Photography is always fun but not always easy. And trying to get great results with low light photography can be downright frustrating. Isn't it irritating when the potential picture is amazing but the lighting situation is less than ideal? I've been there.
We all want to take amazing photos and share them on our blogs but what do you do when the light is low and you need to take pictures? This is a question I get asked all the time because lack of good light can ruin our photos! Luckily in digital photography, if you get to know your camera, there are a few things that can help you.
Here are some tips for taking better photos in low light:
1. Use a Flash
I'll get the easiest solution out of the way first.  In low light situations using your built-in camera flash is the quickest fix. Pop it up and you are good to go. But, using light from a flash often ruins the photograph more than low light can. Using your flash lights your subject from the front, often washing it out, and it compresses the depth of field of your image making it look flat. Ugh.
A quick way to soften the light from your built-in flash is to subdue it with a sheer white tissue that you can use to cover the flash. This will diffuse the light and make it less harsh and can help you if you're in a bind. But, if you're using a DSLR and you must use a flash then your best bet is to invest in an external flash, also known as a “hot shoe” flash, that you clip on to the top of your camera. These flashes can be manipulated and turned to bounce off of a wall or the ceiling so you're lighting your subject from the top or the side.
2. Steady your camera
If you're like me, you prefer to capture a moment using natural light. Yes, sometimes the use of a flash just can't be avoided but if you get your camera on a steady surface, you can avoid the blur that inevitably spoils your perfectly set up photograph. My choice would be to use a tripod. Mount your camera on top of it, use your settings the way you normally would and then snap the shutter. Ta da!
But I don't always have my tripod with me and sometimes it's impractical to use one so I improvise by setting my camera on a steady surface. Use a table, a wall or the floor (if this makes sense for your picture), or even your leg if you're sitting. In low light, you simply cannot avoid the slight shake of your hands so just rest the camera on your knee. You can also lean against a stable item (like a wall or barrier) and steady your hands/arms on that before you snap. Or hold the camera very close to your body, take a deep breath, exhale, and then hold your breath while you take the photo. This isn't as good as a tripod, but it's surely better than having a blurry photo.
Even so, this sounds like an easy fix and not one that can always help because in a lot of cases, we are shooting objects in motion – fashion shows, people on the street, kids, animals, whatever – what to do then?
3. Open your aperture as wide as you can
A camera is basically a box that reads light and the aperture tells the camera how much light to allow in at any given time. If you have a DSLR, or even a point and shoot that has some manual settings, then you can control your camera’s aperture. So the larger the amount of light that is coming into your lens (the wider the aperture), the faster your shutter speed will be and the sharper your photos. Lots of light and fast = good. Low light and slow = bad.
Set your aperture to its widest setting, so that the most light available is entering your lens. To do this, choose the lowest f-number possible (the lowest that your particular lens allows) such as f/1.4 or f/1.8. More expensive lenses often have larger apertures and have those wonderfully low numbers. You can also buy point-and-shoots vlogging cameras with apertures as low as f/1.4. However, sometimes your budget doesn't allow for new cameras or lenses. So, what then?
4. Boost your ISO
The ISO controls your camera’s sensitivity to light – the higher the ISO, the more sensitive it will be. In low light photography, it's almost always necessary to raise your ISO speed (like when you had a film camera and you bought ISO 200 or 400). Your DSLR, and even most point and shoot cameras, allows you to set your ISO manually and it's really easy to do this in your menu options.
In normal outdoor lighting you can set your ISO at 100 or 200 depending on whether it's really bright (ISO 100 would work) or a bit overcast (ISO 200 or 400). If I'm shooting indoors or in low light outdoors I raise my ISO to 400 or 800 and sometimes even higher if it's really dark.
Raising your ISO to 400 or 800 is usually safe because you'll have a limited amount of noise (grain) in the pictures. At ISO 1600, if your camera goes up that high, you'll definitely see more noise but it can often be removed or at least minimized in post-production using Photoshop or another program. Even so, the results you get with a DSLR camera at high ISOs is pretty amazing these days so you can shoot away using an ISO of 1000 or higher (if your camera can do that) and see very little, if any, noise. (also, note that the this is one of the areas camera companies continue to advance in. It's getting more and more common for the newest cameras out there to go offer incredibly high ISOs. You'll just need to experiment and see what's realistic for your camera before the grain makes the shot unusable.)
Figuring out how high to raise the ISO is pretty easy – you just need to raise it high enough so that you're able to shoot fast enough to avoid the shake in your camera and the blur in your pictures. A very simple and obvious way to tell if your camera settings are too slow is how long it takes the shutter to click when you snap a photo. If it sounds like the “click” is happening too slowly, you'll see a blurry photo in your screen.
Related Article: The Camera Lens Every Fashion Blogger Should Use
5. Shoot in burst mode
This is a cool way to take pictures and one that a lot of people don't think about. That, plus I love the word “BURST!” – Switch your camera to make continuous shots (ie. burst mode) and snap away! When you hold the shutter button down (without letting go) and take five or more shots one right after the other, you have a higher chance of getting a sharp photo.
When you take a picture one shot at a time you're always introducing a vibration to the camera – your hand and fingers are causing a shake. But, if you use burst mode and press the shutter, that vibration will only really affect the first photo of the five or more you take. So, basically every photo except the first one will be a little bit sharper than the one before it in the continuous series.
6. Bonus idea – Use your phone's flashlight from a different angle
One little hack you can use is to introduce an outside light source. I've seen people turn on their camera flashlight and position it as an always-on flash. This allows you to adjust it with precision, allows you to highlight certain things while diminishing the light in other areas, and it's a cheap tool that we almost always have on hand (although, obviously this doesn't help if you're *using* the phone's camera. But, in a pinch, we all get creative with the resources available to us at the time.
One of the greatest things about digital photography is that you can just shoot and shoot to try to get the image that you want. It's not always practical if you're trying to capture a spontaneous moment or if you're at a fashion show and just need to get the photos, but just practice and have fun with it! Don't forget to zoom in to check out the details and to see whether the picture really is sharp, since pretty much all photographs look awesome on your little screen. Learn about and test out your camera settings and remember that whatever photos don't turn out to be so fantastic you can just dump in the virtual trash or at least use them as a learning tool. And, finally, have fun!
Feel free to email me any questions at monicalshulman (at) gmail (dot) com !
Note: This article about low light photography was originally published March 31, 2011. It was updated on Nov. 21st, 2016
This was so helpful! I’m always looking for ways to make low-light pictures less blurry/grainy. Definitely going to try to adjust my ISO next time, and see if my camera has the “burst” option. Thank you for the tips!!
so glad you find this useful. take a look at your manual bc most dslrs have this option – even the beginner ones. have fun!
Really helpful tips. I know eh? Taking pics in the dark is really fustrating, well for me. I will put into practice some of the tips and see what happens. I can’t wait to get good photos. My readers deserve it.
you have NO idea how helpful this is! ok. well now you do:) 3 & 4 are about to save my life. all melodrama aside, i’m going on a roadtrip down the pacific coast next week and my friend always makes fun of me b/c i can’t get a clean shot at night with my DSLR. well, watch out people, i’m so on it. if i get any amazing pics i’ll post them. so so helpful. thanks!
I am so glad you found these helpful! have so much fun on your trip and just remember to keep shooting and check your images on the screen if you have doubts.
i am awfully awful photographer. Will remember this
LOVE THIS POST! its sooo useful i got my canon G11 few months ago so ill try all your tips as soon as i get HOME :=)
I just bought a G11 yesterday on Craig’s List, and I’m beyond excited about it! Have you been happy with it?
I am a total moron when it comes to photography and typically get lost in a sea of befuddlement when trying to understand the technical aspects. These tips were so easy to understand and didn’t make me feel like an idiot so big thanks and I’m looking forward to more posts like this!
Don’t get yourself nuts over the technicalities. Take a look at your manual and just go out and practice. A big part of it is learning how to use your camera and trial by error when you play with all the different settings. I’m so glad that you found these tips useful! feel free to email me directly if you have any questions. And you can also read a post I did here on tips for self-portrait photography.
love this! Now how about fashion show photography where the lighting is weird and models move and surprisingly blurry speeds?
so glad you found these helpful! fashion shows can be VERY tricky. I will definitely put together a post on that. thanks for reading.
I did know about ISO but didn’t get to know exactly what was it for… These tips are so usefull! I’ll try it tomorrow.
thank you!
www.barcelonette.net
glad you find them useful! you just have to play around with your camera and also read over your manual if you ever wonder what something means or what a button is for:)
I’m going to try the tip about burst mode! I always stick with my 35 mm 1.8 lens for low light and it’s been great.
definitely try burst mode. I sometimes forget about it and it is so simple to try!
Very well-written. I knew about the ISO before and will try it next time with a copy of this post. Thanks!
Great tips! Thank you! I’ve only used a point/shoot because im scared of so many different controls on DSLRs. Especially the aperture ones – I find that on the screen they look great but get very grainy when you try and blow em up – like for my blog – 515×687 or so.. thanks for these tips tho!
xx G
hmmmm..maybe you have them set for a sie that is too small on your camera? a digital camera will give you the option to set your files at a certain size. If you shoot with a dslr I would suggest shooting RAW (if you plan on post processing later since this gives you the most freedom to make changes) or large jpeg (a Nikon calls it “Fine”). You should take a look at your manual and see how to set the size. A lot of times people will want to make big prints of their images but they can’t due to a small file size that could be easily fixed in camera. Does this sound like it might be what you’re experiencing?
Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions! 🙂
just practice and have fun with it:) thanks for reading!
more tips are definitely coming! thanks so much for your interest. you can also check out a post I did on self-portraits. 🙂 or feel free to send me an email!
The options aside from using flash are really helpful. Though very technical, amateurs should take note of these basics because great photos come out if you understand how your camera and its relationship to light work (of course you should have a great eye, too1). Thanks for sharing!
yes, these tips are very basic. there are also some other things you can play with like metering and white balance, but these others can be really helpful too:) basically your camera reads like so understanding how to best set up your camera to capture it will make a big difference.
Really informative and well written. Thanks!!
thanks! glad you enjoyed it.
I am always having problem shooting in low light, will try your tips, thanks.
Great tips! Low light is my arch enemy. The ISO & Burst tips were especially helpful to me.
I wish I had known about the tissue trick! Until yesterday, I was using a complete crap camera from 2004, and that trick would have served me well since I couldn’t set the aperture low enough to shoot without a flash indoors. Yesterday, though, I finally bought a Canon G11 on Craig’s List and I’m beyond excited! Thank you for this – very helpful. Maybe next you’ll do a post on photo editing and what’s out there for free software?
have fun with your new camera! I’ll keep the post in mind! although I use mostly photoshop and lightroom:)
Some times messing with your ISO makes your photos kind of grainy. Shooting with a 50mm lens allows more light in but then you have to compensate with having super zoomed in portrait type shots.
What works for me is ALWAYS shooting in RAW with my slr. I know a lot of people are scared of using it (if you aren’t, I suggest shooting and the very highest Large setting you have to get the maximum quality out of your photo when you upload it. Yes there will be less room on your card for hundreds of other shots, but your photos will be much better). Because shooting in RAW gives you the best manipulating options when you are ready to edit and you’ll be able to pull more light out of your photo as opposed to a smaller, compressed JPG.
shooting in RAW is absolutely the best way to have control over your images in post-processing. I am with you in that I don’t know why so many people are afraid of it but it’s so great once you try it. a great thing is to shoot in raw and jpg if you want to have both before starting to process and saving a copy (and if you have space on your card) – of course it takes up even more space but it is by far the best way to get the most out of your images.
Great tips, thanks!
Very useful tips…even pop-up flashes can be set to different strengths on DSLRs, but I avoid using if I can. I also dislike direct sunlight on my subjects, and how metering can be just as difficult in bright conditions. So I’ll often try to find some light shade.
thanks! yes, and I always stress playing with all the different options on your camera – when you set the white balance there are varying options in each too (including flash). direct sunlight on subjects is often way too harsh but you know, sometimes you can’t help it bc those are the conditions you have. you just have to try and do the best you can. 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I’m gradually learning more about photography through my blog, and you’ve helped me even more.
Thanks for these tips – I’m still really struggling trying to get decent photos for my blog so need all the help I can get! Thanks again 🙂
This is such a great article! Really well explained, and covers some really helpful basic tips to help with that inevitable blur that creeps up on you.
so glad you found this useful!
great tips, I’m trying to improve my photography and tips like this come in really handy especially as I’ve just bought a DSLR.
thanks for sharing.
have fun with your new camera! glad to help out. 🙂
Great photo and very helpful tips. Thanks.
EXTREMELY helpful. this has alwayssss been a problem of mine! Thanks so much!
Such great tips!! Thank you 🙂
Like the tip re “bursting” – if you have a remote you can try using that – even if the camera is in your hand as it stops the shake when you press the shutter! (My dad told me that one!!)
yes, the remote can be amazing too. of course you have to have the camera on a steady surface when using a remote and that’s not always possible but if it is, then absolutely go for it!
Great tips, mine always look blurred or grainy. Not sure if my basic camera has those settings but I will be sure to take a look at my manual, thanks!
Good that you have shared those tips. Photography is fun but sometimes you have to learn some tips and tricks for a perfect capture.
iReally enjoyed this tutorial because iHave a traditional wedding to cover and iWas about spending the little dime iHad to buy an external flash but with this few tips, am sure rocking without a flash…… expect my mail soonest sir
I love the burst-mode tip. I will try it this afternoon at a wedding. Thanks!
I tried to take a photograph of a band performing in a dark Jazz Bar.
I put my camera on a tripod
I changed the setting to A
I turned the f-stop down as low as I could (F4)
I turned the ISO setting up to 6400
I set the shutter speed to 1/2000
I am not using a flash.
I tried continuous shot.
Image quality = fine
white balance = incandescent
I have a Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lenses
90% of my images are blurred
Can anyone help please?
Tommy, I know this is very late but this might be helpful to others. I don’t see any need to use a 1/2000 shutter speed to photograph a band. That’s fast even for shooting sports. You would want no faster than 1/200s and you could try 1/100s if they aren’t jumping around.
As someone pointed out below, a low F stop means more light to the sensor but a shallow depth of field. It can be a challenge to get the whole band in focus when using f/2.8 or f/4.
In low light it can be hard to get the focus right. Consider using Live View on your camera and zooming in to check your focus and maybe use manual focus.
What happened to my comment? Did you delete it???
Why didn’t anyone respond to Tommy M’s question? I have the same problem shooting in a similar situation. Would like to know the answer myself. And it looks like Tommy has been waiting almost a month now.
The info above though, is very helpful.
Hi, Tommy and Cynthia– apologies for not seeing these questions until now. Tommy, if your subject is moving you will have blur especially if you have low light. I am guessing that it was dark at f/4 just wasn’t wide enough. Also what was your focal length when shooting? Thanks for your questions and sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
Great post. Low light photography is one of my favorite choice. You can prove your creativity in this area. If anyone is interested to know more about low light photography..visit here..
http://trickytechtunes.blogspot.com/2015/09/low-light-photography-to-z-explained.html
I don’t think it’s that simple and depends more on the situation.
A lot of these tips are good, but indoor events are often fast moving and you don’t have time to play around. You need to find your settings and stick with them.
I shot a ceremony in a church and had asked the priest the day before about the lighting. He said, oh, the light is really good. 1/125sec at F8. No flashes allowed. I thought that’s fine, I can work with that, but the next day I found that wasn’t the case. I had to use ISO 6400 – 12800 and the photos were quite grainy.
Also, the problem with using a wide aperture, is the small depth of field. The DOF decrease the closer you are and sometimes you are no more than 4-5 feet away as there is not always a lot of room to move around. You have to be more careful about focus, which is also a challenge in a fast moving environment. If you are taking photos of groups of people, then you want to use at least f/8 to keep everyone in focus.
Also, there may be different light sources of different temperatures, making the images look a mess with hard shadows, and color balance. A good reason to give people the option of having their photos in black and white.
I just did an indoor event and there are a lot of blurry photos where, for example, Mom is in focus, but Dad and the kids are out of focus. Ugh – I had set my camera to shutter priority mode (because the lighting was changing a lot as we moved around, and I didn’t have time to keep changing settings. So when they called me over to a dim area and asked for photos, the camera chose a really lo aperture. Very cramped and I’m about 3 feet away, so this results in a very a short DOF.
Sure, I check the images in the LED screen and they look good, but get them into Lightroom on the big screen and you go… crap!
I think if you are doing a shoot indoors, that involves groups of people, go to manual mode. F/8 1/100sec, raise the ISO, and use a flash with a reflector or diffuser.
But then I also have a second camera that is set to manual ISO 100, F11 1/100 sec with a flash.
That way the first camera is bring images with an element of the ambient light, and at least the faces are not grainy, but the second camera is ‘flash only’, but but you get well-focused and completely non-grainy images.
A couple more thoughts.. for photographing objects in motion, try panning – moving the camera with the subject. You can do this with really low shutter speeds and you can capture your subject sharply and blur the background. It’s an interesting effect when not overdone.
The article mentions burst mode to overcome shake from pressing the shutter button. Use the camera’s self-timer to do the same thing, especially if you can prop the camera somewhere so there’s no shake at all from you holding it or pressing the shutter button.
Really helpful, I usually shoot in low light and in evening. i faced a lot problems while shooting in dusk. Great tips , I will definitely apply these tips. It will boost my snaps.
The phone flashlight actually worked wonderfully and it has created some pretty cool shot for me
Try your phone flashlight, it worked wonderfully for me in some rare occasion.
This really helps me a lot on in producing a good quality low light photo.
I’m going for the tip.Which Lens will help me out in low light.I always used my 35 mm 1.8 lens for low light and it’s been great. photography tips would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!love this