Your portraits will have beautiful contrasts, moods, and mystery. Thanks to low-key lights. They add dimension, feeling, and emotion to a picture. This is a stimulating task for both amateur and expert photographers. Even though the method is straightforward, it can take some practice to become an expert in low-key photography.
Photography, at least for most of us, is a daylight activity. We prefer and enjoy shooting during the day when the sunlight is bright enough to provide enough illumination on the subject. Except for special occasions (such as carnivals) when we tend to capture images in low light, photographers often reserve photography for the brightest days.
However, nighttime activities also offer excellent scenes for creative photographs. You will also see a wide range of photographic subjects to photograph. Fortunately, technological advances have brought about several features in your digital cameras, making it possible and easy to work in low-light situations.
Therefore, this article will be detailed and comprehensive. You will learn the best camera settings to capture epic images in low-lighting conditions. After reading this complete low-light shooting guide, you will become a professional when capturing images during nighttime and golden hours.
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Quick Camera Settings To Capture Good images in low-light conditions
- ISO – around 400 to 800
- Shutter speed – 1/50th to 1/100th of a second
- Focus – Autofocus
- Aperture – between f/1.8 to f/3.5
- White balance- custom
Generally, low-light photography means shooting in the evening or nighttime. Creating photographs under less-than-ideal lighting situations is a demanding yet stunning and rewarding experience in photography. Although, only a few photographers fancy such adventure.
Thus, here is a detailed guide for you if you want to engage in an indoor or outdoor low-light shooting experience.
Detailed Camera Settings For Low Light Photography
Shooting photographs in low light, dawn, twilight, or golden hours can give some magical feelings. Because these are the moments when the cities come alive and photographic subjects abound. However, photographing in such light settings can be challenging. You have to adjust your camera settings creatively to capture detailed images.
Thus, here is a detailed guide on the best camera settings to shoot epic and creative images in the twilight.
1. Exposure Settings
Exposure is the amount of time you expose your image sensor to light. You can control how your photographs will appear
by creatively adjusting the amount of light entering your camera’s sensor. You can make a picture taken in bright sunlit look dark or a shot of a dark interior appear bright. Exposure is one of the vital settings in any form of photography.
Three factors that determine exposure- and thus the sharpness or blurriness of your photographs are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. These three camera setting options contribute significantly to the overall outcome of an image. Therefore, let’s take a look at the importance of each factor.
ISO
ISO is the sensitivity of your camera’s image sensor to light. A low ISO such as 100-400 requires more light to expose an image properly, whereas a high ISO such as from 800 above will require less light. Therefore, use a low ISO when shooting in bright sunlight because of the abundant ambient lighting. But to capture sharp images of low-light photographic subjects, set your ISO between 800 to 1600 or more.
A higher ISO will make the image sensor more sensitive to the lack of light in the environment and thus the production of high-quality nighttime photos. Perhaps, your low-light photographic subjects are in motion; in that case, we recommend an ISO range between 400 to 800. However, you can experiment with other values.
Note: A higher ISO will increase the level of noise or grain in your photographs. Image noise can affect the overall clarity of your images negatively. Therefore, switch on the High ISO Noise Reduction feature when shooting in low light.
You can learn more about how to set ISO for low light in our article Guide To Set ISO For Low Light. Low Light Camera Settings.
Aperture
Aperture (expressed as f-number) refers to the opening of the lens’s diaphragm through which light passes to the image sensor. Basically, it controls the brightness of the image going to the image sensor through the lens.
The higher the aperture or f-number, the smaller the lens opening. And thus, the greater the depth of field and sharper the background of your images. In contrast, a lower f-number means a larger lens opening, less depth of field, and blurry image background.
When shooting in low light, the aperture and shutter speed must correspond with each other for you to get maximum output. For instance, you do not need a long shutter speed if you are using a low f-number or aperture. A smaller aperture allows more light into your camera.
Thus, use a low f-number when shooting in low light because you need to get a considerable amount of light into your camera to capture every detail in the scene. So, we recommend setting your aperture between f/1.8 to f/3.5 and adjusting accordingly after taking test shots.
Note: Depth of field refers to the sharpness and blurriness of your image background.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is the time your camera’s shutter stays open. The faster the speed, the quicker the shutter closes, the lesser the image sensor exposure to light, and the darker the output. In contrast, a slower speed will produce brighter pictures in low light conditions. Therefore, we recommend a shutter speed between 1/50th to 1/100th of a second.
Generally, for good exposure, we recommend a mid-range ISO (between 400 to 800), a slow aperture (between f/1.8 to f/3.5), and a slower shutter speed.
You can learn more about shutter speed in our article How To Change Shutter Speed On Nikon And Canon Camera?
2. White Balance
White balance is a feature of most modern digital cameras that allows the adjustments of colors to match the color of the light source or environment. There are several light sources at night, so it is essential to set your camera’s white balance right before shooting in the dark.
In low light, your photographic subjects may be illuminated by different light sources such as incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lighting, and street lighting. However, human eyes might not be able to distinguish these varying light sources because of the “color constancy” of the human eye. Although we consider these sources colorless, they emit diverse light colors.
For instance, when a white photographic subject gets lit by a low-color temperature light source or emission, the subject in the image will be reddish. Thus, white balance is one of the advanced settings in digital cameras used to improve the overall color temperature of a photograph.
There are numerous color balance options in your camera. These include auto, preset, cloudy, fluorescent, shade, custom, etc. The auto-white balance automatically processes the image to remove undesirable color casts. However, it doesn’t always deliver expected results when shooting in a low-light scene. Therefore, professional photographers often make use of the custom white balance setting to achieve good outputs when taking shots during the nighttime.
You might be interested in How To Do Night Street Photography? Camera Settings And Expert Tips.
3. Focus
Focusing on your subject can be difficult in low-lighting situations. Generally, operating any digital camera in the dark can be challenging. Most times, manual focus doesn’t produce the expected results. Thus, we recommend that you set your camera lens to autofocus.
Autofocus (AF) is an advanced feature in your digital camera that intelligently adjusts the lens to focus on your subject. It is the most suitable focusing method for low-light photography. You can learn more about it in our articles: How To Set Dslr Camera Lens To Autofocus? and How To Focus In Dark? A Guide To Click Sharp Photos
4. Other Settings
We have discussed the fundamental camera settings for shooting in low light. However, you can explore and play with other settings in your camera. Nevertheless, ensure your exposure is correct.
Low Key Light Portraits
Low-key lighting produces a mood, a sense of mystery, and amazing photos. Three-point lighting is the method used in conventional photography to light up the subjects. On the other hand, low-key photography just requires a key light, which a reflector can control. As a result, shadows continue to exist in the darkness, and the only thing that is illuminated is the subject.
Low-key lighting is often employed in the noir and horror film genres because it tends to heighten the feeling of alienation and tension. Therefore, to make scenes more dramatic or change the emotion, we have to manage the fill light. You may also produce wonderfully seductive photographs with subtle lighting that are rich in drama and eerie atmosphere. In case you don’t know how to light low-key portraits, here are quick tips for you.
Portrait photography aims at capturing the personality, character, and emotions. It can either be candid or artistic. Portrait photography requires more than just the ability to understand your camera settings, lighting, and composition.
You must also possess the ability to connect with your subjects and capture their unique qualities. So, it is a difficult but rewarding genre of photography.
Click Below to read a comprehensive guide to learning and mastering the art of portrait photography.
How To Take Low-Key Portraits With Light
It is crucial to carefully examine where you want the light to fall because very little will be visible in the image. You should be aware of illumination and elimination to get the most out of your low key shot. Remember that a black background is necessary for low-key photography. To take some interesting light low key portraits, here are simple tips for you.
- The simplest technique to get a dark background is to use a black backdrop.
- Make sure the light is reaching your subject correctly if you are utilizing an isolated source of light.
- You just need to keep your subject in focus. The backdrop will appear darker the less light it receives.
- Try to maintain your ISO as low as you can. This will remove image noise, which is important because you don’t want to be capturing too much light.
- Then, use your subject as a model to start clicking portraits.
Considering you want to capture good low-key light portraits, the best technique to follow is given below.
Use Rembrandt Lighting
Rembrandt lighting is a type of lighting in which the subject’s dark side is illuminated by a triangle of light. This results in photographs that are dimly lit and have a range of intriguing forms and textures. The best way to use Rembrandt’s light in photography is with one light source. When shooting low-key scenes with just one light, it’s crucial to watch out for underexposure and change your camera settings accordingly.
You have to balance the settings according to the current situation. You just need to remember that Rembrandt lighting is one of the few lighting strategies that can be used effectively with just one light source.
Black And White Technique Always Works
When taking low-key photographs, black and white is a common color palette to use. Underlit photos can become more fascinating in black and white because the small amounts of light naturally call attention to themselves in contrast to the black, which naturally emphasizes the contrast between light and dark. You can take those well-captured photos to your studio for final editing.
Editing Your Low Key Light Portraits
When taking low-key pictures, editing and post-processing are crucial. When you shoot in low light, you run the danger of getting photos that are poorly lit and underexposed. Using the right photo editing software, you may adjust unassuming pictures to make them clear but still dramatic and moody. Don’t worry if some of your backdrops do appear; this may be fixed in post-production by using a brush tool and darkening the levels.
Professional Tips And Ideas For Low Light Shooting
1. Use A Fast Lens For The Operation
A fast camera lens gathers more light, thereby allowing you to shoot the images at a higher shutter speed. It also allows operation at a lower ISO, paramount in preventing image noise. Therefore, employ a fast lens for sharp low-light shots. You can learn more about the best Camera Lenses For Photography, When To Use Which Lens? Type Of Lens.
2. Use A Sturdy Tripod
Sharp low-light photography requires a longer exposure. Thus use a sturdy tripod to prevent camera shakes.
3. Make Use Of A Flash
You can compensate for the poor lighting with your camera’s in-built flash or a Speedlight. A flash will make the work easier.
4. Be skillful
Try different settings on your camera based on your location and the degree of varying lights. Take different shots from several angles and edit them later.
5. Try Painting With Light
Painting with light is an old photography technique often done by photographers in low lighting conditions. This technique allows you to create dramatic light effects with the available light in the scene. You will need to set a long-duration exposure and directly add artificial light using a flash or a continuous light source to the scene.
You can learn more about this in our article How To Do Light Painting Photography? Easy Ideas To Start With.
Differences Between High-Key And Low-Key
The low-key portraits are gloomy and have minimal light. High-key portraits, on the other hand, are vivid and well-lit. Bright high-key lighting virtually eliminates blacks and mid tones. Such portraits are cheery, optimistic, young, and straightforward, making them ideal for wedding, newborn, and fashion photography. Low-key portraits are characterized by intense blacks, deeper tones, and shadows.
Whites and midtones are scarce in them. These portraits are dark and spooky, with lots of shadows because the light is diminished. For portraits and commercial photography, low-key photography is ideal. It is black-and-white photography that is subtle and always looks fantastic.
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How To Setup Low Key Lighting
Side-lighting your subject instead of lighting it from the front will work much better to achieve excellent contrast in your low-key photographs. Remember that, there is no “right” side to shoot from. Within portraiture photography, you can find that your subject has a strong preference or opinion on which side or perspective you should shoot from.
Never assume anything; instead, pay attention to and consider your subject’s fears. Low-key photography works incredibly well to cover up any unique markings, scars, birthmarks, or blemishes. Not to mention that practically everyone has a particular “good” side or perspective from which they would love to be taken. To get good photos, you need.
- The camera.
- Optional tripod (or stable surface).
- A single light source (natural or artificial).
- A dark or black background.
The specific camera settings you use will depend on you as the photographer. You have control over this. To capture the most light, we advise starting with a low F/number and adjusting as necessary. It is better to utilize faster shutter speeds for low-key images, depending on the type of light you are utilizing, especially if you are using triggers.