How can I photograph a distant person on a dim balcony at 300mm in the evening?
Asked 8/1/2013
3 views
2 answers
0
I’m trying to photograph a person on a balcony across the street around 5pm. My side is brightly lit, but their balcony is much dimmer. Using a Canon 1000D with a 75-300mm lens at 300mm and f/5.6, the camera suggests very slow shutter speeds, which won’t freeze subject movement. Raising ISO adds noticeable noise, and flash from my position won’t reach effectively.
Would a higher-ISO camera body help, or is the better solution a faster lens, different lighting, or another approach for this kind of low-light, long-distance shot?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
5
With the parents permission, you are going to get the best results by putting a remotely triggered flash unit on her balcony. Then you expose for the ambient and adjust flash power to light her properly -- at dusk this could be a really cool shot.
This is much cheaper than a 300mm f/2.8 and will greatly expand your capabilities as a photographer. Pick up a cheap hot shoe flash, and radio triggers. You can use a goby, gaffer tape or a super clamp to position the flash on the balcony -- if shooting at dusk you may want to put a 1/2 CTO gel to better color match the evening sun. Take a guess at flash power (I would probably go ~1/4) and position it above her. If there is a roof on the balcony aim the flash up and let it bounce down, otherwise you can aim more or less where you expect her to be.
Now setup your exposure shoot either wide open or stop it down a bit to sharpen your lens, a reasonable ISO (say 400) and pick a shutter speed 1/60 -- take a test shot is the balcony well exposed? Use your Aperture/ISO (or adjust flash power) to get the correct exposure on the balcony. Now adjust your shutter speed to get a good ambient feel.
Originally by user20982. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user20982
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A new body is unlikely to solve this by itself. Moving from your 1000D to something like a 60D would only give a modest low-light improvement, while a 300mm f/2.8 lens would gain about 2 stops over f/5.6—but that still may leave shutter speeds too slow for a moving subject.
The most practical options are:
- Use higher ISO than 200, shoot RAW, and reduce noise in post. Your camera should tolerate somewhat higher ISO better than you may think.
- Improve the lens situation: your 75-300 at 300mm can suffer from flare and loss of contrast when shooting toward bright light, which may be making the result seem worse than just “high ISO noise.” A better telephoto and proper hood can help.
- Best technical fix: add light at the subject, e.g. a remotely triggered flash placed near the balcony and balanced with ambient light.
So: don’t expect much from a body upgrade alone; a faster/better lens helps somewhat, but adding light near the subject is the strongest solution.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI13y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
What gear and settings do I need to photograph my son playing soccer with a Canon Rebel T3?
How should I set up a Nikon D3000 to photograph a flood-lit carnival parade at night?
How can I photograph a lit city scene with a starry sky and reduce flare, haze, and noise?
Why won’t my Nikon D3300 autofocus on close subjects with the AF-S DX 55-300mm lens?
Best camera settings for an all-day wedding timelapse with changing light