Capturing the image of a local landmark by night or the smiling face of a child under a Christmas tree is not just the privilege of professional photographers. Beginning photographers, too, can learn the techniques for using basic equipment to create beautiful photos in low light situations.
A child blowing out the candles on her birthday cake, a brilliant burst of fireworks, a goal scored at an evening soccer match—all of these are perfect moments for available light photography. By learning the essential techniques for photographing in low light, even beginning photographers can capture these images using basic photography equipment.
Camera and Settings
Because low light photography requires settings not programmed into most consumer cameras, a camera with manual settings is preferable. Point-and-shoot cameras and automatic-only settings won’t allow you the control needed for unusual lighting conditions. For convenience, preset your camera settings before you go out on the shoot. If your camera offers automatic white balance, turn this function off to avoid washing out the rich hues that low-light settings naturally create. If possible, take the first photo before dark using auto-focus. You can then switch to manual focus, yet you’ll still have a focus setting to return to if your camera becomes confused by the lack of light.
Even if you have a light meter, unless you already have a good sense of how it reacts in a variety of lighting conditions, it’s better to ignore what the meter advises. In most low light scenes, there will be a high degree of contrast between the bright and the dark areas, which can mislead the meter into suggesting inaccurate exposures.
In available light photography, exposure times will be longer than in common daylight photography. These long exposure times are achieved by using the B setting, marked by the letter "B" after the longest fixed exposure time on your camera. This setting allows the shutter to stay open as long as the shutter button is pressed.