15 Top Tips for Low Light & Night Photography

Photography has been a passion of mine for many years now and is growing in popularity and access thanks to the development of compact digital cameras available everywhere from your local petrol station or supermarket to specialised photography wholesalers.

One area of discontent for many a budding enthusiast is low light shots and outdoor night photography.  All of us have experienced the frustration and vexation of being moved by the seduction beauty of darkness and trying to capture those moments on camera only to upload the images to our hard drives and find heavily pixellated or out of focus offerings that belong in our recycle bins.

Here’s a few hints and tips that I’ve learn through blood sweat and tears over the years.

1. Get an idea in your head of what you'd like to shot and where.
2. I love playing with light and shadow and especially celestial beings on water so if you want to capture a sunset or rising moon check which direction you need to shot in, you may have to change location and it's also handy to check out the visibility periods e.g. I'm in county down Northern Ireland, tonight the sun sets at 20.49 and the moon rises at 20.09.
3. Normal safety precautions, flashlight, mobile, a seat is always good especially for prolonged exposures and arduous set ups.
4. Use a tripod - if your shutter speed is less that 1/60 you're likely to encounter camera shake. Also if it's windy you'll need a pretty sturdy tripod again to prevent the wind either blowing over your camera or just catching it and shifting it in the gusts.
5. Remote shutter release is very handy if this is possible for your equipment as I find even holding down the button can cause the camera to move.
6. Try to get a tripod with a spirit level or bring one along as often you can't see clearly what you're shooting through the lens and can wind up with weird horizons and lines.
7. Don't use a flash as flash modes are only really effective if your subject is up to 6feet away and they confuse the other settings on your camera especially if you're shooting in automatic mode.
8. The higher the ISO (film speed) the more light reactive it is which allows you to cut down on exposure time or f-stops however I've noticed on my digital camera that low speed ISO's e.g. 1200 or 3200 can leave you with very grainy shots as the higher the speed the smaller the pixelation (I think - that's how it works on film anyway!)
9. Light and shade - light metering - remember if you focus your camera on the setting sun or moon the camera assumes this to be the average light of the whole picture therefore the darker areas that need more exposure will be very dark in your photo. You may have to mess around with settings to find a suitable balance depending of course on what you want to shot and what light contrast you desire.
10. Bracketing your photos is a good idea - find your optimal settings and then take a shot on either side, one slighter lighter and one darker as it's hard to tell what works until you see the finished product.
11. If you can it may be easier to set your lens to manual focus as a lot of cameras have trouble picking up what to focus on in the dark.
12. Use mirror lock if possible as even the internal mechanics of cameras can cause vibrations.
13. Take a lot of pictures and try different settings until you learn what works.
14. If your camera has a histogram function it can help to show you what's under or over exposed.
15. Enjoy and share!!!



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Top Ten Wedding Photography Tips

Top Ten Wedding Photography Tips…

Wedding photography is fun and exciting, an adrenalin rush and don’t forget the free hoer d’ovres but it is also terrifying.  The happy couple are entrusting you to document and immortalise the biggest day of their lives and you only get one shot (ignore the pun)!  Don’t over sell yourself and know your limitations.  Practice at these events is one of the only ways to learn so you should have a dozen or so free shots under your belt to help your confidence, expertise and to avoid unexpected surprises.

Here are a few hints to help you get started:

1.)    One of your greatest selling points as a wedding photographer is your own dynamic personality and confidence.  Do not be afraid to be assertive, to polite interrupt conversations and to give orders.  By all means, try to remain invisible and skulk around like a paparazzi but you’ll get rubbish quality photographs with half cut heads, turned backs and bad lighting and composition.  Do take candid photographs as sometimes these can turn out wonderfully but NOT exclusively.  In the end of the day the guests will forgive your intrusions where they see the result and the bride and groom will want professional, posed photographs that they can live with for all the years to come.  Unfortunately he who shouts loudest sometimes laughs longest so show confidence and get the photos taken with minimal effort and time wastage.  Also don’t miss those one-offs, for example ~ make an announcement (or often ask the mother of the bride to boss folk around for you – they like to feel useful) tell the guests not to throw confetti until you have the shot lined up, the bride and groom, not to cut the cask without you and often photographers ask guests not to take photographs during the signing of the registration or other key moments ~ simply say that you’d like to get the official photographs done first and would everyone mind please waiting and you will give them 5 minutes at the end to flash away to their heart’s content.

2.)    Many photographers are now asking the bridal couple to meet with them before the wedding day to take some ‘engagement’ shots (or test shots so that you can work out the best filters, functions, light balance etc), these are nice to have and helps you firstly be more prepared and secondly build more of a relationship with the couple so that they feel more comfortable around you and less shy.

3.)    If you are doing the photo shot in a location you haven’t visited call ahead to inquire about photographic rules (some churches or civil offices will allow photography during the service, for example, and some won’t) and visit, in person, the gardens or terraces etc to test out the best areas for backgrounds, the lighting and all those little things that can make or break a photo.

4.)    Check the weather forecast so you’re prepared for light balance and conditions.

5.)    Sometimes the addition of props works very well.  For example, I shot a wedding in the snow at Christmas and brought along a clear, black rimmed umbrella that added the perfect touch to the scene.  You may also want to bring horseshoes, flowers, ring cushion (though they will probably have all these) but depending on the location, style and even theme you can be creative, I’ve even seen professional wedding shots using a gimmicked ball and chain or holding a ‘Just Married’ sign.

6.)    Make a list of poses and moments not to miss.  You want a complete start to finish documentation, from (if they want) the early morning preparations ~ these shots can be great because everyone is exciting but more casual, to the wedding car, tank or horse, get detail of the dress including close-up shots and the back view, make sure you have all the important family members represented, exchanging of the rings, walking down the aisle, throwing of the bouquet, confetti, champagne etc

7.)    Levels are good, they make things interesting.  One way to get everyone looking at you is for you to be at a higher vantage point (though watch for sun position).  Saying ‘cheese’ sounds ridiculous but at least shouting something like this tells everyone to be ready and minimised queer looks and shut eyes.

8.)    White dresses make colour balance difficult, make sure you’re using the facial tones for focus and watch out for over exposing and bleaching out detail or the opposite and having a perfect dress but everyone looking like they’re wearing body paint!

9.)    Watch your depth of field ~ you may need a smaller f-stop to take rows of crowds or even if the groom is standing behind the bride, take close-ups of happy faces, tiaras, hair detail but make sure you don’t chop off the dress in full length shots.

10.)                        Have fun with it, you don’t have to be conventional.  Do a Google search for possible ideas and think about the characters and personalities your shooting; don’t think of them as objects.  Try out different angles and heights and some comedy shots will keep the crowd entertained and interested.

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Snap Happy Photographic Community and Competition Site

Are you a Snap Happy Photographer?

Are you an amateur photographer eager to learn and advance?

Are you preparing for a wedding or event and need advice?

Do you want to promote your art and support the talents of others?

Do you want the opportunity to earn money from photography?

Do you want to test your talents in contests and competitions?

Read on…

With the popularity of social media, the invention of cheap digital products and online photo sharing sites, everyone has a fervent photographer in them just begging to be let loose.  Photography is a time honoured, beautiful way to immortalise those special moments and vistas in your life that you don’t want lapsed memory to denigrate.  There is a joy in musing over the past and seeing how you have changed in the present and in developing your photographic skills from cutting off heads and underexposing images to the vivid, sensuous captures of a pro.

I have found a newly launched website that is specifically for amateur photographers to help them grow, learn technique, talk with like minded folk and challenge themselves in monthly competitions.  It is a website run for the people, for the passion, for the photography.

Snaphappy.moonfruit.com is bright and crisp and a friendly place to share ideas, worries and problems. 

Advantages of the site include:

1.)A news blog that shares articles to help enthusiast photographers get a grip on their passions and develop their skills and individual style.  (The site has just launched but already there are articles for night shoots and wedding photography and many more insights to come).

2.)An interactive Forum to discuss anything and everything and community spirit to help each other out and progress together.

3.) A live chat box for members for emergency advice and building friendships.

4.) A photo gallery that will display each month’s best shots and promote and advertise the photographer, including their own websites and projects, if desired.

5.) A monthly competition based on a prompt that will challenge and allow photographers some critique and knowledge as to what makes a good photograph.

6.) Monthly prizes for contest winners and the display of their work to visitors.

7.) Easy to navigate.

8.) Open globally to any age, race or climb!

So pop over to snaphappy.moonfruit.com today for more information.  It is easy to join and promises to go viral with a little support and encouragement.

Make Snap Happy your new Photographic home but please be patient, it’s only a week old – in less than a month you will see the results!