1. Photographing things that go bump in the night
Low Light Photography
Photographing things that go bump in the night

2. Topics
Equipment
Camera Settings
Example Pictures

3. Tripod A tripod is essential Not necessarily
Can use higher ISO (discussed later) and hand hold the camera
Improvise – use:
A rolled up coat / jumper
Shelf, windowsill, wall.

4. Lanercost Priory Crypt
8 seconds – f/14 – ISO 200

5. Flash Gun Deserves a technical session in its own right
Use to illuminate your subject
Can help freeze moving subjects
Beware red-eye in people and animals
With long exposures use a torch as an alternative.

6. Wombat
Possum
f/2.8 – ISO 100
f/2.8 – ISO 100
Courtesy of Nick Plant

7. Remote Release Helps prevent camera shake
Especially important with long exposures
Alternatively, use your camera’s timer
Use Bluetooth or Wi-fi if camera supports them
Consider using camera’s Live View to stop mirror from shaking camera
Required for very long exposures (bulb)
Many cameras’ longest shutter speed is 30 seconds.

8. Camera Settings

9. Exposure Time
Long exposures are often required for low light photography
May be measured in whole seconds, not fractions of a second
Can be shortened by using:
High ISO settings – e.g
Wider aperture – f/2.8 and wider
Beneficial effects:
light trails and creative blurring
removing people from picture.

10. Focussing Camera may not be able to auto focus in very low light
May need to manually focus
Can be a problem if very dark
If possible focus on lit object similar distance away as your subject
Remember to disengage auto focus or camera will try and focus when shutter button is pressed
Use back-button focussing.

11. Chollerford Bridge
10 seconds – f/4 – ISO 3200

12. ISO A higher ISO helps reduce exposure time
Allows camera to be hand held
Reduce or remove blurring of moving subjects
Compensate for slow lenses – apertures of f/4 and smaller. (Aperture will be discussed later).

13. Looking In
1/50 second – f/4.5 – ISO 1600

14. ISO - Disadvantages Higher ISOs introduce noise
Pictures appear grainy and lose contrast
This can be desirable in black and white pictures
Hot pixels
Crop sensor cameras can be more susceptible to high ISO noise than full frame
Can be mitigated by using in-built camera noise reduction or dark frames in astrophotography.

15. Moon ISO Noise & Hot Pixel
1/40 second – f/6.3 – ISO 12800

16. Aperture Wider apertures help shorten exposure times
By allowing more light onto the sensor in any given time
The wider the aperture the less depth of field
Lenses tend to be less sharp ‘wide open’.

17. Use RAW Not obligatory, but:
Provides more leeway if you want to edit photo
More scope to recover detail from shadows
Beware of banding
Reduce noise introduced by high ISO settings.

18. Banding. Or How Not To Edit
15 seconds – f/11 – ISO 100

19. Use HDR or Blending Subject needs its own Technical Session
In a nutshell:
Take one picture exposing for bright areas
Take another exposing for dark areas
Use HDR feature in Lightroom and Photoshop
Alternatively, blend the photos in Photoshop.

21. Examples of Low Light Photography

22. Using Ambient Lighting
Highland Lass
13 seconds – f/7.1 – ISO 1000

23. Light Painting
Churchyard
15 seconds – f/4 – ISO 2000

24. Painting With Light Smiley Face 10 Seconds – f/29 – ISO 640
Courtesy Nick Plant

25. Light Trails
Light Trails
20 seconds – f/11 – ISO 100

26. Stacked Images (Using Sequator)
Astrophotography
Stacked Images (Using Sequator)
90 seconds – f/4 – ISO 3200
Star Trails
366 Seconds – f/8 – ISO 400

27. Flash
Glasses
15 Seconds – f/11 – ISO 100
Courtesy David Kallmeier

28. Infra Red
Fox
1/25 second – f/3.2 – ISO 100.