Photography Foundations: Night and Low Light

Course details

Join photographer and teacher Ben Long as he describes the tools, creative options, and special considerations involved in shooting with a DSLR camera at night or in low-light conditions, such as sunset or candlelight. The course addresses exposure decisions such as choice of aperture and shutter speed and how they impact depth of field and the camera's ability to freeze motion.

Ben also shows how to obtain accurate color balance in tungsten and fluorescent lighting situations, and how to postprocess the images in Photoshop to remove noise caused by higher ISO settings. He also demonstrates accessories that can greatly expand your low-light photography options.

Learning objectives
Understanding how low light affects exposure, shutter speed, color temperature, and more
Preparing for a low-light shoot
Shooting in dimly lit rooms
Using the flash indoors
Shooting in the shade
Taking flash portraits at night
Controlling flash color temperature
Focusing in low light
Light painting
Manipulating long shutter speeds
Correcting white balance
Brightening shadows
Sharpening and noise reduction

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - The magic of low-light photography

1. Setting the Stage

02 - What can you shoot in low light
03 - What you need for this course

2. Exposure Considerations

04 - Working with exposure parameters in low light
05 - Working with image sensors in low light
06 - Working with shutter speed in low light
07 - Considering motion blur
08 - Working with ISO in low light
09 - Assessing your camera's high ISO capability
10 - Working with in-camera noise reduction
11 - Working with aperture in low light
12 - Understanding dynamic range
13 - Working with color temperature and white balance
14 - Exposing to the right

3. Scenario - A Dinner Party

15 - Introduction
16 - Talking with Steve Simon about low-light photography
17 - Shooting by candlelight
18 - Choosing a mode
19 - Exploring the role of lens stabilization
20 - White balance considerations
21 - Flash considerations
22 - Problem solving
23 - Understanding aesthetics and composition

4. Scenario - A Performance

24 - Introduction
25 - Preparing for the shoot
26 - Act I - adjusting to the light
27 - Intermission - reviewing the strategy
28 - Act II - moving to the back of the house
29 - After the show - lessons learned
30 - Reviewing the performance images

5. Scenario - In a City

31 - Shooting in the shade
32 - Street shooting
33 - Shooting flash portraits at night
34 - Controlling flash color temperature
35 - Adjusting exposure to preserve the mood
36 - Dynamic range considerations

6. Scenario - Landscapes

37 - Shooting lingering sunsets
38 - Exploring focusing strategies
39 - Composing and focusing at night
40 - Shooting the stars
41 - Practicing low-light landscape shooting
42 - Focusing on the horizon in low light

7. Special Effects

43 - Light painting - behind the camera
44 - Light painting - in front of the camera
45 - Manipulating long shutter speeds

8. Post-Processing Considerations

46 - Correcting white balance
47 - Correcting white balance with a gray card
48 - Correcting white balance of JPEG images
49 - Blending exposures with different white balances
50 - Brightening shadows in low-light photos
51 - Reducing noise in low-light photos
52 - Sharpening without exaggerating noise
53 - Correcting depth-of-field issues
54 - Shooting low light with your phone

Conclusion

55 - Next steps