TAKE A SHOT IN THE DARK

The darkest hours can result in dazzling portraits if you know how to find the best light, or create your own. James Paterson offers some illumination…

1 HOUR We often think of twilight as the most atmospheric part of the day for photography. However, after dark can also be a great time to head out with your camera, especially in a busy urban setting, with coloured lighting from shop windows, passing traffic and neon signs all making for interesting and unique backdrops when you’re shooting portraits. In this project we’ll explore a few techniques for capturing portraits after dark. We’ll begin by looking at how you can make use of available lighting around you, and then we’ll explain how you can supplement these lights with your own.

The biggest hurdle to overcome on a shoot like this is, of course, the lack of light, and it means setting up your camera for low-light photography. For a static subject we could simply use a tripod and extend our shutter speed; but with portraits we’re going to be restricted, as a person can only stay perfectly still for a moment, so in this scenario we need high ISOs and wide apertures. It’ll also help if you have a camera that performs well at higher ISOs – most modern DSLR and CSCs do – and a lens that offers a wide maximum aperture.

STEP BY STEP FIND THE LIGHT AT NIGHT

1 FIND THE LIGHT

When you’re shooting portraits out on the streets after dark, there will be little pockets of light here and there that can be used to light the face. We came across this spotlight after a few minutes of walking around a city centre, and its power and angle were perfect for our needs.