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CHAPTER
NIGHT AND LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY / All About Light and Exposure

The frustrating part of photographing in low light

is when you use an exposure setting that gives

control of the shutter speed to the camera, such

as auto mode or aperture priority mode. In these

modes, the camera uses the built-in light meter to

determine the shutter speed needed to get a

proper exposure, but at times these shutter speeds

are not what you want. Many times the shutter

speed will be too slow and the image will be

blurry and out of focus.

Shutter speeds are usually described as a fraction

of a second, like 1/60 second or 1/200 second.

When it comes to shooting at night or in very

low light, your shutter speed might be described

in full seconds or in minutes and seconds.

When you leave the shutter open for a long

period of time, not only does it allow more light

to reach the sensor, but it can also show how an

object moved during that time. This is a key part

the sensor. The shutter speed is also the setting

that is used to show motion in your images. If the

subject is moving while the shutter is open, then

the subject is blurred.

It is really important to use a shutter speed that

shows the movement in the way you want. A fast

shutter speed freezes the action. So, for example,

to freeze the action of a basketball player drib-

bling down the court, you will need a shutter

speed of at least 1/500 second. To get that shutter

speed in low light, the ISO needs to be pushed

way up, possibly as high as 3200 (if your camera

offers it). You are likely to need an aperture

around f/2.8.

Exposure Settings

Setting the exposure on your camera is a very
simple process that can take a few minutes to
understand and a lifetime to master. There are
three settings that you can adjust to control the
exposure: the shutter speed, the aperture, and the
ISO.

The exposure settings are described mathemati-
cally, with the proper exposure having an expo-
sure value (EV) of 0. Images that are too light are
overexposed and have a positive value, while the
images that are too dark are underexposed and
have a negative value.

The amount an image is over- or underexposed is
described in stops. A stop is exactly half as much
light or twice as much light. If you are wondering
how something can be both half and double, it is
because a stop is a way to describe the change in
the amount of light that reaches the sensor when
adjusting the shutter speed or aperture. So, if the
image is underexposed by –1, then it is underex-
posed by 1 stop, and twice as much light would
need to reach the sensor to get an exposure value
of 0.

When you adjust the exposure, you can adjust the
shutter speed, aperture, and ISO by parts of a stop,
usually set in the camera as 1/3 or 1/2 of a stop.
This allows you to fine-tune the exposure by
using small adjustments and not just full stops.
You can check your manual to find out how to set
this on your camera.

Shutter speed

The shutter speed setting specifies the amount of
time that the shutter is moved out of the way,
allowing light to reach the camera’s sensor. The
longer the shutter is open, the more light is
allowed to reach the sensor; the shorter the time
the shutter is open, the less light is able to reach

Can’t get the settings you need to

freeze the action? Consider that a

slower shutter speed will show the motion as a blur and

can add a real sense of movement to an image.

tip