9 Essential Tips to Conquer Available Light Photography

Natural light is the gift to photographers that we must never take for granted. When I am asked for one piece of advice I would give it is always find the light and then look for a subject. When I am travelling with my camera, as I am now, currently I am in Cambodia, I always move towards the light, put me in a market, a temple, a bar, in the jungle, wherever it doesn’t matter the thing I look for is the light. My great friend David Constantine always gets up at 5.30 when he is travelling just to be out when the light first arrives, you may remember his remarkable portraits taken from his wheel chair. If he can get his act together at first light so should we all when photography is out aim.

Here Jason Little writing on Lighstalking makes some very valid points about using natural light.

In some instances, we set the challenges for ourselves: to complete a 365 project, to refine our panning technique, to shoot portraits of strangers. Generally speaking, accomplishing these goals simply requires healthy doses of discipline, patience, and courage. Other times, challenges arise as a matter of circumstance; there is no shortage of things that could possibly go wrong or get in the way of getting the perfect shot. One of the obstacles that so often rears its ugly head is that of having to shoot in low light.

Here are the first of Jason’s tips

Available light photography (also referred to as low light photography) really is exactly what it sounds like: taking photographs using nothing but whatever light source is present at the moment (which is why there are some who will argue that shooting in the midday sun also constitutes available light photography; but for the sake of this discussion, I am on the side of those who define available light as low light).
You are bound to find yourself in a situation where the use of flash is prohibited or when you are out and about with just your camera, no extraneous gear; you cannot, in good conscience, pass up a shot due to any manner of external limitation. In fact, I am willing to bet that you will grow to appreciate the allure of available light photography, so long as you stick with it and learn some techniques to help you overcome the trepidation associated with using your camera in less than ideal environments. Thus, I present to those who may be feeling a bit apprehensive, a series of practical tips that you can hopefully call upon the next time a low light photography opportunity presents itself.
Use a fast lens. A fast lens is one with a larger aperture such as f/1.4; it is important to allow as much light as possible to hit the camera’s sensor and large apertures help accomplish this.
Use a prime lens. Prime lenses are typically faster than zoom lenses and tend to exhibit less flare, which is a significant consideration when shooting into the light.
Boost your ISO. Most DSLRs produce great results at ISO 3200 and many can easily do the same at ISO 6400 and higher. Don’t be afraid of a little noise; you can either deal with it in post or…just forget about it. A truly great shot will command attention and no one will even care about the amount of noise present, if they even notice it at all.

Read the rest of his tips here

Pictures of the Week: February 1, 2013

The always excellent Denver Post brings another selection of images from the week. I try to show a mix of the hopeful, happy and tragic, this week’s offering is mostly the latter, sign of the times?

A woman sits prayerfully while her head is shaved to mourn the late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk ahead of his funeral, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The body of Sihanouk who died on Oct. 15, 2012 at age 89, is scheduled to be cremated on Feb. 4, 2013.

Girls cry in front of a makeshift memorial outside the Kiss nightclub where a fire killed over 230 people in Santa Maria, Brazil, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. The repercussions of a tragic nightclub fire in southern Brazil widened Tuesday as mayors around the country cracked down on such venues in their own cities and investigators searched two other nightspots owned by a partner in the club that caught ablaze. Most of the dead were college students 18 to 21 years old, but they also included some minors.

Pictures of the Week is a Denver Post Plog that gathers the strongest photojournalism from around the world.

A young newly initiated ‘Naga Sadhu’ sits after performing evening rituals at the Akhara camp during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad on January 29, 2013. During every Kumbh Mela, the diksha – ritual of initiation by a guru – program for new members takes place. AFP PHOTO/ Sanjay KANOJIA #

An Egyptian protester evacuates an injured boy during clashes near Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Two years after Egypt’s revolution began, the country’s schism was on display Friday as the mainly liberal and secular opposition held rallies saying the goals of the pro-democracy uprising have not been met and denouncing Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) #

Roger Barnes rescues a friend’s surfboard from a flooded home in the inner Brisbane suburb of Newmarket on January 28, 2013 as high winds and heavy rains brought by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald have hit the state of Queensland. Helicopters plucked dozens of stranded Australians to safety in dramatic rooftop rescues on January 28 as severe floods swept the northeast, killing three people and inundating thousands of homes. AFP PHOTO / Patrick HAMILTON #

Matt Gone poses before the opening of the Expotattoo Venezuela 2013 in Caracas, on January 24, 2013. The event will be held in Caracas five more days. AFP PHOTO/JUAN BARRETO #

An Afghan girl looks out of her window near an open classroom on the outskirts of Jalalabad on January 30, 2013. Afghanistan has had only rare moments of peace over the past 30 years, its education system being undermined by the Soviet invasion of 1979, a civil war in the 1990s and five years of Taliban rule. AFP PHOTO/ Noorullah Shirzada #

See the full gallery here

Night Scavengers of Cambodia

From The Denver Post photo blogs, a photo story from 2011

Cambodians work late into the night recycling garbage as fires burn at the local garbage dump in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Many children work part time in the dump to help support their families while attending school during the day. While Siem Reap’s ancient temples boost massive tourism attracting millions of visitors still 28.3% of Cambodians live on less than $1.25 per day according to a 2011 UNDP Human Development Report.

An estimated 36 per cent of Cambodia’s 14.2 million people live below the poverty line and about 85 per cent of these live in rural areas.

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Cambodians work late into the night recycling garbage as fires burn at the local garbage dump in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Many children work part time in the dump to help support their families while attending school during the day. While Siem Reap’s ancient temples boost massive tourism attracting millions of visitors still 28.3% of Cambodians live on less than $1.25 per day according to a 2011 UNDP Human Development Report. An estimated 36 per cent of Cambodia’s 14.2 million people live below the poverty line and about 85 per cent of these live in rural areas. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images) #

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Young boys work late into the night recycling garbage at the local garbage dump in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Many children work part time in the dump to help support their families while attending school during the day. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images) #

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Young boys work late into the night recycling garbage at the local garbage dump in Siem Reap, Cambodia. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images) #

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