To get bright and vivid photos of decent technical quality in good lighting, photographers most often do not need any special photographic equipment for their work. It is not even necessary to shoot with a professional camera, you can get by with an amateur compact, and a camera built into the phone is also suitable for certain purposes. But what if you need to photograph in low or very low light? Most often, under such conditions, the quality of photographs suffers greatly. Why is this happening?
Light is a fundamental element in photography, therefore, when an insufficient amount of light falls on the photosensitive element of the camera's matrix, the image is low quality, blurry and with fuzzy edges. The natural solution in this situation will be - the use of a camera flash. It should only be borne in mind that you need to use it wisely, since in low-light conditions the flash creates a powerful intense stream of light that can illuminate the subjects too much, make them overly bright, create harsh shadows and make the background unnaturally dark. Such lighting will destroy any idea of the photo, make it unsuitable for demonstration, or any other use, except to be thrown into the trash bin.
Good decision when shooting in low light, the off-camera flash will be used. They are now in production by different manufacturers, for all systems and are designed for different levels of photographers. An off-camera flash allows you to control the light, direct the stream in the desired direction, for example, sideways or into the ceiling, thus creating soft diffused lighting that smoothly envelops the subject and allows you to get a high-quality image.
If the flash cannot be used
The use of a flash, undoubtedly, under certain conditions, can improve the quality of photographs, but there are situations when the use of a flash is prohibited. For example, many art galleries and museums do not allow flash photography; use this accessory carefully at children's parties and events. On some sporting events you can't even make noise, let alone use a flash. For example, when there is a game of chess, billiards, or even a poker tournament, photographers should not use a flash, so as not to interfere with the players, not to distract attention from unexpected bright light.
During a poker tournament, players are maximally focused on the process and any external noise, even from a flash, can affect the outcome of the meeting. The organizers of such competitions are asked to photograph in silent mode with cameras and not to use any additional lighting in order to provide the players with the most comfortable conditions.
When photographing evening landscapes, flash is practically useless unless you intend to shoot shadows or backlight. Under many conditions, photographers must be able to tune their photographic equipment in order to obtain quality photographs without additional lighting.
Novice photographers, as a rule, are not always familiar with the secrets of the craft that allow you to shoot indoors or in low light outdoors, using the available tools and technical capabilities of the camera. On specialized forums, professionals and experienced users, as a rule, they share many tips, it is also worth working out photo tutorials on those photo resources that specialize in this issue. But let's take a look at some of the nuances of low-light photography and learn a few tricks that will help in difficult situation.
How to improve the quality of photos in low light
The easiest way to get the required amount light on the photosensitive element - increasing the value. Different cameras have different limit value of course, a photographer can only build on what is available to his camera. It should be remembered that when the ISO values are increased, color noise appears in the image, which is quite difficult to get rid of in post-processing the image. The larger the image size, the more visible the digital noise due to large values ISO. This is why one of the most common photography rules is to use the lowest ISO possible when shooting.
In dark environments with subdued lighting, such as a concert hall, casino, bar or nightclub, you will certainly have to use near maximum ISO settings, which can affect the final result. To avoid this, use high-aperture lenses, the aperture value of which can be equal to f / 1.2-1.8. The more you can open the aperture, the faster the shutter speed is needed to properly expose the frame.
Correctly selected exposure coupler allows you to get photos of excellent quality, with a well-developed background, clear subjects, optimal depth of field.
What other ways are there to improve photography
To photograph in low light can be used when it becomes possible to keep the aperture open for so long that enough light hits the photosensitive element for correct exposure. It is important to understand that this method is mainly suitable for static photography - landscapes, urban architecture, etc. The optimal values are shutter speeds within the range of 1/60 second.
For long exposures, either a monopod is useful. It prevents natural camera shake, does not blur the image, and you can choose the best exposure values for the entire image.
When shooting with a tripod in low light and using long exposures, you should use another simple, but important accessory - a cable release or a shutter release timer. You will be able to avoid almost any camera shake, which will lead to improved technical quality of your photos. It happens that a tripod is not at hand, then the camera is installed on any stable surface, a remote shutter release will help to cope with the task in such a difficult situation.
What not to do when photographing in dimly lit areas
Do not use the zoom in low light conditions. Move closer to your subject if necessary. In difficult lighting conditions, manual adjustments will often help to obtain the correct exposure. For example, in some models of Canon cameras in automatic modes there is a so-called night mode of photography. It should be used with caution, since the camera does not have eyes, it will simply calculate the lightest area in the viewfinder and use it to expose. This means that as a result, you will get dips in the shadows and an image that is too bright and bright in the foreground.
And of course, in the end, I would like to advise you to take a few test shots before starting the main shooting. By experimenting with different settings, the photographer decides which correction to use in a given situation. To understand this - study thoroughly the capabilities of your camera, listen to the advice of seasoned photographers and photograph as much as possible! Only such a combined approach will quickly lead you to visible results and obtaining high-quality photographs.
A photographer of any skill level can take bright, clear photos in good natural light, even if he shoots with a regular "soap box". The situation is completely different when shooting in low or low light conditions. Needless to say, once again, what role light plays in photography. Some aspiring photography enthusiasts sincerely believe that the key to high-quality, sharp low-light shots is the use of an advanced, more expensive camera.
However, as practice shows, neither a high resolution camera sensors, neither the built-in image stabilizer nor the multiple zoom help in any way when you need to get high-quality, clear photos in low light conditions. The same goes for using flash, which often doesn't work. Today we will talk about how to improve the quality of your photos when shooting in low light conditions without a flash.
Palace of Catalan Music, FR 52 mm, F3.5, ISO 800, 1/20 sec
Why do I get poor shots in low light?
Before we talk in detail about what methods of improving the quality of photographic images exist when shooting in low light conditions, it is necessary to say the most important thing - why in such situations the photographs turn out to be so poor and of poor quality? Indeed, often when shooting outdoors at night or under the light of a dim light bulb indoors, the photos look blurry and not clear. The point is that light plays a defining and most important role in photography. If not enough light enters the light sensor of your camera, then most likely you will receive images of unsatisfactory, poor quality.
What to do in such a situation? The way out suggests itself - the use of a flash. Almost all modern digital cameras are equipped with a built-in flash, which, it would seem, is just designed for similar situations... But, in fact, using a flash often leads to undesirable and unpleasant effects. After all, a flash in a low-light scene is like an explosion of light, which leads to the fact that the objects you want to photograph will be illuminated in the frame too brightly, harshly, and therefore will look unnatural.
The built-in flash simply "destroys" the whole idea of the picture with hard and deep shadows or, conversely, overexposed areas. The foreground can appear flat enough in the photograph, while the background will be insufficiently worked out. At the same time, photos taken in low light without using a flash look much more natural and beautiful. Of course, such a result can be achieved only with the right approach to the process of shooting and the availability of the photographer's skills.
Palace of Catalan Music - Stage, FR 52mm, F4.5, ISO 800, 1/15 sec In some cases, using a flash is generally undesirable because the flash can ruin daylight scene or scare the subject in the frame. In many museums and galleries, flash photography is prohibited, while in exhibition halls the lighting situation is far from ideal. And when photographing evening landscapes, the flash can generally do the photographer a disservice. In this regard, you have to think about how to improve the quality of photos without using a flash, that is, by other means. And here there is only one option - to catch as many light fluxes as possible into the optical scheme of the camera. The more light is on the surface of the photosensitive sensor, the more likely it is to get a high-quality, bright frame.
Improving the quality of photos when shooting without flash
Modern digital photography offers us several ways to ensure that the camera's matrix captures as much light as possible:
- Sensitivity settingsISO
Perhaps the easiest and most logical way is to raise the ISO sensitivity in the settings of your digital camera. How much light hits the sensitive sensor depends on this parameter. The ISO value can be squeezed to the maximum, but the problem is that the high sensitivity, although it allows you to capture more luminous flux, but at the same time increases the likelihood of noise in the photo. In this regard, it is recommended not to twist the ISO too much, but to raise the sensitivity value to optimal level for your camera. This could be ISO 400 or 800 in low light, for example.
You may get some noise in your images, but it can be easily removed with post-processing software. Raise ISO - optimal solution when photographing in dark closed spaces or in concert hall... Also, adjusting the sensitivity settings will be useful when shooting moving subjects in low light conditions.
Trevi Fountain, FR 27 mm, F5.6, ISO 100, 2 sec - Optics and aperture
If you shoot in low light conditions quite often, then get a good fast lens. Optics with an aperture of f / 1.4 - 1.8 will allow better low-light photography. Opening the aperture is one of the ways to solve the problem of lack of light in the frame. It is advisable, if the photographic equipment allows it, to open the aperture to the maximum. This allows more light to enter the camera's sensitive sensor for better, brighter images.
The more you open the aperture, the faster the shutter speed will be required to properly expose the frame. It is best to switch to aperture priority mode to be able to manually set suitable values... For example, f / 2.8 or f / 1.4. Be careful when opening the aperture to the maximum, as this increases the risk that bright objects in the frame will be too blurred, and the background and poorly confined objects will remain poorly worked out. So here, as in the case of photosensitivity, you also need to find the most correct value.
- Long exposure and tripod
Another way to shoot in low light conditions is to use slow shutter speeds. True, this option is advisable only when shooting stationary objects or landscapes at twilight. Optimal value shutter speed is determined by the characteristics of the scene lighting and usually ranges from 1/60 to 10 seconds. When choosing a shutter speed, you should focus on medium-lit objects in the frame. When using slow shutter speeds, keep the ISO settings at their minimum to eliminate noise.
Long exposures will, of course, require you to use a tripod. This is to avoid blurring the frame due to the slightest camera movement. It is also recommended to get a cable release or use the shutter-release timer to prevent any camera movement. If you don't have a tripod at hand, you can simply place the camera on a curb, rail or the ground, tightly grasping the camera body with both hands. The main thing is to ensure maximum stillness of the camera during the exposure of the frame.
By choosing one of the above methods. You will be able to ensure that enough light is hitting the sensor for a photo that is of acceptable quality. A few more are worth mentioning. practical advice on how to shoot in low light without a flash.
Universita 'degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, FR 27 mm, F3.5, ISO 100, 4 s First, try not to use digital or optical zoom. It reduces the amount of light entering the sensor, which negatively affects the quality of the photo image. This is especially true for digital zoom. If there is a need to get closer to the subject, it is better to get closer to it rather than using the zoom.
Secondly, even if your camera has a so-called "night mode" of shooting, it is better to abandon it and use the semi-automatic or manual mode. This allows you to get more creative freedom, achieve better results when shooting in low light conditions, and at the same time thoroughly explore the capabilities of your camera. If you set the manual settings correctly in accordance with the characteristics of the lighting, you can get really high quality and unusual results. Try manually setting the shutter speed and aperture, use spot metering, adjust the ISO and white balance settings. Also, in low light conditions, it is advisable to shoot in RAW format to preserve as much detail as possible. Thanks to this, you will receive more possibilities to correct small defects in the photo image and adjust the results in a graphics editor.
Third, if you are photographing in low light, be sure to first take a few test shots at different settings and in different modes in order to understand how to achieve more high-quality photo... You can also take a picture with the built-in flash to compare it with photos taken by changing manual settings (ISO increase, aperture opening, or slow shutter speeds). You can compare individual frames directly on the LCD using the zoom function. Sometimes a photograph taken with the built-in flash may be more acceptable in quality. For example, in cases where the background does not play a special role for you, it is only important that the subject is well lit.
So, in order to get better quality images in low light without using a flash, you have to make sure that as much light as possible hits the camera sensor. To do this, you can increase the sensitivity of the sensor, open the aperture as much as possible, or use slower shutter speeds by mounting the camera on a tripod or secure support. You will certainly improve the quality of your photos in low light, and individual minor image defects can always be removed using specialized software.
How and in what mode to photograph indoors? Beginning photographers have a lot of difficulties with this. The article will focus primarily on the creation of an artistic portrait, and not on a photo for memory. In this case, we must not only capture a certain moment in the photo, but also try to make the frame look beautiful and aesthetic.
Nikon D810 / 85.0 mm f / 1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 125, F2, 1/125 s, 85.0 mm equiv., 1.0 MB
From the point of view of the camera, the lighting in any room will be insufficient. Therefore, you need to think about the location of the shooting, and do not forget about the correct setting of the parameters.
Of course, there is always the option of using a flash. But the built-in flash will give not very nice, flat lighting, and ugly glare may appear on the model's face. With an external flash, it will be the same if you direct it frontally, to the forehead. But if you turn it to the ceiling, then the lighting will turn out to be more natural. But not everyone has an external flash. In addition, by shooting not with a flash, but with available light, you can get interesting lighting that is more interesting.
Choosing a well-lit location is important to get quality footage. You can take pictures near the window. It is best to turn the model slightly sideways to the window, then the lighting will fall on the face naturally, emphasizing its volume. But it makes no sense to shoot against the background of the window: the face itself will not be illuminated and most likely it will turn out to be dark, and the window will come out too light.
Of course, it should be light outside the window so that light falls on the model's face. To further soften the lighting, so that unpleasant contrasting shadows do not appear on the face, the window can be closed with tulle or a light curtain.
In addition to the window, there are other sources of lighting in the room. Use them! The person can be placed under the light of a floor lamp or table lamp... Compose the frame so that it does not get into it by strangers, distracting household items... On the occasion of photographing the house, you can also do the cleaning.
An interesting trick when working in limited space can serve as shooting through the mirror. When we are photographing in tight spaces, shooting through a mirror will help to visually expand the space in the picture.
How to set up your camera for indoor photography? When we shoot a subject in low light, the first thing to watch out for is the shutter speed. If it turns out to be too long, the picture can be blurred both from the camera shake in the hands and from the movements of our model. A person cannot completely freeze in place, so you should shoot him at shutter speeds shorter than 1/60 s. Shutter speed is best controlled in S (shutter priority) mode.
When shooting indoors, it is convenient to use high-aperture optics. It will allow you to shoot in poorer lighting with a short shutter speed, and it will blur the background more beautifully. At the same time, it is not very convenient to work with long-focus lenses in a room. Therefore, for cameras with APS-C sensor, it is appropriate to use lenses with a focal length of 28 mm ( Nikon AF-S 28mm F / 1.8G Nikkor), 35mm ( Nikon AF-S 35mm f / 1.8G DX Nikkor) or 50mm (Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.4G Nikkor). For full-frame cameras, 35mm ( Nikon AF-S 35mm f / 1.8G ED Nikkor), 50mm (Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.4G Nikkor), 85mm (Nikon AF-S 85mm f / 1.8G Nikkor). You can use shorter-throw optics when there is not enough space for shooting, but it is important to remember that short-throw optics can distort the proportions of the faces and bodies of our heroes.
Today we will try to consider the programmed shooting modes on an entry-level compact camera or ultrazoom. Let's make a reservation right away that this article is more intended for those who have recently picked up a camera, and I do not intend to delve into complex discussions about interchangeable optics of DSLRs, including iso. This information will be useful for those who have a "soap dish" with adjustable settings, turn off flash and want to photograph an unusual evening view, portrait or still life by candlelight in a dark room.
The goal is to help a beginner with an entry-level budget compact camera learn how to take interesting beautiful photos in the dark (more precisely, under conditions of insufficient lighting) without a flash. , probably everyone who has ever held a camera wanted.
Actually, this article is for those who have a beautiful bouquet on their table and who, perhaps for the first time, were unhappy with how a photo with a flash is obtained. Or perhaps you have a beautiful burning candle, the contemplation of which directs your thoughts to the fact that it would be nice to shoot a beautiful still life or even a portrait in soft lighting.
One way or another, you have a "soap dish" type camera with a set of subject programs. You need to photograph a subject in the dark, or at least low light, such as a candlelit subject.
Let's first focus on large selection subject programs intended for evening shooting. They are often called differently in different cameras, but they are based on similar principles.
So what are they called?
Night landscape(often the moon and stars icon) - for most compact cameras, it allows you to turn off the flash.
Night portrait(often a person icon, asterisks above it) Be careful, a night portrait most often involves using a flash along with a slow shutter speed. This mode is designed to take pictures of a person with a background - landscape, night sky, headlights of cars on the road. Therefore, a flash is used for the foreground - otherwise the person's face will be smeared. And for the background under such shooting conditions, clarity is not so essential.
Candlelight portrait (candle icon, respectively) Allows you to turn off the flash. Conveys the color of objects photographed by candlelight. That is, there will be a warm range.
Intelligent mode- recognizes that you are shooting, selects the most suitable from all the scene programs. Also allows you to disable the flash.
Auto- it works differently in different cameras. For most compact cameras, you can turn off the flash - for this there is a button with a crossed out lightning flash, shoot in automatic mode - it will be rearranged for shooting in low light conditions. No other settings are provided.
P- program mode close to automatic. You can change the white balance, iso value. Even if now it is difficult for you to figure it out, you can still safely set this setting - it is very simple, it will work no worse than automatic without your participation.
And finally, hurray! manual setting- the same completely manual mode, which we will try to learn how to use for shooting in the dark.
This mode is denoted M - manual, manual mode, everything is in the power of the photographer, you yourself set the shutter speed and aperture of the camera. But the camera will tell you a lot ...
Turn off the flash. This time. Let's find something that at first will be able to replace a tripod for us. If you have a tripod, please use it. Clear pictures in the dark, when there is little light, without a tripod is impossible. However, maybe, but only in one case, we will consider it separately.
Let's put one of the night shooting modes. These are automatic modes. They can be used for photography in the dark, but with only one "but" - you need a tripod. Otherwise, everything will be blurry.
So, let's cut out a dark corner, place a still life there. We will make the shooting conditions difficult, and even by candlelight. Reading in such a dark place is completely impossible, but let's try to photograph. Where are our plot programs here? choose in turn:
Night landscape
Although we have not a landscape, but a still life, we will still photograph it in this mode.
Not bad, but a bit dark. It is almost impossible to see what is around.
But there is little noise - the photo is not replete with multi-colored specks, even if you enlarge the picture.
We look at the values - exposure 1/2 second, iso 200. All this was supplied by the program.
Now let's take a photo of the same scene in an equally dark room using the
Candlelight portrait
It looks very similar to the previous photo (just as dark), but the values are different: the shutter speed here is 3 seconds, and iso 100. If you were shooting people, they would most likely turn out to be self-absorbed - it's too long - 3 seconds. Again, let me remind you that all these settings are set by the camera within the framework of the scene program. In any case, without a tripod anywhere.
Don't believe me? Here you go: the same photo without a tripod
Let's see what else we have.
Intelligent mode not available in all cells. It differs in that you can shoot without a tripod in low light. But, unfortunately, not so bad. I repeat, you cannot do without a tripod, there will be a lot of noise. For example, let's compare two shots in fully automatic mode.
One is done with a tripod and the other is hand-made. a "bad" photo has an iso (which is responsible for the noise) 800, and a "good" one only has 200. Guess which photo has a slower shutter speed? That's right, the "good" one. This is talking about shooting in the dark without a tripod or flash, and getting crisp shots. Unfortunately, this is only possible due to the iso, and you can see how rough and noisy the photo is.
The P-program mode in this case behaved the same as the others, there was no visible difference.
M - manual manual mode
Here we have the lightest image. iso 100, exposure 2 seconds. Here we put it all ourselves, with our pens, with the help of prompts on the camera.
Pay attention to the scale below. The correct (relatively) exposure for this shot will be when the yellow cursor moves from -2 to 0.
To do this, you need to change the shutter speed and aperture values (in the picture they are shown in red) using the buttons on the camera (now we read the instructions for your camera!) Rule one: if you want beautiful photo- Even in low light conditions, try to shoot without the flash.
Rule two: you need a tripod. In the dark, you can't take pictures without him. No portraits, no landscapes. If the light is not enough, you need a tripod!
Rule three - watch for noise, control iso. Well, if you haven't figured it out, then forget for a while - it will remind of itself with the effect of photographs sprinkled with sand, multi-colored stains in the photograph. Don't be alarmed, just try to decrease it.
Even for dark photos you can not put iso more than 400, it will be ugly. However, remember that if you need to photograph in a dark room, or simply in poor light, and you do not have a tripod, a high value is one of two options for getting a photo. The second option is flash.
Shooting indoors is a rather difficult moment for a beginner photographer, because, in fact, a lot here depends on the technique. Any professional will say that in a room where sunlight only reaches on holidays and, as a rule, not at all when you need to shoot, and there is nothing to do without a good camera, a bright zoom and an external flash. However, this does not diminish the importance of mastering the shooting technique itself, and if you count the costs themselves (camera from $ 3000, zoom glass from $ 1000, flash from $ 500), you get an amount that makes you think ... at least that the shooting technique should still be still master. Let's try to understand how we can do, who to cheat and what to replace in this expensive scheme, using what we have from the very beginning (i.e., with the purchase of a camera, highly desirable, a SLR).
How not to shoot indoors
First of all, you should remember about the terrible shooting conditions: indoors there is an order of magnitude less light than outdoors, which inevitably leads us to use a flash, which a beginner strives to turn on in normal TTL mode, taught by the delirium that the ISO value should be set as low as possible ... As a result, we get a “stunning” frame with a face against a background of black (or a color close to it) of the environment, to which the flash simply did not finish off, and if there were objects closer, then they generally overexpose. Actually, this is the position from which we will dance.
Remember the background
In fact, any shooting indoors (if not any shooting at all) is balancing "on the edge" between blurry motion and strong digital noise... Why such dependence occurs, you probably know, tk. have already heard about. If you think that the main thing in photography is the subject, you are wrong. He's just a chip on the field, which consists of a background (foreground, background, middle - you've probably heard it too), and if the background is zero (it's black, R0 G0 B0), the object also becomes zero. Therefore, we are trying to get the background, while trying to distract ourselves from making it interesting.
Once in dark room, we first increase exposure to the limit, on which we can shoot without blur - usually this is the inverse number to the used focal length of the lens, it can be a little longer if you are confident in your hands. For example, if you shoot 28 mm wide, the shutter speed should be no longer than 1/25 s, if the subject is not moving quickly, otherwise it will work. If the focal length grows to 80mm, and the shutter speed should be set to 1/80 s. Naturally, with a quick change of plans, you can set 1/80 and calm down, but then you will lose the step elsewhere. Which one to choose, your business, at least the priority of shutter speed with the setting of the required one, at least the aperture (to monitor the depth of field), you just need to constantly keep your finger on the pulse, controlling the shutter speed itself.
Accordingly, if the shutter speed does not decrease (Lo blinks in the viewfinder at the place of the aperture), and there is nowhere to open the aperture, we begin to use the third exposure parameter, matrix sensitivity... Increasing the sensitivity twice gives us a one stop gain (the ability to halve the shutter speed) - we can play with the matrices of modern devices for a long time, up to about ISO 1600, but you can live very well. It is difficult to go above ISO 800-1000 on old ones like Nikon D70, but these parameters are quite real.
Forget about the noise
Noise exists on forums, where it is discussed, grinded, created and considered. Photographers are used to grain how our eyes got used to it when looking at printed photographs (otherwise why take photographs if they are not printed?). A modern "affordable" camera, regardless of manufacturer, generates noise ranging from "good" to "quite tolerable" up to the ISO 1600 level, and the resolution allows you to further reduce it to reasonable performance when printing even large formats. For posting on the Internet, you don't have to worry about it at all (a bold statement that is only the result of omitting some caveats).
However, you shouldn't take too freely with the noise - it is an extreme that you need to go to, nothing more. If it is possible to make the sensitivity less, do not miss such chances (of course, do not sacrifice the above).
Pay attention to noise in post-processing- shoot indoors in, process in (with high noises, the color noise slider is removed beyond the 50 mark, the light noise is very careful, no further than 30, which is already a lot, just to bring the noise picture to a pleasant look, and not to a plastic one). This will make it easier to get the most out of your photo.
Use flash wisely
Indoor flash - not the main light, but an auxiliary... It should fill the shadows, highlight from the background, highlight a little - nothing more, otherwise the photo will become indistinct. In principle, it is permissible to use it with a direct shot at the ceiling, but this is usually also an extreme, and you cannot guess everywhere with ceilings and walls, and then suffer with the color temperature because of the green / red / blue / yellow walls in different rooms can be very long.
However, this option should not be thrown away, especially if you use reflectors like 80/20 Lumiquest, "buckets" by them. Gary Fonga or just a white card - white ceiling(no higher than 4 meters), if a flash is directed at it, it can become large light source... Naturally, if at the same time the shadows under the eyes "a la marmot" are filled with success. It is clear that the ceiling should be white, and the walls should strive towards it.
Otherwise, the main flash mode is slow sync on rear curtain(Nikon slow-sync rear, Canon just rear curtain). There is no big difference in the curtains at a short shutter speed, but you still need to play it safe and "close up" the blur with an impulse from the flash (I will explain: first the impulse on the front curtain, then the exposure, on the back curtain, vice versa, i.e. the light spot falls as if from above - t (i.e., if there is any jitter, the key object should be fixed by the flash pulse).
In view of what was written above, that a flash in a room is an auxiliary light, you can try to shoot without it, if you fit into the above exposure parameters, you just need to follow people against a light background, because they will be underexposed. That is, a flash is, in principle, optional (and many weddings in registry offices generally shoot without a flash).
On the other hand, the removal should be reversed to color temperature Sveta... This is aerobatics, but you still need to know the basics. The fact is that of all light sources, only the flash has the most neutral color, close to the true daylight - white. Other lighting deviate from it - fluorescent lamps, they are fluorescent, can give a reddish or greenish tint, incandescent - yellow. Daylight also yellowish, and even reddish in the evening (these are windows, if you don’t understand - it enters the room through them). All this can be mixed in a room in a terrible way, and here you are with a flash: the face will be illuminated in white, and the background, for example, greenish (most often, energy-saving fluorescent lamps) - it can take up to half an hour to edit such lighting, if you have the skills. Accordingly, it is easier to prevent illness than to cure - in order to equalize the temperature, you need to take a test shot with the white balance set to "flash", but without the flash, then look on the screen in what shade the background is painted and add such a filter to the flash (they are called gel, although they only relate to the gel through poor translation). Accordingly, it is good to have a red, green and yellow filter with an effect of no more than a third of a stop for a flash, i.e. very light (with good flashes are included, for cheap ones they are cut by hand from anything). Note that filters take some getting used to. If you don’t have them, if you don’t want to fool yourself with this, just beat it up.
Choose adequate remedies
“Shooting indoors” is a very broad and general concept. You can shoot presidential press conferences - this is one thing, weddings in registry offices can be another, or you can just drink friends or children's photos - this is quite the third. The difference here is in the final quality of the photo - you can hardly provide the editorial office with a noisy photograph of Medvedev (although they are still printed when there are no options), and even in a wedding photography, the customer may not be happy about it. But you can easily post pictures from yesterday's drunkenness for friends on the network - when reducing images, noise magically disappears by almost 80%. And therefore, in most cases, you can do with the existing equipment: compacts are quite suitable for everyday shooting (if they focus quickly), DSLRs are enough for shooting weddings, special equipment only requires professional reports. Therefore, you need to choose the tools according to the tasks. Although it is not good to say that expensive equipment is not needed ... let's explain what's what. After all, if the equipment was not required, it would not have been bought, the presidents would have been filmed with inexpensive SLRs with whale lenses.
Camera professional reportage level (the one starting from $ 3000) can not only shoot quickly, but also shoot full frame and, as a result, has noise 2-3 stops lower (read, noise at ISO 6400 is the same as at ISO 800) , which means that either the shutter speed can be set two to three times shorter, or the sensitivity can be reduced.
Flash($ 500) even with slow synchronization, it can give a gain of about ½ or ⅓ stop, which, in principle, is not critical, but something else is much more important - it can help freeze a little blur or simply make an object stand out from the background.
The professional level (from $ 1000) usually, in addition to clarity, also wins a stop or two in aperture ratio - the minimum aperture number on expensive zoom lenses is 2.8, while in the standard 3.5-5.6 (the short end loses by 2/3 stops, long by 2). Accordingly, although the depth of field turns out to be less, you can lower the sensitivity by one or two stops (ISO 400 versus 1600 is also not bad, right?).
As a result, it turns out that professional equipment allows you to be a whole head taller (or ahead, as you like) of those who shoot on the usual - 4-5 handicap steps are provided to a professional. Actually, they are also not a penny, and therefore, you will have to think about what is better, spend money or soberly assess the situation.
Walk up the stairs
Step up - step down. Each step is an increase (or decrease) in the amount of light by half, no matter how you implement it. As an option, many models of modern devices can be configured today ISO Auto, so that this parameter does not fall below the specified one (for example, 800 or 1600, salt and pepper to taste), set the shutter priority and when shooting general shots (28 mm, f / 3.5) set the shutter speed 1 / 25s → the camera will reduce the sensitivity for example up to ISO 200; while shooting close-ups(80mm, f / 5.6) set to 1 / 80s, the camera will set ISO to about 1250, which is not a problem for modern ones. In this case, on general plans, where there are more details in the shadow areas, we will save detail in them (it can be critical), and on large ones, where it comes about faces, shadows can be sacrificed a little (to kill the noise), they will still be blurred. In Lightroom, this is a matter of a couple of presets, nothing more, but the result will be different. It should, however, be remembered that such a step is only for those who have no memory problems - forgot to switch, and sat in a puddle. It may be easier to set the shutter speed to a fixed one, leaving ISO Auto - when the light improves, the device itself will reduce the sensitivity, and even when you go out into the street, it will save you.
Don't be afraid to experiment
Actually, the above is just a base, a stove from which you can already dance. Practice the technique, and as you master, try to invent and use own techniques(by the way, if you comment below, we will not mind at all) - photography is akin to life itself, it is constantly moving forward, so this article, perhaps, in a couple of years, will boldly find a place for itself in the trash can, and it will be possible to write a new one to replace it, meeting the changed conditions.
