting now at f5.6.
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR will run about $199.95 new compared to $1,249.89 for the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED. Wow! That is a big difference. “To spend or not to spend,” that is the question. It depends on what you are shooting.
2. Adding More Light
Let’s say the photographer with the 18-55mm decided to get creative and take the $1000 bucks he saved on the lens and invest in lighting. Nikon has two GREAT flash systems, also known as Speedlights to Nikon users. The SB-600 and the SB-800 are two models that can be remotely triggered.
If you shoot with a camera that does not have a pop-up flash, you will need two of these flashes (both / or the SB 600 or the SB 800). If your camera does not have a pop up flash, one SB 600 / 800 will sit on top of your camera as the master and the other will be paced in a location near you subject to provide light in close proximity to your subject. If you do have a pop up, this can be used as the master.
The problem here is you now have a trip hazard or you may get the flash itself in the photograph. None-the-less, if you are shooting a posed portrait, this technique is AWSOME!!
You could get a nice 24-120mm Nikon Lens from a nice seller on eBay for around $300 to $350 dollars and use this flash idea and take WONDERFUL portraits.
Nikon SB-600
Nikon SB-800
3. A Good Photo Editing Program or a Good Scan
When I say Photo Editing or a Good Scan, I am referring to a photographer either shooting with a digital camera and one shooting with a film camera that has his images scanned.
If you are able to create a digital image either from you digital camera or a scan from a film camera that is 16-bit, you are in line to be able to correct MANY underexposed situations. I won’t get into the how-to’s on this one, but will simply say, “use this one in case of emergency and NOT as a method to get around creating a correctly exposed image in the first place.
If you need more information, my first Photography eBook is due to be out the first week of December 2007. It is sure to help you understand exposure and how the four Ss work in harmony together to obtain the creatively correct exposure.
I hope this guide was helpful and that you have a better understanding about low-light Photography. If it was helpful, let me know by clicking the “YES” down below. If you would like to provide your input, I will be happy to add the information to this guide.
Show The World Your World; Share A Photograph. TM
Sulae--
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