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Settings for Low-Light Photography Without a Flash

As the sun begins to recede below the horizon, most photographers pack up their gear and call it a day. The same is true when entering a dimly lit museum, dark cave or a candlelit room. While most use a flash to illuminate a dark scene or subject, this can spoil the mood and result in an overly contrasty shot. Many museum forbid flash photography because the harsh light can damage paint. Learn your camera's exposure settings thoroughly to avoid flash and make the most of the available light.

Sensor Sensitivity (ISO)
- ISO adjustment is an essential part of low-light photography
  
  In modern digital cameras, the sensor screen takes the place of the 35mm film frame. Just as you can switch to a faster, more light-sensitive film when moving into a low-light area, you can increase the sensitivity of your camera's digital sensor. The sensor's sensitivity is referred to as its ISO, and most cameras offer a maximum of 3200 or 6400. At this sensitivity, a subject can be photographed regardless of lighting conditions. To reduce the amount of noise in your resulting image, start with an ISO of 800 or 1600. These will allow you to use fast shutter speeds or a smaller aperture while preserving the quality of your image.
Aperture
- Your aperture, or the size of your lens' diaphragm opening, determines how much light is allowed to pass through to the sensor. At a wide opening like f/2, the lens diaphragm is almost completely open, allowing a large amount of light to pass through. At a narrow opening such as f/16 or f/22, light trickles through to the sensor. In dark lighting, it is wise to begin with a wide aperture such as f/2.8 or f/4, as this will let in enough light to allow for a fast shutter speed. Keep in mind that wide apertures create a shallower depth of field, or range of effective focus. This means that the area in front of and behind your in-focus subject will be blurred.
Shutter Speed
- Experiment with slow shutter speeds at night to create colorful abstract shots.
  
  Like aperture, the speed of your camera's shutter is another way of mediating how much light is let into the camera. The slower this speed is, the more light is allowed to reach the sensor; the faster this speed is, the less light is allowed. As a general rule in low light, you should begin with a shutter speed that is equal or close to the focal length of your lens. For example, if you have a 35mm lens mounted, you might select a shutter speed of 1/30th of a second. This will allow you to shoot sharp, properly exposed images with less chance of blur due to camera shake.
RAW Format
- According to the Cambridge In Colour website, a digital RAW file is equivalent to a 35mm film negative in that it contains untouched visual information straight from the camera. Images shot in RAW format are completely uncompressed -- no white-balance correction, curve or saturation adjustment, or edge sharpening is applied. When shooting in JPEG mode, these are automatically applied to your image. While JPEG mode might provide acceptable results in normal light, automatic adjustments usually overbrighten or skew the color balance in low-light images. To preserve your low-light scene as it appeared to your eye, switch to RAW mode before you start shooting. Even if the photo may not look perfect when you snap it, RAW preserves more digital information for manipulating later. Not all digital cameras include RAW functionality.

Photography