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Tips for Taking Photos in Low Light

November 24, 2016 by Barb 7 Comments

I want to share a few tips for taking photos in low light (still life photos, that is.)

It may be hard to believe this image was taken at 2:30 in the afternoon on one of the foggiest, most overcast, grey days imaginable.

Although, before I go any further, let me add that Lightroom helps.
Tips for Taking Photos in Low Light, Keeping With the Times, Barb Brookbank
But first, let me expound and expand on the beauty of the grocery store flower … and the humble chrysanthemum.

I don’t have many choices when it comes to purchasing affordable flowers this time of year. On Monday I checked out a few flower shops and one (1) single hydrangea stem cost $16.00! (It was a beaut tho ;)

I’m always dreaming of the exotic, the unattainable, the out-of-season gems: peonies, dahlias, roses, and ranunculus. But since they’re most likely not going to materialize, I turn to Safeway and what they had were mums. I’m not drawn to chrysanthemums, but I buckled down and gave them a real good hard look, and it was like coming out of a fog (fitting terminology due to our weather lately.) Suddenly the soft mauve and white spidery petals began to look magical, almost like a dahlia.

How did I not see that? I think my mind has been clouded by the bright orange, rust, and burgundy shades I associate with chrysanthemums and autumn. I wanted pastels, and there they were! So I chose two different bunches and when I couldn’t find the greenery I wanted, that’s when I went to the florist and paid $2.00/stem for two bits of eucalyptus (a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right?)

So onwards! How did I shoot this in such low light?

It helps that I have large kitchen/dining room windows and sheer curtains. And yes, I’m sorry I can’t make that come true for everyone, but I do have a few tips.

Tips for Taking Photos in Low Light

  • Set up near the largest windows you have (of course.) Back and side lighting (if possible). If not, go for the back lighting.
  • Use sheer curtains as a background, at the settings I use, they get really blown out and almost glow.
  • Use a tripod, and your camera’s timer. Say that ten times over; otherwise this isn’t going to happen.
  • Taken at 2:30pm on a grey, foggy, overcast day. I metered on the centre of the bouquet, which was quite dark:
    • Nikon D750 Lens: Nikkor 24-120
    • Focal Length: 48mm
    • Exposure: 1/60s at f4.0 IS0 3200

The image was quite overexposed and I didn’t have to make too many adjustments in Lightroom. I increased the whites and the blacks, and used a radial filter to lighten the shadows in the centre of the bouquet.

So pretty much what you see here is pretty much the way it was shot. Truth: I did not use Auto Tone.

I hope this makes sense … what I’m saying is “use a tripod, a slow shutter speed, and high ISO”. If you have any questions, please ask!

Here’s the “before” image for comparison:

chrysanthemum-mauve-barb-brookbank-3305
.
.

PS: today (Thursday) I came home with fabulous floral treasures: pretty poinsettias from a greenhouse, and tulips from Costco!! I cannot believe I found affordable tulips … just after I did all this complaining … sorry ;)

#NaBloPoMo

Filed Under: Still Life Tagged With: photography tips

Comments

  1. Kelly Kardos says

    November 26, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    I always love what you shoot! This is no exception.

    Reply
  2. Beverly says

    November 27, 2016 at 11:14 am

    You now have me wanting to check out our Safeway….I’ve never gone there for flowers, and seldom go there for food, as we have a few other options. Thank you so much for your helpful camera setting tips. Hope you are loving your D750 (I hear really good reviews about it)! Have a lovely weekend!

    Reply
  3. odile lê minh says

    November 27, 2016 at 11:37 am

    Thank you Barb for sharing these very useful tips… I appreciate them all the more as it’s often foogy and dark in my region and days are so short until the end of December… I really love your pastel bouquet, and the bright light you got despite low light conditions… I think I’ll ask a tripod for Christmas… thank you for this excellent advice Barb!

    Reply
  4. louise says

    November 27, 2016 at 11:46 am

    Hi Barb, this process has been a much used favourite of mine for some time, I am a big fan of using a tripod all the time! I love the final effect, quite amazing in these winter months!

    Reply
  5. Celine says

    November 29, 2016 at 7:57 am

    Beautiful as always. Such great tips. Fresh flowers really do brighten these dreary foggy days, although hunting them down is a bit of a marathon for me these days too. I’m so thankful for all your sharing Barb.

    Reply
  6. Carolyn Watson says

    December 12, 2016 at 2:53 pm

    So beautiful! Thanks for the tips. :)

    Reply
  7. Suzanne says

    January 11, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    Gorgeous, as always!

    I’ve become a lazy photog
    this last year, but I’d love
    to dig out my Sony DSLR
    and give this a go. I also
    need to get/learn about
    LIGHTROOM!

    I’m a dahlia fan….and you
    are right, mums are almost
    a dahlia cousin : )

    xo Suzanne

    Reply

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Welcome! I'm Barb, and this is where I practice my mantra to "learn something new, try something different". It's my hope that something I do here may inspire you! Read More…

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