Shooting in low light without using flash

Why shoot without flash?

It just looks better! Demotix has had feedback from clients saying that the likelihood of your night-time images selling is much higher if you do away with the harsh, unnatural light from the flash.

Eritrean Coptic Christians celebrating in Bethlehem, Palestine - Zachary Bennett

Can I do this with any camera?

This can be difficult to achieve if you are new to shooting with an SLR or don’t have an SLR available. So, don't feel obliged to follow this advice unless you are comfortable doing so and have the appropriate equipment.

With all that said, here are some suggestions from my experiences of shooting in the field.

Avoiding motion blur

The most important thing to consider while shooting at night is motion blur. This can occur if you move your camera while shooting or if your subjects are moving, which is generally the case in photojournalism. Obviously it’s not always convenient to bring a tripod, especially if you are at a protest or running to capture the moment.

Police contain Congolese demonstrators at Downing Street - Alex Milan Tracy

One immediate answer to this problem is stability on the photographer's end. For this you can use several things:

1. A street-side trashcan
2. A bench
3. The ground
4. The edge of a building or structure.

Any of the above options will help you stabilize your camera.

Motor drive mode

If your camera has a motor drive mode, this is a good time to use it. Motor driving is a continuous shooting mode and can also be called burst or continuous in your camera's menu. This mode will take several pictures in a rapid sequence each time you press the shutter button.

It is likely that your subjects will be moving quite quickly, so motor drive your camera for each moment you would like to capture. If you are lucky, one or more of the images from the series will come out with little or no motion blur.

A memorial to former Czech President Vaclav Havel in Prague - František Géla

Camera Settings

Here are some of the more technical things to consider for shooting in the dark. All of these camera settings and choices can have a negative effect on your images, so it’s crucial to find the ‘sweet spot’ while balancing these three settings

1. ISO: the higher your ISO, the lower the light level you can shoot in. At night, you should set this as high as you can without seeing drastic grain. On some newer Nikons and Canons you can shoot at quite high ISO settings and still have saleable images.

   Remember, the higher the ISO, the more grain will be visible in the image. Grain is also called ‘noise’ and no photo editor wants to run a ‘noisy’ image, unless it’s the only image available of an important news event.

2. Aperture: this is a fantastic way to balance your low light images. Buying lenses with a 1.2-2.8 aperture setting can be expensive, but if your lens is capable of reaching these low numbers, you will be better equipped for shooting in low light.

   Remember that at lower aperture settings, less of your image will be in focus. A low aperture also makes it more difficult for your SLR to auto-focus, especially in low light. Used carefully, though, a low aperture can be your best friend in low-light situations.

3. Shutter speed – this is another crucial low-light setting. Remember that any setting below approximately 120/s will produce blur, even with your subject moving at a slow walking speed. The slower your shutter speed, the brighter your images will come out, but the greater the risk of motion blur.

   You need to find the ‘sweet spot’ - the setting where the photo is just bright enough, and you can still capture moving subjects. If you are shooting with a very slow shutter speed, you should always take several images at a time of the same subject using the motor drive mode described above.

   I like to shoot approximately 14 images over 2-3 seconds when I am shooting a demonstration using a slow shutter speed. After the shoot, when I review my photos, I should have one image without significant motion blur.

Wrap-up

These are all topics that could be discussed at great length, and they will likely take you a lot of practice to master. Just start to play with your settings if you are not already familiar with them, and eventually you will find yourself adjusting settings without needing to look at the buttons and capturing images in almost complete darkness.

Just remember, if you are certain you can’t capture something without your flash, and it’s a breaking news story, cut your losses and use the flash. Who knows, you may be the only photographer at the event, and any image is always better than no image.