Low light photography tips (Dom Bower)

[jimmycrackedcorn226]

Tokina 11-16 2.8. Best ultra-wide around!

[ThePremiumGoods]

ROKINON YEAH!!!

[rocktheworld62]

I am a beginner, I hav bought Nikon p90 camera for me...What ISO, shutter speed and aperture settings do u recommend me for indoor (low light) photography?

[BeccyWall]

fantastic video, I thought is was great

[Bananas1973]

Nice. Thank you.

[mishokorlov]

Do you use Tokina 11-16 most of the time?

[thekrugers4]

Dom, I've got all the right equipment, D300, Nikon 70-200 f 2.8 lens but because I'm just learning, I could use advice on what mode is best to shoot night action sports in. Thanks, Sharon

[dombower]

@thekrugers4 learn to use manual mode, and check the images on the back of the camera to see if they are what you want.

[ForeverSnapping]

Great video Dom, going to practise your tips with the Nikon D300 next time I try some night photography!!

[cbface]

very helpful

[fkirons]

Hey bro. good tips. I am not a professional artist but I do rely on photography on a daily basis. I take photos of tattoos. (I am a tattoo artist) taking great pictures of my tattoos are really important for us artists. Most of the the tattoos I do end up done during night time. I can' t never manage to take great pictures under regular "store" lighting conditions.

Any tip you could tell us or even making a little video tutorial of how to shoot skin/ tattoos would be great.

[Stormayhlegj]

Very nice video! I understood a lot

[fergaldavey]

hi dom , i have new canon s95..i jammed iso right up to 3200 but image has come out very bright and blurry...do i need to change aperture? this is for hand held street photos

[calizormc]

adjust your shutter speed to 500 up 1000. ty gl cheers

[calizormc]

adjust your shutter speed 1/500s to 1/1000s good luck cheers.

[antropoloscar]

DOM..what ''White Balance'' setting should be used for Studio Photography ???

thanks

What about for ''NIght photography''

[dombower]

@antropoloscar if you really dont know then shoot raw.

[survivor110]

@dombower Bro. what id i really dont knw but i wanna know !!! would you mind sharing your openion wid us ?

[survivor110]

@dombower Bro. what if i really dont knw but i wanna know !!! would you mind sharing your openion wid us ?

[killinthyme03]

your accent makes these videos all that more interesting lol

[phreakgeek]

What would you use night photography for either sports at low light or maybe fireworks?

[dombower]

@phreakgeek your sentence doesnt make sense

[phreakgeek]

@dombower

SorryI was looking for option on lighting for lets say sports in low lights..

or Fireworks low light but high speed

[calizormc]

u need good lens with at least 2.8 aperture lenses that's for sports.

for fireworks u don't need high speed u need is long shutter speed try 30sec.

[acesofhearts15]

@phreakgeek for fire works it tends to work good for me to use like 400 and up iso and a relativaly low apature but the thing people forget is to experiment and learn for themselves

[acesofhearts15]

@phreakgeek for fire works it tends to work good for me to use like 400 and up iso and a relativaly low apature but the thing people forget is to experiment and learn for themselves becuase there is no better way to learn your skills and learn your camera than to keep experimenting and shooting

[acesofhearts15]

@phreakgeek I would say iso 400 and up but you have to remember fireworks are bright and move fast so you have to watch out for blu and a reletively high fstop and remember to experim ent and learn your camera and your skills

[00skorne00]

@phreakgeek  Francais ??(French??) XD Like Me ! YAY !

[jaynavygrey]

helpful video, thanks

[satsdev]

Dom, you have summarised what I have read in two books. Excellent video, for the amateurs like me. Hats off. Keep up the good work.

[dombower]

@satsdev waow! thanks

[paddy4734]

thnx a lot bro.....dat is very helpful 4 me!!!!!

[slimjim261]

hi i was watching your video question i got nikonD80 and i use 55-200mm lens for sports shots what would recomend what iso and apperture fstop i should use to get great sports shots. please let me know you may contact me on my email..

xxchick4ever@aol.com

[tbop757]

Hey i have a ? its about the haunting photo that you have on your website. How did you make that pic or how did you edit it to look like that? Im and upcoming photographer trying to learn helpful skills.

[dombower]

@tbop757 massive amount of editing. using psudo hdr for 3 iimages made up 3 times each. a different picture for the sitting shot, for the standing shot, for the candles and the fire. all used in gimp and photomatix

[tbop757]

? for ya how did you do the haunting photo that you have on your website

[nee42003]

im going to shoot ppl and bands in low light and i was wondering how can i achieve that sharpness and blur hand held???

[vadim4120]

hey in understand that in low light photography its important to have a low f stop to get more light.... but you said its also about wide angle lenses....why the wide angle lenses?...does is give you more light or something?...one more thing i got a canon t1i kit with the standard 18-55 and the 75-300 lens...what would you say is a good lens to upgrade to that would give me sharper overall images?...thanks

[taulbemo]

hi.. i'm just starting to get into wedding photography, and also portrait photography.... and i was wondering in low light situations, for example most receptions are low light, what should my shutter speed and aperature be set at?... thank you so much for your videos, they are well explained and very helpful. :)

[dombower]

@taulbemo impossible question. depends on your iso, the level of light, the length of lens the speed of subject etc.

[gatgtg]

wabt to take pictures at a dog show in the reliant center where they don't want you to use your flash

[noerboy93]

Very insightful! you did not mention which aperature iso and shutter speed for the car blurred shots on the street besides using a tripod and a vr. What do you suggest I should set my settings at? thanks!

[dombower]

@noerboy93 the answer is totally dependant on the location and lighting, and how fast the cars are moving and how much blur you want.

[citysmoker420]

we have the same lens =D

[jimgump]

great vid,great points,great pics but they must be the worst graphics for the camera settings in the world lmao.

but plzzzzz keep the videos coming

[dombower]

@jimgump graphics???? its a photo of the back of a buisness card that i wrote on in pen.... but i like how you term it as graphics

[Rucci74]

Thanks a lot!!!!

[daveawebber]

nice one 

[j051885]

thanx alot!.. very usefull.. i like the night life shots but i find it hard to shoot in low light.. i use the iso settings alot!! and change the shutter speed arround. other than that, i know no other way to soak up the light from arround to get a good SHARP picture in low light. (especially when it involves alot of movement.. any tips??

[dombower]

@j051885 get the fastest lens you can afford, ie an f1.4 or f1.2

[misterwini]

Dom I am trying to decide wich lens to buy and I am still not sure. My two options are Sigma 18-250 f3.5-6.3 OS and the Tamron 28-300 f3.5-6.3 XR. They seem really similar but I am not sure which one to choose. If u could give me some advice?

[cntyboy1]

ooops typo on my part i meant 70-200 2.8 thanks for the info Dom much much appreciated

[cntyboy1]

Dom what do you suggest for low light sports kick boxing. the light was hideously low ?

some action was blurred.

equip, d300 sigma 70-300 f2.8,nikon 18-135 3.5-5.6

[dombower]

kick boxing is pretty fast so there will prob always be some blur. get the camera up to iso 3200 and in manual shutterspeed. also there is no 70-300 f2.8

[perfectdayphoto]

Nice video - thanks for sharing!

[estudio100rafa]

is he really recommending the use of Vibration Reduction on a tripod?? I am turning in my 70-200 f2.8 VR to Nikon because the VR system started malfunctioning on my monopod, according to Nikon , I shouldnt use VR with a tripod. I wouldnt listen to this advise much...

[dombower]

@estudio100rafa note what i am saying, using a tripod on ground that is moving, ie right beside a road, if a big truck goes past there will be vibration. if your out in the field then its not needed

[Nirvano2009]

nice video Dom ..it allways good to have a bigger aperture , but it sounds like you do not like to work with long shuutters like 1 sec or so.. can you please tell something about workibg with smaller aperture and long shuuter time..thanks

[paskrell]

Hey man... great stuff... one thing is missing though: flash settings... you can manipulate beautifully with the flash on the second curtain. The image that was moving will freeze in the moment the flash fires.... Try it out =)

[Debugnus]

Good video man ;) I especially like the way you express not not to be too afraid of higher ISO's. I personally like some particular shots where the noise makes/plays a good part in a photo. - I'm actually waiting for the new Nikon 24mm f1.4 to be available.. now that should be fun.

I just wish I knew the noise difference from the D90 to the D700 before I got the D90, guess i'll just have to get a second body sometime.

[RockSolid1980]

gjcjii - 1 sec should give you mist.

Dom - you give great advice man

good work!

[ManicEightBall]

I found a good way to see what lenses are good is to go to Amazon and read the consumer's reviews. They often have comments about quality, problems, and recommendations of substitute lenses.

If you ask one person (even a great photographer like Dom) you get one person's opinion, but if you look around, you can find many people's opinions.

[hybriddesignz08]

Hey Dom...which lens are you using in the video?

[kenkoyABC123]

is the tokina is a good lens, like nikkor brands?

[train2dbrain]

hey i've been wanting to buy a tripod but with all wide arrays of tripod out there i can't seem to choose what is best. Any suggestions?

[faerylight]

I saw your tutorial on low light settings, but I'm still experiencing some trouble...

I just bought the Nikon D90 yesterday, and I tried to take an HD video in low-light conditions (some inside and some outside at night) but it comes out grainy / with noise... I tried several things to stop it, but nothing seems to work!

Could you help me out?

[dombower]

would love to but so far i dont have a dslr that does video so cant give any tips. if it is grainy it sounds like the sensor is struggling with the low light trying to make it brighter and may be boosting up the iso. get fast lenses f1.8 or f1.4 but otherwise i dont know yet.

[deathrecycle]

Google.

[gjcjii]

Hi Don, I am glad that I have seen your Video. There will be a few questions that i will have for you.

Thanks for the video tips you have already helped me out thanks again

Here is my fist question for you

I want to take flowen water pictures please tell me waht settings i should use. for that smooth flow effect

Thanks Graeme

[dombower]

@gjcjii before i tell you the answer i want you to tell me what you think your settings would need to be.

[gjcjii]

I would need a long exposer time, i have tried that but the water seems the same

Thanks Graeme

[dombower]

@gjcjii depends on how fast the water is moving, anything from 1 second to 15 seconds is needed. lower your iso as low as possible and have your aperture with a big number ie f8 or more. a polorizor filter also helps get rid of some reflections. and use a tripod

[dombower]

thanks you

[simply2ghetto]

Hi there,

Is there d700 any good for low light photos; especially stars etc.

[dombower]

any camera can do that. the d700 is about high iso ability

[snifnscratch]

always helpful, thanks Dom

[pernat]

thanks Dom, that was helpful

[pernat]

this was helpful, thanks, but could you address the problem of theatre shots (non flash) when pple are moving rapidly and you can't use a tri/monopod?

[dombower]

@pernat already have kindof. look for my video on the chinese theatre show.

spot metering is very important

[magermax000]

oh you have the tokina 11-16mm... I am gonna get that one soon for canon mount.

[dombower]

waste of time. cos then it wont work on a real camera like a nikon

:()

[claropie]

Thank you that was a really helpful video. Sooo much better than reading the book.

[dombower]

dont say that! i have a book coming out soon!

[elcielo1981]

does anyone know if there is a video explaining how to get a good clear shot at a concert.

[dombower]

check my chinese theatre photoshoot for tips

[teejaysmultalted]

hey dude great tips but im doing a photoshoot a fashion one n i need some tips

its going to be dark and i only have one flash gun

were using a miregal round aswell book it for 10pm lol

but were going for posh places too lol but its mite be prety low will i just use what your said lol

everytime i put up my iso that high theres uasly alot of noice like the pictures made up from it hahah

[mixmaxdix]

what tripod , and head are u using?

I´m considering buying one but i have some doubts, like choose a ball head or a 3 way head or something like you show on your video), which one is more sturdy?

and the brand, like manfrotto, gitzo or giottos

i really need something sturdy and can handle a lot of weight like 4 or 5 kg (tops) (for some lenses are heavier)

thnks

[wangstafro]

hey dom these really help but i was wondering what brand and model your tripod is and your flash stand and what extension do you have on it for the umbrella to go on it? please reply it would help me a lot for when i buy my sb900 and umbrella and stuff in a month or so

[curtisandcurtis]

Is it true you should turn your VR off when you use a tripod?

[dombower]

if you know for sure that your tripod is totally steady then you shouldnt need it, but even cars driving past can cause vibration as can wind.

[curtisandcurtis]

Thanks, keep up the good work

[gLipinCore]

It's usually advised the VR is turned off because it produces vibrations itself. VR is only really effective when shooting by hand, in my experience.

[stanjr100]

Is there a site were I can get lenses cheap. just starting out, what would be a good one to get?

[ubermej]

Like that hand drawn chart!

[thecreativegeek]

Hey dom what's the best iso for doing the car lights please also good video and what sort of lens would be good for doing that sort of thing?

Thanks

[dombower]

any sort of lens, and uusally low iso so you get a longer shutter speed

[loco039]

Thank you.

[loco039]

Like always your vids are very good. Question:

how sharp is tokina 11-16mm f2.8 compare to canon L series lenses. Thanks from a canon fan.

[beverchakus1]

the Tokina lens is probably sharper.

[Gatotsu2009]

According to Ken Rockwell, Tokina 11-16 is sharper than Nikon 12-24 f/4 but the sharpest lens he had evaluated is the Canon 10-22mm f/3.5 - 4.5 USM. Yes this lens is not an "L" series but is really sharp.

Canon "L" lenses are the best but is because they have great optics and are weather proof. However, a lot on "non L" Canon lenses are good as well.

[s3ries3]

Thanks again Dom! Really informative video. Really helps out not only those new to photography but also gives great tips to everyone out there! Thanks again~

[gluttonus]

hey can try tamron 17-50 F2.8 ? haha! :D

[georgedoesballet]

THANKYOU!!! Your a newbies dream I am telling you that!

[dombower]

good to hear it!.

[dtoosh]

kinky

[Kz777ER]

you have a bad hand writting .. just kidding

nice vid dom .. can you have these sigma lenses 20 1.8 / 24 1.8 ..if you have thim plaese make a vid

- by the way THE STAR PHOTO called STARTRAIL

[dombower]

yes indeed my handwritting sucks! 

i am dead keen on trying out the 20 and 24 by sigma but the test reviews i have seen of them are not that great at all. hopeing nikon will bring out a 24mm f1.4 some time soon but it will be expensive as hell i bed.

oh and yeah startrail! thanks

[dk2893]

Great video... I know that your tripod is a manfrotto but what is the model number of the tripod and the head?

[BoomProductionStudio]

what about shooting in the night club.. what setting do i need to use??? keep up with the good work so far,, love your videos :)

[dombower]

oh tough one. usually the dont get too drunk setting. but i never find that one.

[ticor2d2]

Your videos are very handfull, love they. I've subscribed your channel :)

Keep the good work.

[dombower]

glad to help

[edcb84]

do you use your setting in RAW or JPEG?

[dombower]

depends.

[Recon9143]

A thing that he touched up on was vibration shooting cars, theres a quick fix to this

A: Buy 4 Tennis Balls

B: Cut out the middle leaving just the skin

C: Fit the legs with the Tennis Balls

E.g what they used to use in school on the chairs,

Be careful though because it could make it a little wobbly depending on tripod,

[NikonPhoto07]

Thanks for the tips and showing some more of your photography Dom. Your work is always an inspiration.

Mark

[wildusers2]

thank u

[dkamisat]

Great tips! The shots at 2:33 and 3:09 were awesome!

[dombower]

thanks

[terehz]

Thanks Dom!!

I was thinking of making a career change and getting in to photography. How did you do it? What makes YOU successful? Did you go to school for this? Can you just buy great equipment and the rest takes care of itself? Tell us!! (if you don't mind sharing)

[Recon9143]

Dear Terehz please check his video on Questions.

[Frace91]

In my Forum i always read Vibration reduction/Image stabilisation together with a tripod would be bad because the IS/VR tries to stabilize something where there's no shaking resulting in blurryness

That's why newer VR/IS lenses have a mechanism that checks if the camera is mounted on a tripod

I'm not sure if that really happens often or ever but i wanted to mention it

nice video btw

[redlimeoriginal]

very nice night photos!

[dombower]

thank you

[brt5470]

I love your videos so much. So much great information.

[dombower]

glad to help

[devonly2]

taking the photo in MuP would help and mirror lock right? For those long exposure photos.

[dombower]

mup doesnt seem to do it, i have been giving it a go but so far its not affecting exposure. very strange

[devonly2]

odd, but should help stabalizing the shot right? btw. is there a way of the auto-focus to focus after the 5-10-20 sec timer on d300?

i bought the SB-900, D300 and Sigma 70-200 2.8. The tokina is next, was between sigma 10-20 and that one but the speed is just amazing. so screw that 1 stop :P

[dombower]

NO you have to focus before the timer. What do you mean by screw teh 1 stop? the tokina is one stop faster and when your at ultra wide angles lens focus speed is not that important as there is such a limited distance until the hyperfocal point.

[devonly2]

1 stop, step in 10-11. im not very technical.

feck it. love your stuff. ive learned soo much, and makes we want to learn more! :)

[dombower]

ah thing you mean 1millimetre not one stop (1mm)

[ktakytzu]

nice one!nicely done!