I hate using flash on my camera because it always results in washed out pictures, but unfortunately in low light conditions it is a necessary evil. So when girlrobot posted a link a while back about Kodak's new camera sensor development that may eliminate the need for flash I was pretty excited. It'll still be a while before we see any of this, so lucky for us there are some simple guidelines to follow no matter what the light conditions, via PopPhoto.

The Basics

1. Put away that flash. Instead, buy a sturdy tripod. Urban photographers will want something easily portable; landscape shooters, something that resists potentially damaging effects of sand, saltwater, and muck. Make sure its legs are long enough to reach eye level. Next, invest in a remote shutter release to avoid jostling the camera.

2. Shoot manual. Handy in daylight, your lightmeter is often useless at night. Instead, carry an Exposure Value (EV) table in your camera bag. Fred Parker's Ultimate Exposure computer is a quick guide to the EVs you'll encounter after dark -- and the corresponding apertures and shutter speeds to use. Bracket liberally.

3. Know white-balance presets. The Daylight preset is often good for candlelight; Tungsten can be best for mixed light. Presets not working? Set a custom white balance.

4. Lower your ISO. The grainy effect of digital noise can provide a gritty forensic feel that may work with some scenes. Often, though, noise drains a scene of nocturnal magic. Stick to ISO 800 (or lower) to control noise and improve color.

posted by che @ 1:38 PM