Since the atmosphere at night is more enchanting than that during the day, the photography of night view are always more impressive.
This article introduces some simple tips and camera parameters for shooting in dim light.


1. Get the right exposure


To get the right exposure, the principle is not to destroy the atmosphere of the night. Overexposed photos are too bright, have very little detail in their highlights, and appear washed out. An underexposed image is the sort of photograph that one might consider to be too dark. The following three elements are the keys to control your exposure:
  • Aperture: The smaller the aperture, the more light, the larger the aperture, the less light.
  • Shutter speed: The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time, the more light input.
  • ISO: The ISO value represents the camera's ability to perceive light. The higher the value, the greater the exposure.


2. How to deal with the shooting in dim light



Aperture, ISO value and shutter speed are the three elements of exposure, which can be combined to produce the same amount of exposure. Whether you want to capture a moving scene with a slow shutter speed or a colorful spot with a shallow depth of field, depending on your creative intent.

Tips for shooting in dim light

With large aperture


For people who love street photography, this is a good idea. If you have a lens aperture of F /2.8 or even F /1.4, you'll have a much better shooting experience.
In addition to allowing you to get more exposure while keeping your shutter speed, a wide-aperture lens can also give your photos a nice, shallow depth-of-field effect, and you can even shoot with a low to get the high-quality picture.
In dim light, if the aperture is not large enough and you do not want to increase the ISO value to increase the noise, you can only reduce the shutter speed, which often leads to the blurring picture.

Use a tripod for a long exposure

 
This method is not suitable for street shots in dim light. If you want to photograph scenery, city view, etc., you can use this method.
To get a wide depth of field, your aperture setting should be at least F /8. The low ISO ensures good image quality, sometimes you need to make sure the camera does not vibrate during the exposure for several minutes, otherwise it will blur.

Shoot with high ISO


This method is the fastest and most effective both indoors and outdoors. Some places prohibit flash, or you do not want the flash to make your photos lifeless, increasing the ISO is an effective way.
With a high ISO, you don’t need slow down the shutter speed too much, then the pictures would be clearer, but sometimes the higher ISO can also causes noise.


3. What kind of camera is better for shooting in dim light


In general, SLRS are more sensitive than CARDS because of their larger sensor size. SLR cameras give you more leeway in dim light, giving you more combination options of shutter, aperture and ISO.

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