Night and Low-light Photography Photo Workshop

automatically and has to work with what is there.

This chapter shows you how to work with the

available light and get the results you want includ-

ing when to push the ISO higher and when you

can use slower shutter speeds.

WEDDINGS

Being a wedding photographer is a tough combi-

nation of jobs. You need to be able to shoot por-

traits and events, and stay organized, friendly, and

outgoing the whole time. You also have to deal

with multiple subjects in multiple locations and

There is certainly a thrill to capturing live events
as they unfold right in front of you (as in Figure
5-1) — be they weddings, concerts, plays, or even
the action at the local fair. However, these events
are likely to take place at night or in low-light sit-
uations. Often photographers become frustrated
when trying to shoot these types of events for the
first time and the results are not what they expect.
The problem is that these events take place in
venues where the amount of light is deceptively
low. What happens is that your eyes adjust to the
amount of light and the scene looks well lit to
you, but the camera doesn’t adjust to the light

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Social Distortion front man Mike Ness performing. While photographing at clubs can be really tough work with
the changing lights and restricted access, with the right settings and good timing, you can capture great images. Taken at 1/160 second, f/2.8,
and ISO 1600.

5-1