Low Light & Nature

A simple guide to help you learn your so you can enjoy your time outdoors

T RENT SIZEMORE PHOTOGRAPHY Introduction ABOVE: ISO 500 - ƒ/5.0 - 1/200s In order to understand how to Dark clouds, shadows, and dim lights all make for difficult exposures that expose correctly in low light can push the limits of your camera and lens. There is always a situations, you’ll need to compromise between enough light to freeze the action through understand the three aspects of and how far you can push speed and keeping an ISO with an acceptable level of noise and grain. each one to your camera’s limits. By grasping the concepts of exposure in low lighting or difficult lighting situations, you’ll be able to are great at exposing but gives more preference to what’s get the “correct” exposure for any correctly for most scenes you’ll in the center of the scene. If you scene you may encounter. I say encounter, but when you can have something really bright on the “correct” because nothing is set in manually expose using each of the edges of the scene, center-weighted stone. There may be a technically camera settings, you’ll be able to can be helpful for a better exposure. correct exposure for a given scene, fine-tune the exposure to take but you can creatively expose to get advantage of the different attributes Spot metering only measures a the image you want. When you of the light you see. small area of the scene, usually a understand the effect each setting circle visible in the center of the has on the image, you’ll be able to Metering . Ideally, this is the expose more or less to create the you’ll want to use image you imagined. In the simplest terms, your camera with manual exposure controls. tries to find the correct exposure by The goal of this guide is to get out of The problem with automatic mode averaging things out to a middle aiming for a middle gray is that it’s automatic mode so you’ll be more gray. comfortable adjusting the exposure not always the “correct” exposure. on your own! The standard mode, evaluative You can try to prove this by metering, takes into consideration photographing a pure white and Light the entire scene, finding a similar then a pure black subject that fills scenario built into the camera to the viewfinder. Both photos will end All light will have a direction (front, find the best exposure. up being middle gray (in automatic back, side), intensity (brightness), mode). and quality (hard vs. soft). Modern Center-weighted metering works in a similar way to evaluative,

Low Light Wildlife and Page 2 Exposure ABOVE: ISO 1000 - ƒ/5.6 - 1/500s Exposure is made up of three This elk was in a brighter area near the river, so I was shooting at 1/500s components: , in order to freeze the action. When he moved up to the darker area of the , and ISO. trees, I just adjusted the ISO up to 1000 to get a brighter exposure with ISO is the easiest to understand, other settings remaining the same. just an adjustment of the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor. The downside of higher sensitivity is higher grain and noise, which is 45 or more. The aperture is a ratio It’s much easier to think of making generally (but not always) of the lens opening diameter to the adjustments to one setting at a considered a downside. lens length. and is typically time. If you change one setting, but expressed as “ƒ/2.8” or similar. want the same exposure, you will Shutter speed is the amount of have to adjust one of the other time the camera shutter is open to Stops settings an equal amount to expose the sensor to light. A longer compensate. Later on in this guide, time means more light, and a Exposure in your camera is you’ll find a chart of equivalent shorter time means less light. This measured in increments called exposures to explain this visually. can range anywhere from 1/8000th stops. Increasing your exposure by of a second to several minutes or one full stop will gather twice as All three components work in longer. much light. It’s difficult to visualize tandem, but you don’t have to what your camera sees as twice as adjust all three at the same time. If Aperture is a physical opening you want to increase or decrease that determines how much light much light because your eyes are constantly adjusting themselves. your exposure, you only need to goes through your lens to the adjust one setting. camera sensor. A wider aperture Most cameras are set up to allow lets more light through, and a 1/3 or 1/2 increments in between The next few pages will go into smaller aperture lets less light full stops. more detail about each of the three through. The counterintuitive part settings, and the changes each will of this setting is that higher Putting it Together make to your final image. aperture numbers equal less light. Lower numbers mean more light. By adjusting any of the three Aperture usually ranges from 1.2 to exposure settings, you can change the amount of light gathered.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 3 ISO ABOVE: ISO 400 - ƒ/8.0 - 1/250s ISO is the sensitivity to light of the The left half of this image has artificial noise introduced to show how a camera’s sensor. Regardless of the higher ISO would introduce more noise to the image. This is a dramatic camera brand or model, all ISO example and would likely represent an ISO of 12,800 or higher. sensitivities are the same, so ISO 100 on one camera is the same on any other camera.

The lowest ISO is 100 (although more visible, but it’s worth it if it Lightroom and Nik software plugins some cameras offer ISO 50). ISO allows you to continue shooting. can get rid of most, if not all, visible 100 offers the least amount of grain, noise. Then again, most people the best , and highest If you have a camera made within won’t even notice a noisy image dynamic range (the range between the last few years, you shouldn’t when it has a much deeper story or lights and darks). ISO 200-800 and hesitate to raise the ISO to whatever emotion behind it. There are those even 1600 are unlikely to show any it needs to be in order to expose that will nitpick every little noticeable loss in quality when correctly with the aperture and technical flaw in an image, and compared to 100, but it’s still best shutter speed you choose. If you there are those that simply enjoy to keep it as low as possible. need a shutter speed of 1/1000th of the subject you’ve captured. I’d a second and can’t open the MUCH rather appeal to the latter of Noise & Grain aperture any wider, you should the two. raise the ISO until you can get The difference between the sensor 1/1000th with a good exposure. Expose to the Right in an iPhone camera and the sensor With that said, the shutter speed in a full DSLR is how much grain only needs to be as high as you need If you are using a high ISO, it’s and noise each increase in ISO will in order to freeze the action (if worth noting that the brighter your introduce. Any modern DSLR that’s what you’re going for). If you image is, the less noise will be should have no problems shooting shoot at 1/1000th when you really visible when compared to a similar up to ISO 1600 without any noise or only need 1/500th of a second, underexposed image with the same grain issues. I often have to use ISO you’ll be doubling the ISO ISO. You’ll want to expose as bright 3200 or even 6400 after the sun unnecessarily. as possible without goes below the horizon. These high Even if you find noise in your highlights to minimize the quality numbers are when noise becomes images, programs like Adobe loss of a high ISO.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 4 Shutter Speed ABOVE: ISO 800 - ƒ/8.0 - 1/400s Measured in fractions of a second Even though this was taken in the afternoon, I still shot at ISO 800 to get or full seconds, shutter speed is the a higher shutter speed. I could have even doubled the ISO to 1600 and amount of time the camera’s shutter chosen a shutter speed of 1/800th to freeze the water more. I use an remains open to expose light onto the sensor. More time means more aperture f/8.0 when shooting with a teleconverter on my lens to improve light. Less time means less light. the sharpness reduction that the teleconverter introduces.

Focal Length BELOW: ISO 100 - ƒ/16.0 - 1/15s When handholding your camera, a This elk was running through the river and I wanted a shot to show his general rule of thumb for choosing movement. By the camera and using a slower shutter speed, I a shutter speed is this: was able to blur the background and the splashing water, while keeping at least his eye relatively sharp. 1 (mm)

For instance, if your lens is 100mm, your shutter speed should be at least 1/100th of a second in order to avoid blur from your hands moving. This only gives you a minimum shutter speed. If you want to freeze the motion, you’ll likely need a faster speed than this.

Stopping Motion A shutter speed of 1/100th of a second would be sufficient to “freeze” some slow moving subjects, but nothing moving quickly.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 5 For stationary wildlife and a compensate by doubling your ISO exposure with a long shutter speed , a shutter speed of at or opening the aperture) and see if of 1/15th of a second. least 1/400th of a second is you get better results. If you try this recommended. For moving wildlife, and still can’t get it sharp, send me To achieve a visually pleasing image you’ll want to double that and aim an email with the photo and with a slow shutter speed, you’ll for a shutter speed of at least settings used, and I will try to help. need to pan the camera horizontally 1/800th of a second. If you’re (or vertically) to follow your subject photographing action like a Creative Blur (running wildlife). The better you jumping fox, fighting elk, or birds in follow it, the less the subject is flight, you’ll want a shutter speed of When you have a low light moving in the viewfinder. This 1/1000th or faster. The more light situation, you have another option means a part of your subject can be you have available, the easier it will instead of trying to freeze all the sharp, while the background will be be to achieve that shutter speed. motion. You can work with the low blurred from the panning motion. light and use a longer shutter speed The faster your subject is moving, As with anything, there are always to get a good exposure while getting the more blur will you get in the exceptions. You can choose any a creative blur effect. The elk photo background. If something on your shutter speed you want once you on the previous page was shot in the subject is moving faster (wings, learn the effect it will have on your afternoon, so even with a low ISO of legs), that part will be more blurred. photo. 100, I needed to close the aperture down to ƒ/16 to get the correct Blurry Images? The cause of most blurry images is likely a shutter speed that is too slow. It may be too slow to freeze BELOW: ISO 800 - ƒ/8.0 - 1/640s the subject completely, or it may be This great gray owl was flying towards me, so there wasn’t much motion so slow that your shaking hands are to freeze. The exception is the tips of its wings, which are slightly blurred. shaking the image. A sturdy or a lens with image stabilization I may have benefited from doubling the ISO to 1600 and halving the will allow you to use slower shutter shutter speed to 1/1250th of a second. Then again, the slight blur in the speeds, but it won’t help you freeze wings adds a hint of motion, so it can be a matter of taste. When your the motion of your subject. If you’re subject is moving quickly towards you, you have to trust your camera’s AI seeing blurry images, try doubling Servo focus mode to get it right. That’s a topic for another book! your shutter speed (don’t forget to

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 6 ƒ/22 ƒ/32 ƒ/11 ƒ/16 ƒ/8.0 ƒ/5.6 ƒ/4.0 ƒ/2.8 An aperture scale with one full stop of light in between each step. Moving left to right, each step will have half as much light.

Aperture BELOW: ISO 640 - ƒ/6.3 - 1/200s Aperture is the only one of the three With a still subject like this moose, you don’t need a very high shutter exposure components that is not speed. The widest aperture I can use with the lens/teleconverter actually a part of your camera body. combination is ƒ/5.6, but it’s a little sharper if the aperture is stopped Aperture is the opening through down. An ISO of 640 allowed me to get a comfortable shutter speed of your lens, and more expensive lenses have a wider aperture, letting 1/200th, which is acceptable for the effective focal length of 420mm while more light through. It is still using a tripod. adjusted through your settings, although older lenses used to adjust the aperture physically. closeness to the subject, and long You can get a 300mm or 400mm ƒ/ focal length combine to shorten the 4.0 lens for much cheaper and still When using telephoto lenses for . It’s possible to have be happy with the professional , you’ll most only a few inches on your subject in results when shooting with larger likely want to use the widest focus (perpendicular to your subjects. If you’re a bird aperture of your lens. This allows camera). , you’re going to want the most light to pass through to the that extra focal length of a longer camera. If you have a low quality lens. lens, your images may be less sharp Lenses at the widest aperture, so closing In regards to wildlife photography, have the aperture down a stop can help if the best lenses have an aperture of much cheaper lens options, and that is an issue. ƒ/4.0 or ƒ/2.8 depending on their because they often prefer tripods, focal length. A 500mm or 600mm they don’t always need the Many landscape photographers advantages of a long ƒ/2.8 lens. want everything in the scene to be f/4.0 lens is the go-to lens for professional wildlife photographers, There are many affordable wide- sharp, from foreground to angle lens options to get started. background. The nature of optics but it comes at a very steep price. means that not everything can be in focus at the same time, unless you use a smaller aperture, which lets in less light. If you’re using a smaller aperture for the sharpness benefits, you will have to increase the ISO or use a slower shutter speed to compensate. Since lower ISO is desirable, the use of a tripod makes it possible to use a shutter speed as long as you need. It’s not uncommon to take exposures that last several seconds even when there is plenty of light. Wildlife photographers typically prefer only their subject to be in focus and have the background as blurry as possible. This is known as a shallow depth of field. A combination of a wide aperture,

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 7 0

-2 +2

Metering ABOVE: ISO 100 - ƒ/5.6 - 1/800s Once you understand the role each I’ve indicated in the photo above different areas that could be metered. setting plays in the exposure, you You’ll adjust your settings to expose the area of choice as above, below, or will want to start using the spot at middle gray. meter mode to determine how many stops above or below middle gray your subject is. The spot meter will take a measurement of light from a small circle, usually visible If you have a middle colored grass now is the ISO. Adjust it until the in the center of your viewfinder. around your subject, it’s easy spot meter reads +2 on the scale, enough to expose that at 0 and and you’re there! You can continue Unless your settings are already you’re ready to shoot. shooting at these settings until the correct, the meter could read lighting changes and you need to anywhere on the scale at first. By In the photo above, I knew that I adjust again. It just so happened adjusting your settings, you can wanted the white snow to be at +2 that my ISO was 100 here, so I place the area (where you’re stops above middle gray. In the didn’t have to adjust any higher. pointing) at middle gray (0) above viewfinder (or the back of your middle gray (+1, +2) or below camera) you’ll see a scale of If you don’t have snow around, this middle gray (-1, -2). (-2…-1…0…+1…+2) or something won’t be a real world example for similar. When pointing the spot you to practice on, but anything meter at the snow, you’ll adjust pure white can be metered at +2 Real World your settings so the point on the above middle gray. A white wall, a scale indicates that you’re at +2 white bird, white floor can all be Applications above zero. This will render the metered at +2. When photographing wildlife, you snow as white. have the option to expose for your If you know you need a fast shutter Colors subject, or expose for something in speed (1/800s in this case), you can the background or foreground. Average colors like blue, green, or set that and forget it. In most cases, red can all be metered right at 0, or If you’re certain of where to place you’ll want to keep the aperture as middle gray. Wildlife like deer, elk, your subject on the scale, it’s best to wide as possible (ƒ/5.6 here), fox, and gray birds would all fall meter the subject, but it’s certainly especially if you need a fast shutter around this middle gray. Green not a requirement. speed. The only adjustment to make grass can also be at middle gray.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 8 -2 -1 0 +1 +2

-2 -1 0 +1 +2

-2 -1 0 +1 +2

-2 -1 +20 +1 +2

Yellow is a brighter and would adjust your settings based on the If you’re going out and don’t know be metered at +1. Brighter pastel “sunny ƒ/16 rule.” what light to expect, you can set colors can also be metered at +1. your aperture and shutter speed Examples of these colors in nature With your aperture set at ƒ/16, the and use auto ISO. If you come would be things like light gray birds correct shutter speed will be (1/ across something and only have a and light brown grass. Since orange ISO). If you choose ISO 100, your split second opportunity, you’ll miss is between red and yellow in shutter speed should be 1/100. If the shot if your settings are wrong. brightness, you could put it at +.5 you choose ISO 800, your shutter When you have time and can settle stops above 0. speed should be 1/800. As long as down, then you can dial in the ISO your subject is in bright sun, you’ll and adjust other settings as needed. Knowing the bison’s fur in my photo be able to quickly get the correct is very dark, I could have metered exposure. By opening the aperture that at two stops below middle gray. up to ƒ/8, you’re allowing four ISO Aperture Shutter Speed Dark browns, dark greens, and dark times the light in. To compensate grays can all be metered at -2. The and still expose correctly, you will 100 ƒ/16 1/100 fur of other darker animals like either lower the ISO or increase the 400 ƒ/16 1/400 bears can be exposed at -2 or -1 if shutter speed by two full stops. they’re a little bit lighter. Each exposure in the chart to the 400 ƒ/11 1/800 right will give the same correct 100 ƒ/11 1/200 Guidelines exposure on a sunny day. 100 ƒ/8 1/400 With practice, you’ll be able to quickly dial in your settings when you start shooting, or even have your settings prepared before you arrive. ABOVE: There is a standard rule that makes A scale of exposure for a few different colors, from -2 to +2. Slight for a good starting place when variations can also be placed in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments in between working in bright, sunny weather. each full stops. Understanding this will be a BELOW: ISO 200 - ƒ/8.0 - 1/800s starting point to make adjustments when the light gets lower. On a By adjusting the aperture and ISO from the “sunny ƒ/16” rule, I was able sunny day, with no clouds, you can to get a higher shutter speed to freeze the coyote’s movement.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 9 Low Light ABOVE: ISO 1600 - ƒ/5.6 - 1/80s Since our eyes adjust automatically During the fall I would the elk from late afternoon until the when we move from bright sun to sunlight was completely gone. As the sun went farther down past the dark shade, the actual difference mountains, it put everything in shade. As it got lower still, I would keep between the two is hard to perceive. raising my ISO to be able to maintain an acceptable shutter speed. 1/80th Our camera sees digitally, so the differences between light and dark of a second is quite slow for wildlife, but as long as they aren’t moving too become mathematical. fast and you’re on a tripod, it can work. Exposing correctly in low light is very dependent on the scene you encounter, so there is no standard rule to follow. You could have production, but dark shadows can The best landscape (and wildlife) shade, clouds, fog, or just a low be (to an extent). photos are often created with angle sun reducing the amount of dramatic, colorful lighting. The last light that reaches your subject. The Weather light of the day can create strong light in these situations is often red, orange, or yellow hues across changing quickly, adding another Although many people will have a the landscape. These make great challenge. different opinion, my favorite backgrounds for a backlit wildlife weather for photographing wildlife subject, or can be the subject itself If you allow your camera to is dark, overcast, even rainy/snowy with a wide angle landscape. automatically expose on a very dark weather. The soft, even lighting subject, it will likely overexpose the allows you to shoot all day and get All of these scenarios involve low image. If I filled the frame with a great shots that capture the full light and difficult lighting scenarios, dark colored bison or bear on dynamic range. Even in the middle so you can’t be afraid to raise your automatic mode, it would try to of the day, you probably won’t need ISO to get the other settings you make that a middle gray color, to use any higher than ISO 800 or need. Every scene is different, and which is much too bright for that 1600 to get the faster shutter speeds the best exposure is the one you’re subject. When your camera you may want. When the sun is out, happy with! By having a full overexposes something, it often direct light creates harsh shadows understanding of all the settings results in any highlights in the that just kill the image. Clouds available to you, you’ll be able to image being completely blown out. scatter the light, making it a much adjust each one to suit your Those cannot be recovered in post- better quality for photographing. personal taste.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 10 Light Direction ABOVE: ISO 800 - ƒ/5.6 - 1/800s Front lighting This backlit photo of a bear in the shadows is three full stops darker than a sunny exposure, equal to one-eighth the amount of light. Assuming you’re working at sunrise or sunset (to get the best light color), front lighting occurs when the sun is directly behind you and grass in the sun to appear as I saw A combination of light and shadows not behind the subject. This puts it, and the highlights on the bear gives more shape and form to your warm hues on the subject, whether would match. Everything else would subject than you can get from back it be wildlife, a mountain range, or a fall in place naturally. or front lighting. Side lighting also sky full of clouds. The downside of works great at sunrise or sunset front lighting is that it’s often flat In post-processing, you can add or when the colors are at their best. across the front of your subject. reduce contrast to your personal There are no shadows to give taste. If you look closely at the definition to its shape. photo above, you’ll see just a hint of Quality shadow detail in the bears face. Back lighting These shadows can be brightened Light quality is defined by it’s just a little bit without a reduction harshness. If you observe a shadow, When the sun is directly behind in quality. you’ll see it’s edge as being either your subject, it’s known as back hard or soft (blurred). This is lighting. On a strongly backlit Depending on the surroundings and caused by the quality of the light. subject, the difference between light the color of your subject, it’s On a sunny day, shadows are harsh, and dark is so great that you won’t possible to have backlighting and making photos less appealing. With be able to capture all of the shadow still have a significant amount of overcast weather, shadows are so detail without overexposing in the detail on the front side. If you have soft that they essentially disappear. highlights, but you can get a bright snow or a bright ground This isn’t to say you cant take great desirable rim light around the acting as a , this is photos on a sunny day, but it can be outline of your subject. relatively easy to accomplish. more difficult to find one. When the sun is close to the horizon, light is The standard exposure for a back lit Side lighting filtered through more of the silhouette is to expose the atmosphere, adding colors that also highlights correctly. In the case of When the light comes from the side, enhance the quality of the lighting. the photo above, I wanted the green your subject becomes more defined.

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 11 Before After

Shooting RAW ABOVE: ISO 500 - ƒ/5.6 - 1/640s & Processing The above photo of a jumping bear was underexposed after I chose a faster shutter speed. Using Adobe Lightroom, I was able to increase the RAW file shooting is used by exposure by 1.5 stops to brighten the image back to normal. There is no professionals in any genre of significant loss in quality, so you can see how much latitude you have photography. If you aren’t shooting in RAW, you’re losing out on 90% when shooting in RAW. of your camera’s capabilities and I HIGHLY recommend you start. RAW files are much larger than JPEG, but external storage is cheap light. If sunlight is considered used to offer their Aperture and reliable to store all the large white, then clouds will have a blue program, but it has been files you’ll ever shoot. tint, and shade would be even more discontinued. bluish. To compensate, white A larger file size means you have a balance offsets the bluish tint with Just the basic settings in Lightroom lot more information to work with orange. On the other end of the can fine tune your image almost to when you go into processing when scale would be indoor lightbulbs, the point of being finished. In you get back home. You can adjust which appear orange or yellowish addition to these settings, you can the exposure up or down more than when compared to sunlight. The adjust colors, sharpness, noise, lens a full stop without any noticeable white balance would add more blue distortion, and more. Most loss in quality. You can recover to your image to make things adjustments are also available in highlights, brighten shadows, and appear more naturally colored brush form, as a graduated filter, or more. White balance can also be set (white). White balance can be set radial filter as well. after you take the photo, just as you later in processing, just as you would select it in camera. For this would select it in camera. For this reason, I typically shoot in auto reason, I typically shoot in auto white balance. white balance and fine-tune later. White Balance Lightroom

White balance is the temperature Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has and tint of the light that changes become the industry standard for depending on the source of the photography post-processing. Apple

Low Light Wildlife and Nature Photography Page 12