Why Is the Quality of My Photographs So Bad At Night?
The majority of photographers today utilize a sophisticated point-and shoot camera for all their photography needs. And, like most, it is probably manufactured by Canon, Samsung and Sony and features many technical advances including a high megapixel count.
Although you have all these fabulous features, you may be puzzled, disappointed or frustrated at your inability to take a quality photo at night or in low-light such as indoors away from a window. You may have found that photos you take at night come out either blurry, horribly washed out by the flash, grainy/noisy, lacking in color, or all of the above.
Why is this? The fact is that almost without exception, any camera will take sharp, clear, photos in good light " such as the light outside during the middle of the day. It is much more difficult for your camera to take a photo that approximates what your eyes see when the light is dim. The primary reason for this is that in order to gather enough light to expose a bright enough photo your cameras shutter has to stay open a lot longer when the light isnt good. Because it is impossible to hold a camera completely steady with your hands alone, your photos will therefore be blurry. To get around this, you could use flash (which often looks unnatural and gives people a nasty-looking complexion) or a high ISO (which will add ugly digital noise), but these methods have their own problems.
So this is the problem...but what is the solution? Here are a couple of tips to improve your low-light photography:
1) When purchasing a brand new camera, make certain it offers an 'optical image stabilization' feature. This unique technology can compensate for any movements made by the person holding the camera and correct them, ensuring a quality photo.
2) Consider turning off the flash (tell your subjects to remain very still), turning the power of it down in your cameras menu, or moving your subjects nearer to better light before you take people photos indoors. Alternatively, experiment with your cameras Night Mode (you will have to hold the camera very still).
3) If the subject of your low-light photo is non- moving such as a building, try bracing the camera against something. A small tabletop tripod is easy to carry and works great, however, in a pinch, a tree or light post can serve the same purpose.
Although you have all these fabulous features, you may be puzzled, disappointed or frustrated at your inability to take a quality photo at night or in low-light such as indoors away from a window. You may have found that photos you take at night come out either blurry, horribly washed out by the flash, grainy/noisy, lacking in color, or all of the above.
Why is this? The fact is that almost without exception, any camera will take sharp, clear, photos in good light " such as the light outside during the middle of the day. It is much more difficult for your camera to take a photo that approximates what your eyes see when the light is dim. The primary reason for this is that in order to gather enough light to expose a bright enough photo your cameras shutter has to stay open a lot longer when the light isnt good. Because it is impossible to hold a camera completely steady with your hands alone, your photos will therefore be blurry. To get around this, you could use flash (which often looks unnatural and gives people a nasty-looking complexion) or a high ISO (which will add ugly digital noise), but these methods have their own problems.
So this is the problem...but what is the solution? Here are a couple of tips to improve your low-light photography:
1) When purchasing a brand new camera, make certain it offers an 'optical image stabilization' feature. This unique technology can compensate for any movements made by the person holding the camera and correct them, ensuring a quality photo.
2) Consider turning off the flash (tell your subjects to remain very still), turning the power of it down in your cameras menu, or moving your subjects nearer to better light before you take people photos indoors. Alternatively, experiment with your cameras Night Mode (you will have to hold the camera very still).
3) If the subject of your low-light photo is non- moving such as a building, try bracing the camera against something. A small tabletop tripod is easy to carry and works great, however, in a pinch, a tree or light post can serve the same purpose.
About the Author:
Tobias Sterling is a keen photography enthusiast who enjoys sharing his photography knowledge. You can find all his articles including Photography Beginners Basics and How Does Image Stabilization Works on Clivir.com
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