Low light photography

[dani2xll]

I shot in my home studio. I used the overhead normal house lightbulb which gave me more than enough lighting for a shoot without using my speedlight which I am aware is totally wrong. (An impromptu shoot to try out a tripod with a nephew who wanted some quick shots of himself).

I am aware that off-camera flash is best.

How could I have remedied this situation had I used my speedlight? I do not want to use studio lights or strobes.

Turn off the lightbulb to enable me to use flash? But then I would be working in the dark and it would be impossible to see my camera or the subject.

Turn off the lightbulb and open the door to the hallway to allow-in some ambient light?

Or would the better situation be to have a couple of ordinary lamps behind me in the other corners of the room - far enough away to give some ambient light but not bring in too much light.

Or some other method? One that doesn't involve strobes or studio lights.

It would help me to know because I could just as easily be in someone's home who has ordinary house lightbulbs in the middle of a room.

Thank you.
--
d@ni

 

[Seedeich]

First you have to understand, that you exposed for the ambient light. Let’s say ISO 800, f5.6, 1/30.

Lets bring a flash in. You can sync it at 1/125. We still use ISO 800 and f/5.6.
The ambient light will be underexposed by 2 stops (from 1/30 to 1/125).
Lower the ISO from 800 to 200 and the ambient light goes further 2 stops down and will be practically negligible in the exposure.
Just leave the lightbulb on.

You can use off camera flash or on camera flash and bounce it. The principal in distinguishing between exposure for ambient light and flash is the same.

You might want to read this:
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/flash-and-ambient-light/

 

[Mario Giannini]

Your idea of using more lights pointed at the room corners would work. But normal lights (incandescent) aren't really the best in yielding good color. Basically, you're discussing continuous lighting but using normal home bulbs.

Personally, for impromptu on-the-spot, I would have gone on-camera hotshoe flash bounced off the ceiling. Next improvement, I would have opted for off-camera flash also bounced off the ceiling.

Or maybe you want to go for high-ISO and a wide-aperture prime lens with no additional lighting. The effects will be much different from adding light using speedlights or continuous lighting, so it really depends on the effect you want.

Why not post some results, and tell us why you don't like them?