How to take good photos in poor light?

Landscape photographers mainly work in natural light. For beginners, the most beautiful lighting conditions last no more than a few hours every day. When the sky is gray or the sun shines directly overhead, it is difficult to take high-quality photos. In this article, I want to share with you some skills to be used when shooting in poor light, so as to help every photographer encounter problems at some point.

First, look for colors.

The beautiful environment and the rising sun in Ran Ran create a colorful landscape painting, and the lighting adds color to the scene. When the sky is overcast, natural light cannot provide the hue needed for color photography. Therefore, to create a color image, you need to find a bright object.

The cloudy sky gives off soft light. Use this function to find soft colors, such as soft purple or blue, which will not be displayed in the evening sun. These colors may be difficult to stand out at dusk or dawn, but cloudy days will give them a chance to shine.

After the thunderstorm, you can also take beautiful photos with saturated colors. Even in the darkest sky, the forest after the rain always looks bright and green, which is a good choice for landscape photographers. Don't forget to bring the polarizing filter!

Nikon D7000+50mm f/ 1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 100, 13, f/1.0.

Second, the details of the picture

Although the beautiful scenery looks best at sunrise, some detailed photography is also good in cloudy weather.

This is especially because the dark sky is very uniform-few photos benefit from the featureless water droplets on it. Although the cloudy sky is still textured in some cases, it is important to ask yourself whether it is helpful to the composition of the picture.

On cloudy days, my telephoto lens is almost always on the camera, which provides additional opportunities for wildlife photography. Other things look great on a cloudy day. Although I like to shoot landscape photography under gloomy sky, I still pay close attention to other details that need attention.

Nikon D800e+105mm f/2.8 @105mm, ISO 100, 1.6, f/ 16.0.

Third, pay attention to small things.

The dark sky provides soft shadows, so you can observe the true colors and colors of objects at close range. Of course, some close-up photographers prefer to use flash, but clouds can also provide excellent light.

Because the atmospheric haze between the lens and the subject is very small, the colors in the macro scene are usually more saturated than those in the distance. Use this advantage to find a distinct theme-the macro world is full of colors.

On rainy days, you will find that the geometric patterns reflected by water droplets may be very beautiful, which is an excellent object for cloudy days.

Nikon d800e+105mm f/2.8 @105mm, ISO 400, 1 /200, f /6.3.

Fourth, use ND filter.

On cloudy days, the key problem is that the photo loses its uniqueness, which is easy to solve-using ND filter.

The filter is a dark glass plate, which can be exposed for a long time (a few seconds) even during the day.

Of course, this filter is not suitable for all scenes. In fact, for many people, it has no effect. But when there are moving objects (clouds, water, people), no matter what the light is, long-term exposure will produce completely unusual images.

A slower shutter speed will also make colors that are difficult to see stand out. If the camera is set to slow down the shutter speed even on cloudy days, you can take ideal photos.

Nikon D800e+24mm f/ 1.4 @ 24mm, ISO100,30, f/4.0.

V. Conversion of black and white

Sometimes, people find that black and white photography is more effective and poetic than color photography. In a cloudy sky, contrasting monochrome photos still convey drama and beauty, while dark lighting cannot be realized, especially because black-and-white photography is surreal in nature.

People like to show photos of the world scenery in unusual ways-more beautiful than their scenery day after day. Sunset can certainly meet these requirements and show the scenery in rare colors. Monochrome photography does not have this brightness, but high-contrast black-and-white photos can stand out like saturated photos.

This may be the reason why black and white contrast photography is still very popular in the art world. These photos are simple in nature and the colors are equally attractive.

Nikon D800e+24mm f/ 1.4 @ 24mm, ISO 100,110, f/1.0.

Six, noon lighting

Landscape photography is also worried about the opposite-the dazzling sunshine at noon.

This kind of light is not as gloomy as cloudy days, so it is difficult to avoid dazzling shadows and bright highlights, which will make the photos become a mess in sharp contrast. On the other hand, the lighting at noon is not particularly unique-only a few people will be satisfied with the most familiar landscape.

For large landscapes, it is very useful for detail-oriented shots or urban landscapes-shadows can add some uniqueness to the scene. Even if you want to darken the shadows, you should try to keep the details and minimize the exposure compensation-many famous street photos are taken at noon, and most of the images are almost black.

Nikon D7000+ 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 38mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/8.0.

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The most important thing is to identify the lighting conditions in the scene, aim at the camera and make full use of the lighting. In the midday sun, look for shadows to help composition. In gray and dim light, look for saturated subjects, make the picture full of color or convert it into black and white. No matter what lighting conditions, you can always take high-quality photos.