Photography: shots in the dark

I took this photo last November at the official switch-on of the town Christmas lights and I didn’t even use a flash. There is quite a lot of light and the camera will adjust to the low light. I was using quite a fast shutter speed and a wide aperture. If you are taking photos like this, you’ll get decent pictures on auto.

You might have to make them a little lighter in editing, but try different settings. I needed a fast shutter because there were people walking around and a fun fair and so a lot of movement. A fast shutter speed stops the blur.

This was early evening and so it wasn’t too dark. When I posted my photos on Facebook, a local wedding photographer asked me what time it was! The street lights added some light and there were no lights that would cause lens flare.

This shot of a firework exploding was a lot trickier! The camera won’t focus until it has reflected light to focus on. In the case of a firework, it’s not reflected light, the firework provides the light. There are multiple explosions, so go for multiple shots. The first shots are for the camera to focus and then you have a chance of a good image. The camera must be still, so cameras with viewfinders are better. I took this shot through a window so used the windowsill to lean on and steadier the lens on the windowpane. I used a wide aperture and a shutter speed of 1/13 of a second. It looks good on a black background! You can see more of my firework photos on a Zillion Ideas.  That article was also published on the Express and Star website. 

If you have thoughts or questions please use the comments box. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Information for local readers: the Wednesbury Christmas lights switch on will be on Friday the 28th of November this year; Friar Park is this Friday the 14th of November. I’ll try to be at both of them!

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