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

With a Conscious Eye

Our great friend David Constantine is taking part in an exhibition with Nick Danziger and Justin Partyka called With A Conscious Eye.

Over the course of his distinguished career, award-winning photographer Nick Danziger has travelled the globe documenting people in unusual or challenging circumstances, from conflict zones to political crises and impoverished inner city communities. His work in the current exhibition captures Hindu pilgrims in the throes of India’s greatest sacred rite, Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in human history.

Paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair since the age of 21, David Constantine has a unique physical and emotional perspective from which he photographs people in developing countries and communities striving to recover from conflict. His work expresses a dignified humanism; rather than seeking out photographs that are conventionally dramatic, he documents people and places in a direct yet gentle manner, resulting in images that are quietly compelling.

Closer to home, Justin Partyka presents a series of photographs that depict the lives of “the forgotten people of the flatlands” – the remnants of the agrarian community of East Anglia, who live on the margins of modern society in one of the country’s most rural and agricultural regions. His timeless images are the result of many years spent in the farmlands of the area, patiently watching how man and landscape intimately shape each other, offering a glimpse into a disappearing way of life

The exhibition is held between the 4th and 21st December at Osbourne and Samuel   23a BRUTON STREET LONDON  W1J 6QG TELEPHONE +44 (0)20 7493 7939

Here is a bit about David from the press release and some of his pictures

David Constantine studied at the Royal College of Art, London and was a keen photographer from an early age, but in 1982, aged 21, a diving accident left him paralysed from the shoulders down, unable to grip or pick up a camera. However, with help from a number of people, in particular Ian Dickens, Head of PR at Olympus Cameras and photographer Keith Barnes, he was able to start taking pictures again just over a year after the injury. Over the last 20 years, Constantine’s work has taken him to many different corners of the world, photographing subjects who are often living in hard, struggling environments. The sense of history in a place is very important to him and he tries to capture people who have lived through or are living through times of great change in their country. In 1991 he established the charity, Motivation, which provides high-quality, low-cost wheelchairs to disabled people in developing countries.  

TEDxGranta — David Constantine — The Chair That Changes Lives

My great friend and photographer David Constantine recently recorded a talk for the TED talks people at their conference at Cambridge. Here is a link to one of David’s websites where you can see his exceptional images. http://www.sittingimages.com/

Stunning Portraits from the Islamic World

There are some very nice images in this post from Lightstalking, here is what they have to say

“Anyone who is lucky enough to have travelled anywhere in the Islamic world will know it is a trove of diversity, colour and remarkable photographic opportunities. As in most travel spots, chief among the photographic opportunities are the people. We think this collection shows a good spread of what can be achieved with portraits when travelling in many places of the Islamic world and might even have you reaching for your passport.”....more pictures are here

You might also like to have a look at the web site of our great friend David Constantine, he has spent a lot of time in Afghanistan his site link is here

Click Here: Stunning Portraits from the Islamic World

David Constantine Exhibition Bristol

Tonight I am off to Bristol to go the the private view of David Constantine’s exhibition at the View gallery. If you get the chance pop along and have a look at his remarkable images, further details here

David Constantine Photography Exhibition – Bristol 13-28 August 2011

David is one of my oldest and best friends, I met him when he joined The Photographers Workshop in the early 1980’s. We taught each other about so many things, he was my first web master and computer guru I showed him how to develop and print. His work has always been an inspiration photographing in more countries than even the most seasoned travelers. If you can’t make it to his exhibition then have a look at his website here

For the first time in over ten years Bristol
based street photographer David Constantine
is exhibiting his stunning collection of portraits
at the View Art Gallery in Bristol.
Open Mon-Sat 11am-6pm; Sun 12pm-5pm
The exhibition is open on 13th – 28th
August 2011.
19th August at 7pm – Come to an evening
where David Constantine speaks about his
photography and experiences. All welcome.

“If I think back I feel I have always ‘seen’ images. Having the ability to capture them in the way I wish to see them has always been the challenge. I am particularly enthused by light and the sun. If I am in a room, I have a overwhelming urge to always move and place myself near or into the natural light, particularly sunlight.

During my teens when I started to photograph more seriously I was finding my way to the type of images in this book. However on this journey I did try as many photographic forms as possible, dabbling in sports, surf, landscape, music and people.

However, my focus was brought into sharp detail when, following my injury in 1982, aged 21, I was left paralysed from the shoulders down and unable to grip or pick up my camera. I decided to give up photography as just another one of those things I was going to have to accept in my new life as a quadriplegic wheelchair user. What I hadn’t counted on was that I couldn’t just give up what I saw that easily.

With help from a number of key people, in particular Ian Dickens, Head of PR at Olympus Cameras and photographer Keith Barnes, I was able to start taking pictures again just over a year following my injury.

It wasn’t until I moved to a medium format camera and started to travel that I found my real challenge. That challenge is to photograph people in their own environment in a relaxed setting and at their ease. I am not quick, I cannot run after my subjects and I certainly can’t blend into the background as Henri Cartier-Bresson mastered so skilfully. However I can present myself to my subjects who are generally as intrigued by me, as I am by them. A foreigner in a wheelchair with a camera is not something one sees everyday, if ever in many of the countries I have had the privilege to travel to.

I am inspired by the way people live and in many countries I go to, how their faces tell many stories, often of hard work and struggle to survive in a way that we, living in more privileged circumstances, often take for granted. The recent history of a place or country always fascinates me and I try to photograph people who would have lived through or even possibly will live through times of great change in their country.

The images on this site have been taken over the last 20 years, often in moments squeezed into or around my working day. Luckily for good light, one has to rise early. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I have enjoyed taking them.”

David Constantine
July 2011