5 Tips for Low Light Photography

Australia strip BLACK

As the sunsets and the moonrises, the approach for a good photo shifts. Low light photography requires you to think differently to compensate for the lack of available light and colour. But when you know how to use low light as an advantage, it opens up a new style, and a new time of day, for you to explore with your art.

Try the following five tips for low light photography.

mel-burns-at-night-taken-by-kristoferus-andriono

“Mel burns at night” taken by Kristoferus Andriono (@kristoferus) – Fujifilm X100S

Make use of your tripod.

 

With such little light available, you most often need to work with slow shutter speeds. The long lapse in the open shutter means you almost always need your tripod to stabilise your equipment, especially for exposures longer than a second. Tripods are especially useful when capturing star stacks or light trails from automotive traffic. Even when you use your tripod, you may decide to use an external remote release or the camera’s timer to begin your shot and limit detectable shake.

 

Explore your camera’s aperture priority mode.

 

Photographing in Aperture Priority (A) when the light is low will allow you to manually control the cameras aperture settings ensuring you get the best shot when photographing handheld. To obtain this result all you need to do is select Aperture Priority and change the lenses aperture to the largest F Stop – ie F1.2. The result of this will be a faster shutter speed that’s automatically selected, and in most cases, will leads to a shutter speed faster than 1/60 second allowing you to capture the photo without a tripod, handheld.

sydney-celebrates-taken-by-daniel-karjadi

“Sydney Celebrates” taken by Daniel Karjadi (dkarjadi) – Fujifilm X-E2 + 35mmF1.4

 

Play with light trails.

 

Rather than lament the lack of light, use what little luminosity you have and give it time to tell a story. Capture light trails, whether the course of stars over several hours using multiple shots or the path of car headlights over several seconds. You want to control your camera’s aperture and shutter speed for this type of shot.

 

Find stark skies with little light pollution.

 

Much of night time photography includes the outdoor sky in its grandeur. If it is a starlit sky you want, make sure you shoot from a rural area. An urban setting emanates too much light pollution because of skyscrapers, streetlights and other signs that remain bright through the night. Make the drive to shoot stars from a setting that shows their beauty.

the-milky-way-taken-by-michael-davison

The Milky Way taken by Michael Davison (@michaeldavidsonphotography) – Fujifilm X-T1 + XF18-55mm

 

Climb high, explore your city and your ISO.

 

Not every night shot relies on a rural setting, though. You can take incredible shots of the city skyline or alleyways in the late-night hours. Most photographers rely on ground-level shots of city’s buildings and monuments, but you can think differently. Get up high and explore areas assessable to the public. See how the city appears from a balcony or rooftop and play with your ISO to obtain a suitable shutter speed for the lighting conditions.

 

With the right use of your photography equipment and a creative approach to limited light, you can take excellent photos no matter what the conditions.

 

Do you have any low light photographs captured using your X Series camera? Post a URL link of your online photo in the comments below and tell us a bit about the image – we would love to see them!

The eXhibition: Low Light – Part 2

X-series users from across the globe share their finest images and the stories behind them

Get your work in eXhibition

Would you like to see your images on these pages? If you’re an X-series user, we’d love to see your shots. Email your images, along with details of the story behind them and some information about you and your photography to: gallery@fujifilmxmagazine.eu

Spencer Bentley – CITY LIFELINE

“I had the great X-E1 and the beautiful 35mm F1.4 R lens first but after a few months I wanted something with even more portability and the ability to expand my interest in high-speed photography. So I bought the X100S. My gamble has been paying dividends ever since.

“One of my favourite places to photograph is the Washington DC underground metro rail. It’s the lifeline of the city. This photo was when I was experimenting with the camera’s low-light capabilities. I increased the ISO sensitivity to 3200, to get an evenly exposed photo while maintaining a shutter speed fast enough to stop the motion of the train and reduce camera shake.”

Camera: X100S Lens: 23mm fixed Exposure: 1/80sec at F8, ISO 3200
Camera: X100S Lens: 23mm fixed Exposure: 1/80sec at F8, ISO 3200

Nick Palliser – The Munchies

“I am a professional photographer and teacher, and I use the Fuji X system for more than 90% of my work.

“This image is from my latest series, The Munchies, taken with the X-Pro1 and 35mm F1.4 R. I doubt I would have captured them so well with any other system.

“The series explores the diversity of late night independent takeaway establishments and their patrons. I chose a very structured way to compose them, taking cues from Edward Hopper and Arne Svenson. I am planning to expand on the series and possibly produce a book.”

Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: XF35mm F1.4 R Exposure: 1/100sec at F1.4, ISO 3200
Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: XF35mm F1.4 R Exposure: 1/100sec at F1.4, ISO 3200

Stephen Ip – NEWPORT BEACH Pier

“I am a landscape and travel photographer based in Southern California, USA. I have been shooting exclusively with the X-series cameras since March 2012. I currently use the X-Pro1 with the 14mm and 35mm lenses along with the X100S.

“This long exposure image is from a personal project I am working on to photograph the piers along the California coast.”

CAMERA: X-Pro1 LENS: XF35mm F1.4 R EXPOSURE: 110secs at F16, ISO 200
CAMERA: X-Pro1 LENS: XF35mm F1.4 R EXPOSURE: 110secs at F16, ISO 200

Kjetil Iversen – My home town: Bodo

“I love my Fujifilm X100. This shot is from my home town, Bodo, in northern Norway. I made it with my fantastic X100 and the wide-conversion lens. I mainly use the X100 for family shots, but it really is a versatile tool.

“This photo was shot in Raw and developed on my computer. The X100 Raw files are fantastic!”

Camera: X100 with wide-conversion lens Exposure: 13secs at F8, ISO 200
Camera: X100 with wide-conversion lens Exposure: 13secs at F8, ISO 200

The eXhibition: Low Light – Part 1

X-series users from across the globe share their finest images and the stories behind them

Get your work in eXhibition

Would you like to see your images on these pages? If you’re an X-series user, we’d love to see your shots. Email your images, along with details of the story behind them and some information about you and your photography to: gallery@fujifilmxmagazine.eu

Chris Saddler – Night-time Vegas

“I’m so glad I took the plunge and bought an X-series camera. The images are stellar and the high ISO capability amazes me. This aerial shot was taken at ISO 2000. I took it in Raw and made minor adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw.”

Camera: X-E2 Lens: XF18-55mm Exposure: 1/10sec at F5.6, ISO 2000
Camera: X-E2 Lens: XF18-55mm Exposure: 1/10sec at F5.6, ISO 2000

Jorge Miño – The look of love

“I was walking in Madrid looking for black & white urban images when I saw this impressive pub. I realised that this girl was looking at her boyfriend with big open eyes so I composed the image and took three shots. The pub is really impressive, but I value much more her way of looking at her boyfriend – to my eyes it says she’s completely in love.”

jorge Mino La mirada del amor
Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: 35mm Exposure: 1/50sec at F1.4, ISO 800

Peter Fauland – EPFL Rolex Learning Center, Lausanne

“I run a studio and photography school in Berlin, Germany. Recently I documented the construction of the EPFL Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. Returning to Lausanne, I was thrilled to visit the Center again, this time with my X-series cameras.

“For around a year I’ve been using these mirrorless cameras and the FUJINON lenses because of their outstanding image quality, especially in low-light situations, the simplicity of operation and the much smaller size and weight compared with my old camera kit.”

Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: Zeiss Touit F2.8 12mm Exposure: 6.3secs at F11, ISO 250
Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: Zeiss Touit F2.8 12mm Exposure: 6.3secs at F11, ISO 250

What to shoot in November – Longer wintry nights

Remember, remember, there’s plenty to shoot in November! Don’t put your camera into hibernation just when the nights are drawing in – try our pick of this month’s most photogenic events

The end of October saw the clocks shuffle backwards by an hour across the whole of Europe, giving early risers a little more daylight, and earlier sunsets at the end of the day. Don’t be disheartened by the encroaching dark or use it as an excuse to hang up your camera until the spring, though – there’s plenty to shoot in these shorter days. For starters, why not try your hand at some low-light photography? Before you even leave the building, do a little planning.

Think about where you’d like to shoot, and be sure to tell someone where you’re headed – or better still, convince an equally shutter-happy friend to come along for the ride.

Don’t let your quest for the perfect shot get in the way of personal safety, and be sensible about where you plan to stop and take pictures. Cities and remote landscapes alike can be beautiful once the sun’s gone down, but they can be scary and potentially dangerous as well – so be safe.

Low-light landscape pictures can be incredibly impressive, but getting a great shot when there’s little light around is a real challenge – longer shutter speeds are essential, so make sure you’ve got a tripod or other support on hand to ensure pin-sharp details. Keep your ISO setting low and set a shutter speed of around 15 seconds to capture as much light as you can. Set your lens as wide as possible and ensure your aperture’s also as wide as it can go, which will help to retain details and make the most of available light. Adjust your camera’s white-balance to change the mood of the image: you might find that cooler, bluer tones give you more of a midnight feel, so don’t forget to experiment while you have the chance.

Want to capture a lifelike scene at dusk? You could always test-drive the built-in HDR feature on most X-series cameras to layer exposures and achieve as much detail as possible in your final image. And if your dramatic sunset landscape has turned out cloudy, try using the X-series’ Film Simulation modes to shoot a moody black & white twilight scene with real drama in the skies above. Most importantly, don’t forget to take a torch, keep a spare camera battery cosy in your pocket and wrap up warm, because the more comfortable you are, the more you’ll enjoy your low-light shoot.

First frost

First FrostIf the month lives up to its reputation we’re in for chilly mornings – but this means beautiful images of finely-detailed frost for you. Get close to the fronds of plants in your garden, or seek out a frozen cobweb for a glorious late-autumn shimmer. Just head out around sunrise before any thaw and don’t forget your gloves!

Winter wildlife

Winter wildlifeWild creatures are readying themselves for the rigours of winter, so this time of year is an ideal opportunity to see beasts out and about collecting their food. If you’re a fan of feathered subjects, try setting up a feeding station in your garden and see what local birds you can lure in front of longer lenses like the XF 55-200mm.

Christmas lights

Christmas lightsThe big switch-on seems to happen earlier every year – but that just means more time for shooting the decorations! Larger towns and cities become a festive light show, but make sure you time your shooting for twilight so there’s still some blue in the sky – it’s this contrast of natural and man-made light that will make your shots sparkle.

Festive markets

Festive marketsWith Christmas just around the corner, you’ll find festive markets aplenty in your local towns and villages. Seasonal crafts, twinkling decorations, cheerful crowds and a variety of unusual foods present ideal subjects, and if you’re shooting handheld, remember to switch your Optical Image Stabilisation on for sharper shots.

Traffic trails

Traffic TrailsLong exposures change the way you see the world, and a great example is when shooting the rush hour. Using a shutter speed of around 10 seconds turns crawling cars into an amazing stream of light and with its shortened days November is the perfect time to try it out – you can even shoot a few on your way home from work.