How to take pictures in a dark scene?

Shooting in a darkroom is very difficult, especially for novice photographers. Here are some tips to help you take excellent photos in dark places. Of course, the location and type of shooting are also different. Much depends on the content of the shoot. Different types of shooting and required photo quality require different technologies. Let's talk about the basic principle of darkroom shooting.

1. Camera stability

It is necessary to shoot with a low-speed shutter, and any movement of the camera may affect the image quality. If you shoot more or less static scenes and don't need to move frequently, please use a tripod or a monopod (if possible). For example, in the cinema, you can try to stabilize the camera on the backrest of the seat, and don't hold the camera when shooting with your arms straight.

Some lenses have stabilizers, but they can't compensate for strong motion. Try to relax, hold your breath, and then gently press the shutter button.

Step 2 equip

As we wrote above, it all depends on the goal of shooting. It is best to use a Quan Huafu SLR with a fast lens (2.8 or higher). Professional reporting cameras can focus quickly and shoot in full screen. The noise in this room is 2-3 grades lower (that is, the noise on ISO 6400 is the same as that on ISO 800). What does this mean? This means that you can shoot at a faster shutter speed.

Fast lenses can provide clearer images, and an aperture value of 2.8 can be used (on expensive zoom lenses). The minimum aperture value of whale zoom is 3.5-5.6. Those. Short-term lost 2/3 steps, long-term lost 2 steps. What does this mean? You can shoot with a shallow depth of field and reduce the sensitivity by one or two steps, for example, replacing ISO 1600 with ISO 400.

Professional equipment allows you to solve problems that are difficult to solve with traditional equipment. However, professional equipment is very expensive, and whether it is necessary to solve the problem is worth considering.

glitter

If you try to shoot with a machine in a dark room, the flash will turn on. In most cases, just destroy the existing lighting. If you shoot in the cinema, the flash can't capture the distance from the seat to the stage, and the distance is invalid, which will interfere with other audiences. The flash when shooting should not be the main shooting object. It only helps to fill in shadows, separate objects from the background and stand out. Never use the flashlight on your forehead. Sometimes you can aim the flash at the stream, but first look at the color of the ceiling and walls. If they are not white, it will be painful to change color later.

It is usually necessary to shoot at a fairly high ISO-from 800 to 1600. In the new semi-professional camera, ISO can be improved to 3200 or higher. Try shooting with a faster shutter speed (depending on the subject) and a larger aperture (from 2.8 to 4.0). If you shoot in "night mode" (or similar mode), the effect will be the best.

4. Shutter speed

Different types of shooting require different shutter speeds. If you want to shoot sports events in a darkroom and freeze the traffic, the shutter speed must be below1120. In the concert hall, the room is dark, but to freeze the movement, you still need a shutter speed of at least 1/60 to1100.

In a movie theater, you may shoot at a shutter speed lower than 1/60. In the museum, the object will not move, so you can use a shutter speed lower than 1/60, and at the same time choose a lower ISO and close the aperture slightly.

Change the settings and try. The value increases by one level and decreases by one level. In some cameras, ISO can be set to automatic, but the ISO must not be lower than a predetermined value. Remember, a low-speed shutter requires camera stability. You can take it away from your hand at a shutter speed not exceeding 1/60 (if it is strong, 1/30/ 1/40). This is usually the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens (slightly longer if the hand is strong). For example, when shooting with a 28mm wide-angle lens, if the subject cannot move quickly, the shutter speed cannot exceed 1/25s. If the focal length is 80mm, the shutter speed should be set to about 1/80s.

5. Underexposure

Sometimes there may not be enough sensitivity and aperture to get the correct exposure. There is no need to extend the shutter speed and ensure a blurred image, and there is no need to use the required shutter speed and take an underexposed image. If possible, please shoot in RAW. In the image editor, you can adjust the exposure slightly.

6. Noise

If the aperture is opened, the shutter speed will no longer decrease and ISO must be increased. Win the whole exposure stage by doubling the sensitivity. With ISO, noise will also increase. It can be an artistic means of photos, but it usually interferes with the perception of the picture.

In post-processing, noise can be eliminated. For example, in Lightroom, the color noise slider can be moved beyond the mark of 50, and when there is high noise, it must be moved to a light noise of no more than 30, so that the image will not become plastic. In Photoshop, there is a filter that can help eliminate noise. There are also many Photoshop plug-ins that can eliminate some noise in pictures.

7. Focus

Usually, the camera will not focus in the dark. You can switch to manual focusing mode and shoot the subject at the same distance as the main subject for testing. Autofocus may be lost in the dark.

8. Post-processing

Therefore, you must edit the white balance and ISO in the editor. The easiest way is to shoot in RAW format for post-processing.