5
CHAPTER
NIGHT AND LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY / Weddings, Concerts, and
Other Events
- Double-check the images. Periodically,
check to see if the images are being recorded
as you want them to be using the LCD on the
back of the camera.
Knowing how your camera operates makes this
process a lot easier. Because you are working in
the dark and time is of the essence, knowing how
to change the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture by
touch saves time. Practice by holding your cam-
era up to your eye and adjusting the ISO from
1600 to 3200 without looking, and then practice
adjusting the shutter speed. - Watch how the lights change. Now as you
shoot the show, watch the lights, specifically
the ones that are actually illuminating what
you are photographing. It doesn’t matter
exposure-wise if the background or fore-
ground lights change, unless they are illumi-
nating the subject. If they are not, then they
don’t have to be dealt with. Take, for exam-
ple, the lights that are behind guitarist Billy
Morrison in Figure 5-16. They were solid
white as they pointed forward, but because
they were not affecting the light on Billy, I
didn’t worry about them.
ABOUT THIS PHOTO Billy Morrison on guitar during the Billy Idol concert. He is being lit from the front, and those spotlights in the back-
ground don’t matter. Taken at 1/160 second, f/2.8, and ISO 1600.
5-16