 Terri S. Morris |
How to Shoot people in low or no light I'm sorry for bothering everyone but I'm very new to the whole world of taking pictures. I have just landed a new job that is going to require that I know a little bit about shooting people at night, say walking into a hotel or getting into a car. I will be pretty far away from the people maybe up to 100 yards, I need to know what kind of camera I will need and some tips on how to take theses kinds of pitcures please?!?!?!?
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Mikki Cowles |
Shooting in low light is a challenge in itself, but when you then try to zoom up, you lose even more light due to aperture/shutter adjustments to a longer focal length. Your best bets are to get physically closer to your subjects, try to get some more lighting (flashes, strobes, etc.) or explore lining up some shots with your subjects in a more controlled setting. Just my three cents,
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Terri S. Morris |
thanks for that info mikki but i'm afraid that is just not going to work. In my line of work I can only get so close and the people I am shooting can't know I am even there(It's kinda undercover if ya know what I mean) so getting closer is not really an option, so you see this is my problem.I would try flashes but this would let everyone know I am there and that's no good either. I need to know what kind of lens or equipment I need to get the best I can?? Thanks for all the help!! Thanks Terri
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Mikki Cowles |
Best of luck. I have learned that in shooting images for people who don't know that much about photography, I don't feel bad if I cannot get the shots they would like me to get. I tell them, "if I don't have light, I don't have a clear, candid, action shot of people in the dark. The word Photography itself is from several Greek words meaning, literally, "Painting with light". If you don't have light, you can't make an image, especially with moving subjects...if it was a beautiful cityscape with lovely lights, and you set your camera up on a tripod for a second or two exposure, then you would have a beautiful image. But catching a sharp image of moving subjects in the dark, well, some things are just not likely... just three more cents... Mikki
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Jon Close |
Your question implies a great lack of the knowledge needed to perform this surveilance job. Perhaps your employer would be a better source of specific advice/training. Generally, you need to use very fast film and very fast telephoto lenses (ie. big aperture, big $$$). Color print film is available only up to ISO 1600, and doesn't push well beyond 3200. You're likely to need the extra speed of Kodak T-MAX P3200 or Ilford Delta 3200 black & white films, rated and pushed to ISO 6400 or higher.
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Mikki Cowles |
BTW, you might try talking to someone in the military...I know they have the nack of capturing people candids in the dark, although from what I've seen, they tend to have a bit of a green cast...:o) Mikki
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