Nightclubs and low light

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ChanesToo

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Hi! I am quite new to photography and I mainly use my camera to photograph the nights out I have with my friends. I would like some tips! I will say what I do and if you can give me some better guidance I would really appreciate it.

I use the center cross type sensor point on the camera and allow it to decide its own ISO. I specify the sensor so that the target I want is the target I want.

That's it!

I'm afraid of the flashgun I have spoiling the moody looks. I process photographs in Lightroom 5

Is there any advice you could give me about low light photography that is obvious to you but could easily be missed be a less experienced person. Ta!
 
ChanesToo said:
.......... I specify the sensor so that the target I want is the target I want.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I don't understand this statement...can you explain a bit more clearly?
Are you using a compact or a DSLR? That will make a difference.

Generally, for low light shots without flash, you need a high ISO, a wide aperture and a very steady hand as shutter speed will be critical if you want sharp shots.

Hope that helps.
 
Auto ISO won't use the maximum ISO set the ISO manually to the top/near the top.

What camera and lens are you using. Flash doesn't have to ruin the moody looks if you use it right.

I use center point focus then reframe the image if you don't you tend to end up with lots of empty space above the targets heads.
 
I have a Canon 6D with a 1.4 50mm Lens. I thought the Auto ISO would be best too, but I'm still quite new at this. I try and alter the flash but it just doesn't work for me at all, I know, it's my fault, but so many settings! Any help is useful!
 
Read the manual. If you're not sure on the settings, any help offered will be of little help as you won't know how to implement it.
 
I have read some of the manual, but I thought it might be a smarter idea to ask people who know about low light photography what to set things at!
 
And give me a bit of a break! Have you seen how many posts some folks have made here, they would have learned lots of things to share! :)
 
The question is what look do you want to achieve, if you don't want flash to freeze the action sufficiently/satisfactorily you need a reasonable shutter speed ideally 1/50th or higher, so as your looking at group shots really you need to be at say f/5.6 this should give you sufficient DoF just about to have your group sufficiently in focus so basically then say you've got your setting of 1/50th + f/5.6 you need the ISO figure to allow you to expose at those speeds, nothing stopping you from shooting in manual dealing in those two settings and then using auto ISO to decide the ISO the only issue is that the camera might have issues metering..

If you want the funky light trail effect you need a longer shutter speed say 1/4th up to a couple of seconds and a burst of flash at the start to freeze the people in frame for this you'll need to dial in a lower ISO say about 320-400

I hope this helps a little
 
Ideally, I just want nice photographs in what are pretty dim lighting conditions. I worry about making manual adjustments in case of blurring the picture. I approach it in the same way a machine gun makes a good sniper rifle - one of them must hit the target. I have an idea of what you mean. Can you have a wide aperture say 1.8 or 2.5 and a fast shutter to hold the image? I feel relatively happy letting the camera decide some things. :)
 
ChanesToo said:
Ideally, I just want nice photographs in what are pretty dim lighting conditions. I worry about making manual adjustments in case of blurring the picture. I approach it in the same way a machine gun makes a good sniper rifle - one of them must hit the target. I have an idea of what you mean. Can you have a wide aperture say 1.8 or 2.5 and a fast shutter to hold the image? I feel relatively happy letting the camera decide some things. :)
Click to expand...

Yes you can have a wide aperture to increase the shutter speed but the bigger the aperture the less that will be in focus, I'll tell you what why not post a couple of links to the style of photo you wish to capture its pointless myself or any other member offering you more advise unless we really know the style your looking to emulate
 
It's hard when starting out, so here's a quick tip: (Practice this somewhere dark). Set the aperture at f5.6, ISO at 800, look through viewfinder with shutter button half pressed and see what shutter speed you get. If above 1/80th, take the shot, review the histogram and adjust from there; too slow, up the ISO; too fast, drop it. Ideal shutter speed when hand-holding is above the reciprocal of focal length so if you are using your 50mm lens, needs to be at least 1/60th. As it is VERY hard to shoot steady at that speed, aim for at least 1/80th. Image stabilisation on a lens will help massively!!
 
I'll definitely make a point of trying those settings, thanks for the tip! I can't find any photographs that fit what I have in my mind as the desired look, so I guess I'll use the hints you've given me and wing it. I think the setting you suggest and the warning about camera shake will have me looking for something to rest the camera down on. I don't think the 50mm I have has image stabilisation but if I take the machine gun approach maybe I'll get one that works! >:)
 
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