Shooting indoors without flash setting. How to shoot without a flash in low light
When buying your first SLR camera, you have a great opportunity do first of all high quality photos V low light. It can be shooting at home, in a cafe at a holiday, on graduation party your children, or at an event in a large hall.
But in most cases, even if you buy an expensive camera, you still indoor photos are dull, blurry and indistinct. How to avoid it? How to set up your camera to take great pictures? This is exactly what we will talk about in this article.
Indoor photography can be divided into two categories: With flash (external) and without flash. Each category has its own advantages And flaws. Let's take a closer look:
Photo indoors without flash
This is the first thing that an amateur photographer encounters when buying reflex camera. After all, there is no external flash yet, and the built-in one only spoils the frame, makes it look “as if from a soapbox”.
Therefore, to get great shots, you need to do the following:
— Maximum open diaphragm. Those. if you have a Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105 mm F lens 3.5-5.6 , try to keep the f/ value as low as possible (f/3.5).
- Go to settings ISO and put AUTO-ISO: 1600. This means that the camera itself will set the ISO value (light sensitivity) in the range from 100 to 1600.
- It remains to set the shutter speed correctly. If you are photographing sedentary people (who are sitting, standing, posing, etc.), feel free to set the shutter speed 1/40s — 1/60s. But if your task, for example, is to shoot children in motion, then the shutter speed should be at least 1/125 and shorter.
That's basically it. These are the basic settings you need for shooting in low light. Remember if you have pictures come out dark, then you can raise the values AUTO-ISO before 2000 or higher, as well as set a longer shutter speed, for example 1/20s — 1/10s. (but in this case, you need to keep the camera still so you don't get blurry shots due to hand shake).
The main thing is practice! Remember, if you are shooting in daytime day, try to put the subject of your shooting next to open large windows, sources of natural light. In this case, the results will be much better if the windows are covered with curtains. IN dark time day, try to turn on all kinds of lamps / chandeliers / lamps, etc. to ensure that a large amount of light hits the matrix.
How else can you improve the quality of your photos?
You must understand that even having bought a camera for 1000$ , which comes with a standard (kit) lens, you will not always get perfect shots. The reason for this is himself lens, because this is the most important part in the camera. Mostly, only the quality of your photos depends on the lens. Therefore, pay attention to fast optics. For beginners, I highly recommend purchasing illuminating fixes on 35mm f/1.8, or 50mm f/1.8, because they have a huge aperture, which will help you when shooting in dimly lit rooms, and their price of $ 200-300 will be affordable for everyone, and they also have focal lengths acceptable for shooting.
But keep in mind that using a fixed lens you will not be able to "zoom", i.e. zoom in/out. If for some reason you are not satisfied with such lenses, pay attention to fast zooms. They are much more convenient than fixes, because. save you from having to walk back and forth to zoom in / out of the subject, but have two drawbacks:
1. This price. Such lenses are much more expensive (at least 5 times) than regular 35/55mm primes.
2. Aperture. All existing zoom lenses currently have f/2.8 aperture.
Photo indoors with flash
No matter how much you love photography no flash, even with professional high-aperture optics, there is not always enough lighting to make a good shot. For example, in this photo taken in indoors, you can’t do without a flash, although it was shot with a professional fast zoom lens Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8, worth more than $ 1800:
I would like to immediately note that the flash is not meant to be built-in, but purchased separately - external flash. Only with it you can achieve excellent result evenly illuminating the subject. When shooting with external flash the following settings should be set:
- Shooting mode: aperture priority (A- in Nikon models, Av- in Canon models on the mode dial). This mode allows us to adjust only the aperture, and the camera sets the shutter speed itself.
- If you are not yet well versed in ISO settings, you should set AUTO-ISO: 800, or even less, because when shooting with flash, you do not need high ISO values.
— Expose flash power. This is done on the flash itself with the more / less buttons, i.e. if you get dark pictures, set the pulse power to plus (+), if strongly overexposed - to minus (-).
We figured out the settings, now you need to figure it out yourself external flash photography technique. Its main advantage is swivel head, which allows you to direct the light pulse in different directions.
Always try not to aim the flash head directly at the subject, but to the side to light reflected from the nearest wall and lay down evenly on the object. You must have noticed that professional photographers, is the flash head always turned up/sideways? This is done in order to reflect light from ceiling/walls and evenly illuminate the person being photographed.
When you just can't reflect the light, i.e. there are no walls near the subject, and the ceilings are too high, pull out the reflector(white paper, available in almost all modern flashes). The light will be reflected from it and equally fall on the person.
Aim the flash head straight " head-on» stands only in those cases when you are far from the object being filmed (more than 3-4 meters).
CONCLUSION
Based on this article, it can be concluded that ideal option For photography indoors there will be availability as fast optics, and good external flash. After all, high-aperture optics allow you to take excellent shots with complete immersion in the atmosphere of the picture, i.e. "as is", the photos are alive and real. And the use of an external flash will always come in handy in those moments when the illumination of the room is extremely low and no optics is able to cope with its task.
And if combine these two methods (shooting with fast optics + external flash), you can get such wonderful shots:
Have questions about indoor photo or ? You can ask them in the comments to this article, consultations all free and free of charge! :)
28.09.2014 17428 photography tips 0
Today we will try to consider software shooting modes on an entry-level compact camera or ultrazoom. Let's make a reservation right away that this article is more intended for those who have recently picked up a camera, and do not intend to delve into complex discussions about the interchangeable lenses of DSLRs, including iso. This information will be useful for those who have a "soap box" with changeable settings, a flash that can be turned off and have a desire to photograph an unusual evening view, portrait or still life by candlelight in dark room.
The goal is to help a beginner with a budget entry-level compact camera learn how to take interesting beautiful photos in the dark (or rather, in low light conditions) without a flash. Candlelight photography is suggested as an example: probably everyone who has held a camera at least once wanted to take pictures in low light, where there is little light, but interesting objects.
Actually, the article is for those who are on the table beautiful bouquet and who, perhaps for the first time, was dissatisfied with how a photo with a flash is obtained. Or perhaps you have a beautiful burning candle, the contemplation of which directs your thoughts to the fact that it would be nice to shoot a beautiful still life or even a portrait in soft lighting.
One way or another, you have a "soap box" camera with a set of subject programs. You need to photograph the subject in the dark, or at least in low light, such as a candle-lit subject.
First, let's focus on large selection scene programs intended for evening shooting. In different cameras, they are often called differently, but are based on similar principles.
So what are they called?
night landscape(often a moon and star icon) - on most compact cameras, allows you to turn off the flash.
night portrait(often an icon of a person, asterisks above it). Be careful, night portrait most often involves using a flash along with a slow shutter speed. This mode is designed to shoot a person with a background - landscape, night sky, headlights of cars on the road. Therefore, a flash is used for the foreground - otherwise the person's face will be smeared. And for the background under such shooting conditions, clarity is not so significant.
Portrait by candlelight(candle icon, respectively). Allows you to turn off the flash. Reproduces the color of objects photographed by candlelight. That is, there will be a warm gamma.
Intelligent Mode- recognizes that you are shooting, selects the most suitable one from all the subject programs. Also allows you to turn off the flash.
Auto- works differently in different cameras. For most compact cameras, you can turn off the flash - for this there is a button where a crossed-out lightning flash is drawn, shoot in automatic mode - it will rebuild for shooting in low light conditions. No other settings are provided.
P- program mode close to automatic. You can change the white balance, iso value. Even if it is difficult for you to figure it out now, you can still safely set this setting - it is very simple, it will work no worse than automatic without your participation.
And finally, cheers! - manual setting- the same fully manual mode, which we will try to learn how to use for shooting in the dark. This mode is designated M - manual, here everything is in the power of the photographer, you yourself set the shutter speed and aperture of the camera. But the camera will tell you a lot...
Let's turn off the flash. This time. Let's find something that at first can replace our tripod. If you have a tripod, please use it. Clear pictures in the dark, when there is little light, do not happen without a tripod. However, maybe, but only in one case, we will consider it separately.
Let's put one of the night shooting modes. These are automatic modes. They can be used for photography in the dark, but with only one "but" - you need a tripod. Otherwise, everything will be blurry.
So, choose a dark corner, place a still life there. We will make the shooting conditions difficult, and even by candlelight. Read in such dark place absolutely impossible, but let's try to take pictures. Where are our story programs? We choose in turn:
night landscape
Although we do not have a landscape, but a still life, we will still photograph it in this mode.
Pretty good, but a bit dark. It is almost impossible to see what is around. But there is little noise - the photo is not full of multi-colored spots, even if you enlarge the picture. We look at the values - the shutter speed is 1/2 second, iso 200. All this was supplied to us by the program. Now let's take a picture of the same scene in the same dark room on the mode
Portrait by candlelight
It looks very similar to the previous photo (just as dark), but the values are different: the shutter speed here is 3 seconds, and iso 100. If you shot people, they would most likely turn out to be blurry - 3 seconds is too long. Again, let me remind you that all these settings are set by the camera as part of the subject program. In any scenario, without a tripod, nowhere.
Don't believe? Here you go: the same photo without a tripod
Shooting without a tripod
Let's see what else we have.
Intelligent Mode
Not available in all cameras. It differs in that you can shoot without a tripod in low light. But, unfortunately, not so bad. Without a tripod here, I repeat, you can’t do it, there will be a lot of noise. For example, let's compare two shots in fully automatic mode.
One is made from a tripod and the other is hand made. A "bad" photo has an iso (what is responsible for the noise) of 800, while a "good" photo has only 200. Guess which photo has a longer shutter speed? That's right, "good". This is about shooting in the dark without a tripod or flash, and getting clear shots. Unfortunately, this is only possible due to iso, and you can see for yourself what a rough noisy photo you get. P mode this case behaved the same way as the others, there was no visible difference.
M - manual manual mode
Here we have the brightest image. iso 100, shutter speed 2 seconds. Here we set it all ourselves, with our own hands, with the help of prompts on the camera. Take a look at the scale below. This picture will have the correct (relatively) exposure when the yellow cursor moves from -2 to 0. To do this, use the buttons on the camera (now we are reading the instructions for your camera!) Change the shutter speed and aperture (they are shown in the picture red)
The letter f is aperture, we have it 2.8. And we have a shutter speed of 1 - that is, one second. Something else needs to be changed - it will not be possible to increase the aperture, this is its final value. But you can increase the exposure. That's how we got 2 seconds of exposure. we set iso 100 in advance, having studied a specific model of the camera.
Results
Let's sum up summary of our lesson on photography in low light and in general in the dark (well, not absolute, of course).
Rule one: if you want to beautiful photo- Try to shoot without a flash even in low light conditions.
Rule two: a tripod is needed. There is no way to take pictures in the dark without it. Neither portraits nor landscapes. If there is not enough light - you need a tripod!
Rule Three: watch the noise, control the iso. Well, if you haven’t dealt with it, then forget it for a while - it will remind you of itself with the effect of sanded photographs, multi-colored stains in the photograph. Don't be afraid, just try to reduce it. Even for dark photos on a compact camera, you can’t set iso more than 400, it will be ugly. However, remember that if you need to shoot in a dark room, or just in bad light, and you don’t have a tripod: a high ISO value is one of two options for getting a photo. The second option is flash.
All photographic to you!
Greetings, dear reader. I'm in touch with you, Timur Mustaev. The last article, as you remember, told about. But what to do if there is very little light, or rather, practically none? That's right, use additional light sources. But you need to do it wisely. Flash photography indoors, I will try to tell you today.
Work tool
First you need to figure out what can be useful to get a good result.
- Firstly, an external flash, and it is better if there are several of them.
- Secondly, a white card and scatterers (why they can be useful will be discussed a little later).
- Thirdly, the ability to navigate the camera settings, no matter how strange it may sound.
Here you should make a remark about the built-in flash. It's no secret that any camera can boast of such, but it's hardly possible to get a good shot with it (you'll understand why later). In general, nothing more is needed if you want to get a decent shot. For the sake of a “masterpiece”, you need to assemble a studio with a softbox, flash lamps, background and more. It's expensive and impractical. At least not in our case.
I want to warn you right away that the article is focused on using an external flash!
Process
So with necessary tools, like, sort of figured it out. Now it's time to tell you how to use it all. First of all, you should make a few "sighting" shots with and without a flash on the machine. If none of these options suits you, welcome to the "creative" modes.
Mode selection
What mode to choose? Let's think logically. In low light conditions, we operate with three parameters: , and . All of them, of course, are important, and therefore these parameters should be used together. When using shutter priority mode (S - Nikon or Tv - Canon), you need to remember that taking pictures shorter than 1/60 and longer than 1/250 second with flash is not desirable. With the first, blurs will be obtained, and with the second, many flashes are limited in synchronization and do not exceed 1/250 of a second.
The ISO parameter is not as global as the others, therefore there is no separate mode for it: you can change ISO in almost any mode if necessary. It is important to remember that it is not necessary to increase the ISO excessively when using a flash!
Therefore, a commonly used solution would be aperture priority (A - Nikon or Av - Canon). In this mode, we control the incoming light flow to the matrix using a diaphragm.
There are times when there is no time to bother with the settings, just put it on the program mode (P), set the ISO from 100 to 800, depending on the lighting and camera model, and take pictures! And it is desirable to use a diffuser, more on that later.
Where to point the flash?
This question arises immediately after its installation, provided that the flash is external. The built-in one will not work for one simple reason: it can only “shoot” directly, which is not good. Colors with it often go into cold tones, the foreground is too bright when compared to the back, hard shadows appear, probably the appearance of a “flat face” effect.
This is also true for an external flash, if you take pictures in the forehead. But it contains rotary mechanisms which allow us to achieve the desired results.
You can direct the beam of light at the ceiling or wall. Many photographers do this, but they all, as one, can tell you about the following nuances: The surface the flash is aimed at should not be too dark. If the colors on the ceiling are other than white, gray, etc. light colors, then there is a high probability that the color of the ceiling will be obtained at the photographed object. For example, if the color of the ceiling is blue, the light reflected from the flash will also take on a bluish tint, and the subject will appear in blue tones.
The height is also important for the ceiling: the lower it is, the brighter the light will be. If these rules are not followed, then the object being photographed will not be illuminated as it should, or the light will turn out to be unnatural. To work with high ceilings, you can use a diffuser, which I will talk about a little later.
Important! If the ceiling is more than 3.5 m, then pointing the flash up at the ceiling does not make sense.
It should also be remembered about the famous optical law: the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. When shooting indoors with a flash, you will always need to remember about it. It is he who makes it clear why it is not necessary to direct the flash strictly vertically upwards in some cases. It should be tilted slightly forward, but not so much as to look directly at the object. In most cases, the best option there will be an inclination of the flash, approximately 45 degrees.
white card
When shooting portraits in this way, you may notice that some facial features are too dark. This can be corrected by the so-called "white card". It will allow a small beam of light to be reflected towards the person being photographed and highlight the dark areas of his face. Some manufacturers, by the way, complete their flashes with an additional LED that can replace the white card.
A small piece of white paper, a business card, a work pass, a travel card can serve as such a device ... Anything, as long as it is plain white. There are flashes that are equipped with such useful little thing default. There, a piece of white plastic plays the role of a white card. In normal mode, it is hidden from view, but it can be easily reached using a special button on the flash.
If you don't have a white card, don't worry. On my first flash, it was not there either, and I purchased a special device, the so-called white card reflector(I also took it on Aliexpress). The picture below shows how it looks and is attached to the flash. One side is silver and the other is white, very comfortable. Worth every penny.
Why is this card sometimes so useful? Everything is very simple. When we shoot the flash up, without using a map, the entire beam of light is evenly reflected onto the subject. But when we want to shoot, for example, a person's face, then the reflected light around the eyes, under the nose, and so on, will not be sufficient, a shadow will appear. We need to reflect a small beam of light, once from the flash, to get rid of the small shadows on the face and make the pupils shine. For this purpose, the white card on the flash is used.
It reflects about 3-5% of the light from the flash, which gives the effect we want.
Using diffusers
It is possible to point the flash at the forehead of the subject only if a special diffuser is installed on it. There are different types of diffusers. They can be made of translucent plastic, this is more compact version and often used or more bulky, made from a special rag material, but more effective.
How do you understand we are talking about diffusers for an external flash!
How is it attached? Everything is again elementary simple. Plastic, looks like a cap that is attached to the edge of the flash. As for the rag, it is also put on the front of the flash and is attached to the back of it with special clips. After installation, the diffusers are kept quite stable, which does not cause discomfort when photographing.
Plastic And rag I purchased diffusers on Aliexpress, for not great cost and was satisfied. Just before buying, be sure to pay attention to whether they fit your flash model!
How to set the exposure?
For sure, if you are shooting under incandescent light, the color of your image may turn out to be with a yellow tint, or vice versa, with a bluish tint. Fixing this is quite simple: in the white balance settings, you need to select the appropriate lighting mode. If your camera focuses exclusively on Kelvins (light temperature, hence it is customary to talk about cold and warm colors), then you should remember the school physics course.
Our eye is accustomed to the fact that during the day we perceive light at 5000-6000 Kelvin, this corresponds to normal sunlight. The flash, whether built-in or external, operates at the same temperature. In a room, illuminated by incandescent lamps, giving out 3000 Kelvin of light, everything will seem more “warm”, and in an office with fluorescent lighting, on the contrary, it will be “cold”.
So, in order to adjust the white balance to work in the first case, you need to lower the color temperature, and in the second - raise it. Then the picture will be normal under any circumstances. Of course, there is an easier option: turn on the machine gun and take a few "zero" shots, preferably on a white background. I advise you the last option, since the device will automatically set everything up much faster and fewer moments will be lost.
Well, still try to set the white balance in accordance with the lighting. If the light of a fluorescent lamp is used indoors, then also set the camera settings - fluorescent lamp, if the room uses an incandescent lamp, similar settings must be made in the white balance settings in the camera, that is, set - incandescent lamp.
White balance is easy to edit, provided you're shooting in RAW and not JPEG. For example, all this can be easily corrected in the LIghtroom editor. A very good editor, which is used by many photographers, including myself. If you know little about it or understand it poorly, then one of the best and proven video courses is to your aid " Lightroom wizard. Secrets of high-speed photo processing».
If you are interested in a more in-depth study of your camera in a visual form, want to figure out what it can and is like, then study the course " Digital SLR for beginners 2.0". You will open your eyes to many features of your camera that you never even imagined. You will learn not just to take pictures, but to create masterpieces.
Finally, I just want to remind you that all the techniques described here have been personally tested by me.
Thank you for staying with me, I really appreciate it, and I understand that my work is not without trace. Tell your friends about my blog and encourage them to subscribe to it, there are a lot of interesting articles ahead of you. See you later!
All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.
Have you or anyone you know ever thought about selling or renting a property? Whether it is a house, apartment, restaurant or hotel; The secret to a successful sale lies in compelling photos with the right composition. Here you will find some tips on how to successfully photograph light, bright interiors with the exterior visible through the window. You will learn how to combine images so that the finished photographs have a clear and perfectly balanced appearance and inner space your rooms.
Difficulties in photography interiors
Here's what it looks like when you expose through the interior of the room.
And this is the result of exposure to the exterior, that is, to the situation outside the window.
This a big problem, is not it? On very rare occasions, you can get a well-balanced shot of a room's interior while keeping the windows clear. The trick is to take multiple exposures of the room and then combine them to get a crisp, evenly exposed photo.
This is what the final photo should look like.
Necessary equipment for photography of interiors or real estate
Here's what you'll need for interior photography:
- DSLR camera with automatic bracketing function (available in any DSLR);
- Tripod - I prefer to use a tripod with a level on the head to keep the horizon level;
- Wide-angle lens - depending on the camera sensor, use the most wide angle lens which you have in stock;
- A remote shutter release is an optional, but useful accessory that will prevent camera shake (and ultimately blur) that occurs when you press the shutter release.
Quick and Easy Steps to Achieve a Perfectly Exposed Shot
First of all, it is recommended to do a little preparation of the rooms you want to photograph. Organized objects and cleanliness will definitely make the photos better. You can bring some flowers or a fruit basket to make the space feel cozier and more inviting. By removing unnecessary things from the floor, you will make the room more spacious.
There is no need to do repairs or rearrangements, but definitely a little advance planning will make the photos look more professional. Sometimes it's enough to move a few small items Or move them to another room. Turn on all the lights you think will add depth to the room and open the curtains and blinds. I always like to show the view from the window, but if it is not very attractive, then it is better to partially close the window blinds.
A wide-angle lens is best suited for this kind of shooting because you need to fit as much of the room into the frame as possible. I often find that shooting from the corner of a room and framing three walls gives the viewer a greater sense of the size of the room. Sometimes shooting from a doorway also works well if the room is small.
Often you have to shrink to squeeze yourself behind a tripod. I sometimes take very strange poses to get the perfect shot. For this type of photography, you might want to develop some acrobatic skills. Walk around the room in search of the best viewing angle, which will display the advantageous characteristics of the room. Also try not to take pictures right at the window. On the contrary, if possible, try to shoot at an angle.
Settings And shooting
You should mount your camera on a tripod and take pictures at waist level, not at eye level. Verticals should be straight, and by lowering the camera and shooting straight ahead, you will get the best composition under the best angle. Look at the view from the camera and make sure the vertical lines are straight by looking at cabinets and tall furniture.
Set the auto bracketing (AEB) function to take multiple shots. Depending on the amount of light in each room, you will need to take 3 to 9 bracketed exposures with 1 to 1.5 steps between each. I prefer to use natural light, so it is important to choose a daylight time for shooting. Generally, the more light you have in a room, the more shots you will need.
The remote shutter release ensures that the camera does not move during bracketing. You need to take pictures quickly, and if you do not use the remote control, then the camera should be as stable as possible.
Stitching pictures taken with different exposures (HDR technology)
There are several techniques for combining your bracketed shots. Personally, I use Photomatix Pro 5. I like the results that I can achieve with minimal settings and still get good quality for a short time.
You can search other HDR software and choose the one that suits your budget. Usually you get a trial period or watermarked test version. This will give you the opportunity to try the program on your own pictures and see if you like the result before making a purchase. Latest Versions popular programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom also have a fusion function for HDR processing and tonal transformation.
Your photos are ready when you see that the room is evenly exposed and you can clearly see the exterior from the window.
Conclusion
Enjoy experimenting with photography and show your friends and family what beautiful and professional interior photos you have taken! They may ask you to take pictures of their property when they plan to sell or rent it.
When shooting indoors, there is often a problem with insufficient lighting. To get a normal exposure, you need to use slower shutter speeds or additional light sources. But there are other ways to get a well-exposed shot without blur when shooting handheld.
Manual white balance
Now there are a lot various types lamps that light up our homes. Sometimes they are combined in one room. In such cases, the camera may not be able to handle automatic tuning white balance and the picture will turn out with an admixture of unpleasant shades. Cameras allow you to adjust the white balance according to specific criteria or according to the map.
Sensor light sensitivity
When it is no longer possible to increase the shutter speed, it is necessary to increase the sensitivity of the sensor. Each camera has its own perceptible noise threshold. Professional full-frame models have a very high light sensitivity bar, and cameras with a crop sensor begin to "noise" much earlier.
Typically, an ISO value of 1600 is fine for most cameras and significantly reduces the required shutter speed, allowing you to shoot blur-free handheld shots. The image stabilizer is also important. It makes it possible to increase the shutter speed by one or more stops (depending on the technology and class of the camera).
Shadow detail
If you are shooting on a sunny day close to a window, bright highlights and harsh shadows will create a high contrast with an inevitable loss of detail in the shadows. Nikon's Active D-Lighting or Canon's Auto Lighting Optimizer will brighten shadows and pull out detail. Of course, a flash that works in fill mode or with a reflector, softbox, or simply on reflection from a wall or ceiling is also suitable for highlighting shadows.
