Shooting under less-than-ideal conditions

Hello again!

I often get asked about lighting. Lighting can make or break a photograph. Two identical photographs taken under different lighting situations can create two separate moods.

In first semester photography, you basically learn two forms of light:

1 ambeint, or "available" light

and

2. Flash.

But sometimes, "available light" isn't, and flash is a no-no. Consider a dimly lit church where the preacher says "NO FLASH!"

In my line of work, it's unacceptable to say, "Gosh, well I guess I'll just go home".

These are the challenges that make you stretch and grow as a photographer, until one day you can meet these challenges with an affirmative "no problem!"....although sometimes we grumble under our breath just a little bit.

I rarely use packed-in lighthing during a church wedding. Not only because it can ruin the sanctity that many brides and grooms place on such a ceremony, but it also yanks away the very mood and emotion you were trying to capture.

Take this photo:

Had the photographer (well, that would be me) blasted them with frontal, artificial light, the mood of the photo wouldn't be the same. With ambeint light, the viewer is focused on the bride, and her gaze into her groom's eyes...no shadows, no red-eye, no hot spots.

"But it's dark in there!"

Yes, some churches can be dimly lit, which can present its own set of challenges. If you are serious about the business, invest in some faster glass (such as f/1.4, f/1.8, or f/2.8 lenses). They are pricey, yet priceless in tight situations where you have no other option.

Invest in a monopod. Even an inexpensive monopod (just make sure it's rated for DSLR camera, as they're quite a bit heavier) will help immensely with stabilization and reduce the shutter speed at which you can feasibly utilize. No one wants blurry wedding photos! Remember to keep that shutter speed at or above your focal length.For example, if you are using a 200mm lens, make sure your shutter speed is no slower than 1/200 second. You can shoot a little bit slower if you use a tripod/monopod and your subject is stationary (like a wedding cake rather than people). But this is a good rule of thumb.

Also, don't forget to use the higher ISO settings! Some cameras have an "auto ISO" setting that will choose the best ISO for you, defaulting to the lowest necessary ISO for a properly exposed image. This setting is best if you may be toggling lighting situations, or mixing some flash images with ambient lighting images.

If strobes can be used, try getting them off of your hot shoe, or bouncing them off of ceilings, walls, or reflectors. If you have distance between you and your subject, you may want to light your subject closer-up, while you step back. You can achieve this with optic or radio slaves. Nikon offers a good Creative Lighting System (CLS) for their dedicated Speedlights. Have someone hold them, or put them on a tripod to light your subject while you shoot from a distance:

All in all, poorly lit situations shouldn't stop you from being your best. Monopods, tripods, fast lenses, high ISOs are all there to accomplish these feats.

Bring on the dungeons of the world! I'm ready to shoot!