Low Light

The question had to do with low light shooting — a wedding ceremony and reception in a venue with low light. My answer:

Are you comfortable with off-camera flash? Unless there is some overriding reason to shoot the entire thing without flash, why worry about it? Do some ‘mood’ shots with ambient light, but set up a couple speedlights around the room. Avoid straight-on, on-camera flash, as much as possible. Diffuse your flashes.

Check out Strobist for great ideas and technique.

When people ask about an equipment list, they are probably just parroting something they read in a bridal magazine. I pretty much respond with, “Why do you care? Are YOU gonna take the pictures?” — gotta have a big smile on your face to pull that off.

Sometimes, you have to be prepared to turn down jobs, until you are ready to take them on with confidence. Since you have only done outdoor weddings, you might want to practice under other lighting conditions before you take on those jobs. I know we all have to start someplace, but learning low-lighting techniques, during someone’s wedding is not the place. Chances are, if you do book this job, you will have several months to get you technique down, and you will be fine.

You asked about specific techniques. For me, camera on manual, drag the shutter, shoot wide open — or near wide open, depending on DOF, ISO 800 or more — even with newer hi-ISO capable cameras, I try to stay at 1600 or bellow, most of the time (your opinion of grain (noise) in images may be different). Flash — most of the time, I’m very happy with TTL, but you really should learn how and when to use manual flash settings for specific situations. Again, get the flash off the camera.

If you can’t use flash, get some fast primes (rent if you don’t own them). I’m old, and so are my lenses, so I don’t have any IS (VR) lenses. That means, I often use a monopod — really no cumbersome, so long as you don’t forget and try to go vertical . Since there are two of you, you might put one camera on a tripod, like a videographer, and position it in one place, to capture the ceremony.

“Is this a bad question?” — only if you don’t ask it!

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