How can I get sharper, better-exposed low-light portraits without using flash?
Asked 11/6/2014
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2 answers
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I’m shooting candid portraits in dim indoor light and want to keep the ambient light rather than use flash. My camera is a Nikon D3200 with a 35mm f/1.8 lens. One example was shot in RAW at ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/15s, and the result was blurry, underexposed, and had poor color. What settings or quick adjustments should I make for a better second shot in this kind of situation?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
5
Improving the lighting would be the first thing to do. On your shot, the face of the person is practically unlit, as well as the background, resulting in too much contrast with blown whites on the right. The fact that the brightest light is facing the camera creates lens ghosts, which is probably not what you want.
If you're unable to change lighting, then you can still:
Change white balance to make the image less yellowish. Although setting white balance manually would result in the best result, you may use one of the presets of your camera if you need to be quick.
If the image is dark, change the exposure compensation by +0.7/+1.0. Note that in the current case, this will make the image probably worse, because of the whites at the right. Adjusting the blacks and the whites separately in Lightroom or any similar software is another way to improve the image when the lighting is poor.
Increase the ISO up to 1600 or more. While higher ISO will result in more noise, Nikon D3200 is able to produce photos without much noise even with 1600-3200 ISO. Unless you're looking at the photos at 1:1 scale, noise should't be a problem, especially if you use noise reduction afterwards (for example in Lightroom).
Originally by user2236. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2236
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Your example is limited by three things: very low light on the face, high contrast in the scene, and too-slow shutter speed.
For sharper portraits, 1/15s is usually too slow at 35mm on a DX body. A safer handheld target is around 1/50s or faster, and for a moving person even faster may help. Since you’re already at f/1.8, the main way to get there is to raise ISO.
A few practical tips:
- increase ISO so shutter speed can rise to about 1/50s or higher
- keep using the wide aperture, but be aware depth of field is very thin, so focus carefully
- avoid focus-and-recompose if possible at close distances
- adjust white balance for indoor lighting, either with a preset or later from RAW
- use positive exposure compensation only if highlights aren’t already blowing out
The bigger issue here is lighting direction: the face is mostly in shadow while bright background lights are in the frame, which increases contrast and can cause flare/ghosting. If possible, change your position or the subject’s position so the face gets more light and bright lights aren’t pointed straight into the lens.
If the first shot is dim, the quickest fix is usually: raise ISO, keep aperture wide, and reframe toward better light on the face.
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