Photographing technique at Night

Look at the picture next, looks familiar right? Is your last vacation photos look like this? Yes this is typical of the general picture we get at night on the automatic setting using the flash: the subject is brightly lit with a dark background. Let us learn better techniques for images like this do not happen again.

To get the best photos during the day with limited light conditions almost impossible. You have to prioritize some things and maybe lose a few other things. You have to make many compromises. What we try is to maximize the shooting in this unfortunate situation.

Basic Idea 

I can understand if this time you have with your favorite camera and wanted to get practice. But first you must understand the following things first. In your flash photography with responsibility for two areas of exposure. Already you remember? Two areas of exposure. Bring coffee and nuts to the front of your computer as this will be a long discussion.  

• We discuss one by one:

  The first exposure is the exposure of the foreground, the area covered by your flash light. Effective distance of up to approximately 2 to 3 meters depending on your camera's flash. Light dark region depended on the strength of your flash. You should open the aperture is large enough so that your flash does not work too hard. You may just want a fairly small aperture in order to gain space wider sharp but please remember that it means you can reduce the effective flash range. Each flash has a maximum power limit and could not be brighter again. If you find the foreground of your photo can not be brighter than ever the possibility of flash you are 'stuck', you should give in and open the aperture becomes larger. If the diaphragm is fixed could not be any bigger then you would not want to raise the ISO. This is a compromise, you lose something to get something else.

  The second exposure is the exposure of the background, ie areas that are no longer covered by your flash light. This area may be illuminated by the lights of the room, light candles or even moonlight each different intensity. If the background is not illuminated by any light source so you can directly photographed. If the background has a light source so we can adjust the light dark. The amount of light that illuminates the intensity of the background will affect the final result of our photos. Light dark areas can be controlled by slowing the shutter speed of our camera. The slower the shutter speed the more light background (this is what we want) but it also means more prone to movement or subject movement shocks both our own hands. Slightest jolt can cause the picture to blur (this is what we do not want).  

Yup, you have to compromise in this regard. You can not win in both. What you should look for is a fairly bright background and photos that do not blur. Maybe you need to fix the position of the foot and how to hold the camera so that you are more rigid, hold the breath if necessary.Now we go to practice. I accidentally split between pocket camera (compact cameras) with a DSLR with a built-in flash and DSLR with external flash. All use similar techniques only differ in several stages. I require you to read everything.

• DSLR Cameras with Built-In Flash

Taking photos at night with a DSLR camera with a built-in flash also uses slow shutter technique, ie the same way with pocket cameras except in step number (6). In lieu of step (6) that is looking into the LCD screen, is that you have to adjust the exposure by looking into the camera metering (metering mode switch matrix). Make sure the flash was in full automatic mode (TTL).

Set the shutter speed to 1 / 30 and watch your metering needle, be sure to designate a number smaller than zero and around the figures minus one to minus two. If it turns out the needle showed a smaller number than that then Slow shutter speed. When the shutter speed is too slow (eg 1 / 15 sec) then return the shutter speed to 1 / 30 and raise the ISO. Repeat this step until the needle metering is between minus one and minus two. Take a sample photo as an example. Repeat the above steps (if necessary) until you get the balance between foreground and background according to taste. I personally like the exposure of the background on the position minus one as long as conditions permit.

• DSLR Camera with External Flash

With an external flash then you have the best chance. Used the same technique with the technique of shooting in a DSLR camera with a built-in flash, except that you change the direction of the muzzle of your external flash to the ceiling above your head. This technique is known as the bounce flash technique (reflected flash). By bouncing the light flash to the ceiling will change the nature of light flash that was small became Berpenampang Berpenampang large.  

And a large cross section of the light source produces a softer light evenly, that's the key. Just make sure that your ceiling is white to light reflections remain neutral.If the room where you shoot turned out to have ceilings that are not neutral color (red, brown, etc.), the ceiling was too high or you are outdoors so you can not bounce flash technique. The best thing to do is return the muzzle flash forwards and flash back to the direct technique with a slow shutter.Correcting ColorUsing the above techniques may still leaves one problem is the color spots in the foreground compared to background.  

This is due to differences in color temperature between the flash and the lights of the room. When the room lights are incandescent lamps of this type then the background image will be colored yellow while the room when the light from the fluorescent lamp type background photo will be greenish.We need to do is equate the foreground color of light with light color background and let the white balance correction to normalize both at once for us. Sounds great right?Gel and how to installFor that we need the help of objects whose names gels. No, not a gel that children eat or are worn in the hair.  

Gel in question is a kind of translucent colored plastic that you can buy in the store photographic equipment. There are many colors available but we need only the orange and green. Orange gel we use in the room with incandescent lighting and a green gel for a room with fluorescent lights.Practice it is very easy. Attach the gel corresponding to the type of lights in the room on your muzzle flash.  

You can find these types of lights with ease, by looking at photographs taken with slow shutter technique. If it shows an orange background means the room using incandescent bulbs and you just attach the orange gel, whereas when the room using green fluorescent light and you please attach a green gel. Next, you must change the white balance to the appropriate type of lamp and finished the installation process, you just take pictures.Taking photos at night with flash is always challenging. Every place, every location, every room has the characteristics of each of which requires us to immediately adapt. Frequent practice in order to form a reflex. 

Happy shooting. http://alanhendrawanphotography.blogspot.com/