If you are like a lot of other keen camera users, you probably have a sophisticated compact point-and-shoot camera that you use for most of your photography. Maybe its from a big manufacturer of cameras like Canon, or one of the electronics giants like Sony or Samsung. If it is relatively new, it most likely has a high megapixel count, not to mention a host of other features. Lastly, it probably looks pretty slim and sexy to boot!
Although you have all these fabulous features, you may be puzzled, disappointed or frustrated at your inability to take a quality photo at night or in low-light such as indoors away from a window. You may have found that photos you take at night come out either blurry, horribly washed out by the flash, grainy/noisy, lacking in color, or all of the above.
Why is this? The fact is that almost without exception, any camera will take sharp, clear, photos in good light " such as the light outside during the middle of the day. It is much more difficult for your camera to take a photo that approximates what your eyes see when the light is dim. The primary reason for this is that in order to gather enough light to expose a bright enough photo your cameras shutter has to stay open a lot longer when the light isnt good. Because it is impossible to hold a camera completely steady with your hands alone, your photos will therefore be blurry. To get around this, you could use flash (which often looks unnatural and gives people a nasty-looking complexion) or a high ISO (which will add ugly digital noise), but these methods have their own problems.
Some tips are listed below to help you in your low-light photography:
1) When purchasing a brand new camera, make certain it offers an 'optical image stabilization' feature. This unique technology can compensate for any movements made by the person holding the camera and correct them, ensuring a quality photo.
2) Turn off the flash feature on your camera and ask your subjects to remain very still. In addition, you can try moving your subjects to better light or experiment with the Night Mode setting on your camera. This should be in the menu.
3) If the subject of your low-light photo is non- moving such as a building, try bracing the camera against something. A small tabletop tripod is easy to carry and works great, however, in a pinch, a tree or light post can serve the same purpose.
Although you have all these fabulous features, you may be puzzled, disappointed or frustrated at your inability to take a quality photo at night or in low-light such as indoors away from a window. You may have found that photos you take at night come out either blurry, horribly washed out by the flash, grainy/noisy, lacking in color, or all of the above.
Why is this? The fact is that almost without exception, any camera will take sharp, clear, photos in good light " such as the light outside during the middle of the day. It is much more difficult for your camera to take a photo that approximates what your eyes see when the light is dim. The primary reason for this is that in order to gather enough light to expose a bright enough photo your cameras shutter has to stay open a lot longer when the light isnt good. Because it is impossible to hold a camera completely steady with your hands alone, your photos will therefore be blurry. To get around this, you could use flash (which often looks unnatural and gives people a nasty-looking complexion) or a high ISO (which will add ugly digital noise), but these methods have their own problems.
Some tips are listed below to help you in your low-light photography:
1) When purchasing a brand new camera, make certain it offers an 'optical image stabilization' feature. This unique technology can compensate for any movements made by the person holding the camera and correct them, ensuring a quality photo.
2) Turn off the flash feature on your camera and ask your subjects to remain very still. In addition, you can try moving your subjects to better light or experiment with the Night Mode setting on your camera. This should be in the menu.
3) If the subject of your low-light photo is non- moving such as a building, try bracing the camera against something. A small tabletop tripod is easy to carry and works great, however, in a pinch, a tree or light post can serve the same purpose.
About the Author:
Tobias Sterling is an experience photographer who is passionate about sharing his knowledge with fellow photograpgy enthusiast. His articles including Sensual Fine Art Photography and Photographing Portrait and People can be found on Clivir.com - the free learning community.
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