Theory Notes - Shooting in Low and Sun Light

Shooting in Low and Sun Light

Low Light

Low light shooting is divided into two categories:

• Natural Light (Daylight)
  
• Artificial Light (Light from lightbulbs and lamps)

Natural light often comes from daylight, light from a sunny day, in a building in the shade or early in the morning. For taking pictures in low light using film with ISO 800 film is very good because the pictures become sharper, better contrast, and the colors are brighter. The ISO 800 film is better to use for low light compared to the ISO 400 films. Tools that help when shooting in low light is fast film and fast lense. As explained a bit earlier, using ISO 800 film gives you good result. If you're taking many pictures in low light it will help with a fast lense which gives a large aperture. Photojournalists who take many pictures indoors often use a combination of fast lenses and high speed films.

The picture to the light has been taken by using both flash and natural light. The flass makes the colors a bit brighter making the picture a bit warmer.

Artificial Light can give a 'warmer' effect to the picture. Often when you are using artificial light, which is lamps and light bulbs, etc, gives you more control over how much light you want. Artifical light helps with giving light where there is little natural light.

Using day light you get more of a natural look, but using artificial light you can get a 'warmer' tint in the picture.

Shooting in Direct Sun Light

Shooting in direct sun light can make give the pictures big contrasts, blown out highlights, lens flare and colors that may look over saturated. Some solutions to not have to shoot in direct sun light is to move in to the shade, make your own shade and use fill in flash.
Move into shade: Move the subject into the shade so the pictures won't get high contrasts.
Make your own shade: If it is not able to move your subject, then you have to try and make your own shade. You can use like an umbrella or something else that will block out the sun.
Use fill in flash: Shooting in the sun may make the subject very dark and so you could improve the picture by using a flash to fill in the shadows.

In the picture above you can clearly see that the subject have become very dark and the contrast is very big.