Low light photography - how can I improve it?

Sulueti and Shazia - Sulueti Waqa and Shazia Shabana, contestents in the 2009 Vodafone Fiji Hibiscus Festival, vying for the crown of Miss Fiji. Photo by Tim Wilson, from http://www.divepeak.com
Fiji
July 15, 2009 6:54am CST
I often find myself in situations where the level of lighting is less than ideal, and flash is either impractical or would destroy the mood and feel of the image. So I'm looking for tips on how to improve my low light photography skills. The attached photo is getting pretty close to my current limits for hand-held shots: ISO1000, 85mm lens at f/1.8, and I deliberately under-exposed by 2 f-stops to get the shutter speed up to 1/20 sec and then adjusted the curves in processing (RAW format). That's pretty poor lighting conditions, and I had to throw out a number of pix from the session that were blurry. So... how do you manage situations like that? Is there anything you do in low light conditions to improve your chances of getting a good shot? Oh, and for those who are interested, the girls in the photo are contestants for Miss Fiji 2009 - you can see more photos on my website at www.divepeak.com
2 responses
bbeltcb
@bbeltcb (8)
• United States
15 Jul 09
Hi there, I was also having a hard time with low light issues but, after trying many different things I found that using a slower shutter speed is the best way to get more light and quality out of your shots. Try to use your surroundings to help you. For example if you find yourself without a tripod, but there is a chair next to you, you are able to prop the camera to use a slower shutter speed. Or lean yourself against a wall to keep from moving. So if you use a slower shutter speed you can also use a lower iso, like a 400 or so, which means better quality. Hint:I always try to use the lowest iso possible Let me know if that helps. Good Luck!
DivePeak
@DivePeak (30)
• Fiji
15 Jul 09
Yeah, I really hated using ISO1000 - you can see the noise even in a 6x4 print (especially when pushing 2 stops), which would not be apparent with ISO400. I'm just not sure I could pull off 1/8 sec with an 85mm lens (well, effectively a 135mm lens with the crop factor on my dSLR)...
trickiwoo
@trickiwoo (2702)
• United States
22 Jul 09
I either bump up my ISO really high, use a flash, or use a tripod. Really there's not a lot you can do! If you buy a very expensive camera with a much higher quality image sensor, then that really helps with the noise and therefore you can shoot at higher ISOs. I have a Nikon D300 and I can shoot at very high ISO speeds with hardly any noise at all. I've heard from professional photographer colleagues of mine that the D3 has absolutely 0 noise... even at high ISOs! But other than that, really your only option is to use a tripod! If that's not possible, you can try putting your camera down on a flat surface.