While we might take some pictures outside in bright light, most of us probably take more pictures indoors when the lighting is less than spectacular. Occasionally, we will also take pictures outdoors either later in the evening, or early in the morning when the light is low. While using a flash is frequently an option, pictures taken in low light with a small flash rarely look good. When you buy digital cameras online often times you can research and compare which cameras are better at dealing with low line situations. Regardless of which brand and model you ultimately choose the following tips will help you to deal with low light situations.
Set the Aperture Lower
The aperture on your camera is commonly referred to as the ‘f-stop’. Essentially, this is the size of the opening in the lens and determines the maximum amount of light that is allowed to enter. The lower the aperture setting, the wider lens opening. All other things being constant, a lower aperture means a faster shutter speed to get the same amount of exposure. This can be changed on most digital cameras in the settings.
Increase the ISO setting
The ISO setting tells the camera how sensitive it should be to light. A higher value translates to greater light sensitivity. A higher ISO setting means the camera can use a faster shutter speed and still get the proper exposure. This faster shutter speed will result in a photo that is less blurry. At the highest ISO values, the photo-quality can start to deteriorate. But this cannot normally be detected in normal size photos. These first 2 tips have a similar effect by allowing for a shorter exposure time.
Purchase a Lens with a Larger Maximum Aperture
Remember, this means an aperture with a lower numerical value. This can help greatly in proving the sharpness of your shots by allowing a greater amount of light to enter at the same shutter speed. This type of lens is going to be required in extremely low light situations, even if a high ISO setting is used.
Consider using your Camera’s ‘burst’ Mode
When the shutter button is pressed, a small amount of movement is introduced to the camera. This movement can cause blurriness, especially at slower shutter speeds. By using the burst mode, the camera will take three or more photos while shutter button is pressed only once. This increases the odds of getting a good shot.
Maybe you can just turn up the Lights
This option might not always be available, but turning the lights can sometimes be the best solution. Even adding a minimal amount of light can make a significant difference in the quality of your photos.
Lowlight photos might seem impossible to take lowlight photos well. Hopefully, you can see that’s not really the case. You now have five simple tips will help ensure that your lowlight pictures turn out well. Try each of them out and see what effect it has on the quality of your photos.