Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Not sure I understand - can you post an image to illustrate what you mean?

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Thank you, I find this helpful (and saving the cost of the meter).

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

My process in taking a photo is generally the same, whether its a low light or bright condition.
Just a minor variation of the same sequence.

1. First is either to have the proper gear, or pre-plan with the gears at hand.

2. Get to spot earlier than when i need to be or if it would be a person or object, to have the subject ready and at ease before the shoot.

3. Imagine the composition that i want to achieve. If this is a planned shoot, then this step becomes number 1 in the list.

4. In imagining my composition, i seek or create Hero. This is the main soul of my composition. It can be anything, a person, material, a story, moment etc. The objective of creating or finding a hero is to have a core foundation which all the other elements in the photo supports.

5. I keep my options open. I do not stick to any photography rules but rather judge, create & shoot the composition according to my plan or to what i am presented.

6. Along with composition, i adjust the mood by i choosing a dominant color or colorshift. This is done with the white balance setting.

7. Priority settings that will support the composition would then be decided. I'd ask myself "what would be my first priority to keep as a constant in order to achieve my goal?". If its clean image then i prioritize ISO. Set that low then never touch it again. If my priority is to stop a movement, then the first priority would be a high shutter speed or a burst of flash and have that as my constant. The priority setting would be the last setting i would change if i could not get the photo that i wanted.

8. Now i start to shoot. Mindful of my depth of field, I would choose precisely what part of the scene needs to be in sharp focus. In any creature with eyes, I would focus on the nearest eye, unless i specifically wanted a different composition.

9. Stability is your friend. I do my best to have the camera not move as i take a picture. I press the button deliberately without jerking or use a timer or a remote to keep it steady. VR is used if applicable and if panning, i try to move as smooth and parallel as possible to the object i'm shooting .

10. Then i check what i did. Every one in a while i would check if i got everything right. This gives me the moment to confirm and to Adjust mt setting if needed.

11. I shoot as much variety on the same hero as i can. As much as possible, do not do a shoot then move on. I'd deliberately experiment after getting the shots i wanted. Sometimes those experiments would turn out to be the better image.

12. Enjoy and keep learning. Learn about your tools. learn how other make their photos. Show your photos to others. When i see a photo, good or bad, i'd try to analyze them and see what makes it bad, or what makes it good. Learn about the softwares. What they can offer to further improve your images. Learn the file types. What each type can offer in possibilities in editing or sharing. Most of all is i look at everything with a child's eye of wonder and excitement. I try to enjoy and learn from each moment and photograph.

This is my way, whether it be dark or light and below are some low light images i have done with the above process. How i took the last photo is shown steps by step here: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-580096-1.html

wingate2417 Loc: Quincy, Ca.

shoot night pictures at dusk. You will get separation between buildings and sky.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I spot meter for the brightest part of the scene, adjust to add additional exposure based on that metering and the camera I'm using.
--Bob

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Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

[quote=yssirk123]

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing your results!