How to take a good photo when the light is insufficient?

Lead: Some photos pursue grandeur, some photos pursue influential real details, and photos taken when the light is insufficient often have a sense of closeness. In low light environment (bars, cafes, indoor natural light, dusk streets), light and shadow are often interlaced, the lights are blurred, it is difficult to focus, the picture quality is difficult to guarantee, and the expression is difficult to grasp. This is full of charm and challenges for many portrait photographers, testing whether we can take intimate photos.

When the light is bad, we should have the courage to take pictures, look for interesting light and then think about how to take interesting pictures with light. At the same time, portrait photos in low light can often find their own shadow without floating on the surface of things, and can show things that other photography methods can't.

Let's talk about the skills of taking good portrait photos in low light:

1. Looking for light

The light distribution is uneven in low light environment, so portrait shooting needs to express facial expressions and expressions well. Therefore, it is more appropriate to choose front light or side light, so that the face of the person can have relatively sufficient light, and the model is required to remain still when shooting. If conditions permit, you can also fill the face with a reflector to make the portrait effect more prominent.

Balance light and shadow

The problem is not that the light in the whole photo is dark, but that some places in a scene are bright and some places are dark. The light and shade can't be controlled by the camera, so it is necessary to train and identify the evenly distributed positions of light sources at the beginning, so that the photos taken will be full and rich.

3. Use a lens with a large aperture

? Big? Large aperture, such as f/2 or f/4. The larger the aperture, the greater the amount of light entering. In addition, in the case of shallow depth of field and insufficient light, it is really difficult to take clear photos. In that case, you'd better use f/2 lens. When the aperture of most lenses is adjusted to f/2.8, images with good visual effect and sufficient depth of field can be taken.

Note: Most zoom lenses can be adjusted to f/2.8 for wide-angle shooting and f/4.5 for long-distance shooting, which is not suitable for shooting in limited light, which is why professional photographers will spend a lot of money to buy zoom lenses with a stable aperture of f/2.8.

4. consider using a fixed-focus lens

A fixed-focus lens is a lens with a fixed focal length, such as a 24mm f/2.8 lens or a 50mm f/ 1.8 lens. This kind of lens often has a large aperture, so it still has a good shooting effect in the case of insufficient light.

Improve sensitivity

A camera that can increase sensitivity can definitely double the photographer's work efficiency. Today, many cameras can adjust the sensitivity to 3200, and the imaging effect is very good. High sensitivity is prone to some noise, but it doesn't matter, good photos always have some noise.

Note: If the photos taken under high ISO setting are improved later, the dark noise will be obviously displayed, which will affect the image quality and should be applied properly.

Manual focus

Portrait shooting usually uses the central focus to focus on the model's eyes, and then re-composes by half pressing the shutter. In the dark environment, sometimes the subject's light is too dark and the contrast is too weak to focus and focus accurately. At this time, you need to use manual focusing or use a lens with full-time manual function to make manual adjustment at any time.

Accurate measurement of light

In low light environment, the camera can be set to spot metering. Approaching the model, let the uniform area of the face of the person fill the viewfinder, half press the shutter, and measure a group of aperture and shutter combinations. Then set the shooting mode to manual mode (M), and set the parameters according to the previously measured aperture and shutter value to ensure the accurate exposure of the person's face.

8. Fall in love with blurred images

If you can't shoot anything else, you'll have to collect ghosts. Ghosting means moving, and moving usually makes photos smart. Think about the vibrant carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The dance theme makes the picture full of energy.

Note: You may ask why you don't use a tripod. Tripod is very practical when shooting city night scenes, but real life is fleeting and won't stop for your convenience, so using tripod will delay your time.