How To Shoot in Really Low Light

When you see an excited child looking out that big bay window, there is nothing more fulfilling than catching that expression as the morning sunlight reflects off the snow and onto the child’s face, but you will want to capture that look naturally without using a flash. What are the secret tips to capturing that shot in low light?

1. Use a tripod, or at least a monopod, if you have one, but it may not be handy. I keep my camera resting on my monopod ever since that big Buck came into my yard in the early morning a couple of weeks ago.

2. Use a fast lens. By this, I mean a lens with a very large aperture such as my Canon 50mm, F/1.8. A F/1.4 would even be better. Also, for the price of an F/1.4 you can buy a 100mm F/2.0 that makes a really nice telephoto when using a small sensor SLR that magnifies your 100mm to a 160 focal length. The faster lenses are absolutely necessary to avoid blur.

3. Use a higher ISO. Moving your camera’s ISO to 200, 400 or 800 will give you an additional 1 to 3 stops of light. Most of the newer SLRs can handle an 800 ISO with no noticeable “noise”. The more expensive the camera, then usually the larger the sensor, and the lower the noise.

4. Use manual focus. Although the smaller prime (fixed) lenses are easier to focus, you will get a better shot if you manual focus due to the smaller depth of field necessary with a wide open lens.

5. Use spot metering – This goes hand-in-hand with point number 4. Focus on the child’s face or other particular point of interest.

The next time we have a snow fall in Atlanta I will try to capture an example with my dog Pierre since I have no children, LOL!!