Animals tend to be more comfortable in low-light situations and this is a huge problem for wildlife photographers! It’s a challenge to take an image that is sharp and well-exposed when the sun is setting and in the forest especially when you have a moving subject. With the right settings and more powerful camera can be helpful but they can only get you only so far.
But you shouldn’t be restricted only by sunlight. If you use the proper methods, you can capture great wildlife photographs in dim light, and even in the dark. It’s possible to adopt a new method. I’ve shot a lot of my top wildlife photographs in dim lighting conditions, and times when the stars are the most bright natural light left.
The article below will discuss my method to take low-light wildlife photos and the best way to get great photos regardless of how dark the environment has become. These methods are applicable no matter what camera. I took all of the images in this article using the Micro Four Thirds camera that is not well-known as a low light camera. It’s all about the technique!
The Challenge
As the lighting gets darker you’ll need to work harder to get your photos properly exposed. Apart from the natural light that is present in the scene the only tools that you can use to capture additional light is aperture, shutter speed and natural light.
If you’re unable to capture enough light using these tools and equipment, you’ll have to increase the camera’s ISO or increase the brightness of the image extensively during post-processing. This will result in pictures with blurred colors or unwelcome noisy.
In the end, for better or worse a lot of species prefer low-light environments and show some of their most intriguing behaviours there. Image noise is an inescapable reality for a lot of wildlife photographers.
You might be able to improve the quality of your photos in low-light conditions by purchasing an expensive camera, however it’s more beneficial to learn methods that can be used with any camera. What do you think about the noise-reducing software? It’s a great tool but even the top AI software doesn’t have the perfect features. Make sure to give it the highest quality file possible from the camera!
1. Make sure you optimize the camera Setting Dance
Photography in low-light conditions is a test of your ability to determine the ideal setting for aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Let me walk you through my suggestions here step-by-step (all of which can be configured in the auto mode of your camera).
Aperture is ideal to use for wildlife with low light, since you’ll likely have the largest aperture of your lens. (This will also mean removing any teleconverters, if you can, because they reduce how much light that you can capture.) If you own a high-end f/2.8 lens that is ideal for wildlife photography is the right time to adopt f/2.8!
The speed of the shutter is the toughest and most critical setting for wildlife that is low-light. If the light is low it is not long before photographers have a hard time keeping up when it comes to shutter speed. Wildlife photographers often get overly greedy and attempt to establish (relatively) low shutter speeds, like 1/100 seconds for subjects that are fast, such as the flight of a bird. This can result in lovely motion blur that is artistic however it won’t result in sharp images!
Sometimes, I’ve seen photographers frightened in the opposite direction. They’ll take photos at shutter speeds of 1/4000 second, even after sunset, taking none of the light. The photos they take won’t feature motion blur but they’ll contain a lot of noise that’s almost as horrible.
The best shutter speed in low-light is the one with the longest duration that doesn’t cause (unwanted) blurring of motion. That’s all! However, it’s a challenging shutter speed to determine. Even changes between photos that are of the exact subject. For instance, bird’s wings aren’t moving at a the same speed when they’re moving.
I resolve this issue by setting more efficient, safe shutter speeds if I’m satisfied with the camera’s ISO. (For myself, ISO means anything less than ISO 1600.) I gradually increase my tolerance to risk as the light diminishes above that. I prefer my shutter speed to be at ISO 1600 and lower to offer me a minimum of 90percent chance to capture getting sharp images. When I use ISO 3200 and beyond, I’m satisfied when shutter speed is sharp 30 to 50 percent often. The photo below shows the balance more.
ISO could be set to AUTO. If you find that your camera is either underexposing or overexposing then you can utilize the exposure compensation button to rectify the problem. The camera can adjust the exposure by either raising or decreasing ISO.
In other words, I’ve already discussed the ISO balance between shutter speed and ISO and I don’t have to do it again.
Perhaps this is simple, but I’m unable to recall the number of times that I’ve seen photographers using bizarre camera settings for wildlife photography in low light such as an aperture of f/16 or a shutter speed which produces a lot of blurred motion. Every couple of minutes, look at the settings of your camera to ensure that they appear appropriate and that they are within the ideal target.
2. Keep Steady
Since you’ll be working with a an extended than optimal shutter speed when there is low lighting, it’s crucial to remain still. This may sound evident, but I’ve observed photographers who shoot with a shakey posture every day. Particularly in the excitement of the moment, when shooting wildlife it’s easy to get enthralled and forget about keeping your form still.
Focus on your breath, posture and your feet. It’s essential that your entire body remains still. I prefer to keep the elbows near my body and my feet firmly planted and my body straight. I also like taking a deep breath and breathing slowly prior to taking a photo. Use the natural surroundings to place your lens on like trees or boulders.
Naturally, the best equipment for this is tripods. You can’t always alter the motion of your subject towards time’s end. However, you are in control of your own! A tripod makes camera shake a issue. I also like small and pliable tripods to shoot tiny subjects close to the ground.
If you’re photographing wildlife that is stationary You can begin treating wildlife photography as landscape photography, and employ multiple-second exposures. The photo below was taken at 3 seconds and it’s sharp due to the fact that the subject was still. I’ll discuss the subject later.
3. Accept the Flash
When natural light is fading away it is possible to add artificial light to the surroundings by using flash. Flashes are only able to travel a certain distance in the wild, so if you are photographing wildlife using the telephoto lens flash might not be very effective, even if it has an extender for the flash.
In a more intimate distance, particularly with smaller animals flash is a must. It allows you to photograph things that would otherwise be impossible to capture in low lighting, or even with good lighting! A majority of wildlife photographers who are macro will employ flashes even on bright day. (That’s an added bonus tip to this article: The smaller the subject size, the easier it is to make use of flash, and the more straightforward it will be to create photos of wildlife in low light!)
Flashes do not just enhance your photos, which allows users to use less ISO values and can also freeze your subject. The flash basically acts as an exposure on it’s own and the duration of the exposure will usually be greater than 1/10,000 of second.
If you want to use flash for wildlife, I would recommend against using a typical flash that is on camera. I often hold my flash, however, you could also utilize flash arms as well as a light stand or even a companion who can hold your flash. (You will require an option to fire the flash without a camera.)
The benefit using a external flash is that you can have greater control over the light. In particular, you can determine the direction of shadows that are cast on the subject. This gives you plenty of freedom in your creative work!
The best way to use a flash is using a diffuser. A diffuser softens lighting on the subject, thus reducing sharp reflective shadows as well as soft reflections. Softer light typically helps to better see the fine details of the photograph. If done correctly, it could be difficult to discern if the picture was taken using the help of a flash.
Sometimes, I choose to create an “artificial light” appearance by lighting the subject while keeping the backdrop dark. This could result in an artistic, studio-like look regardless of the nature being outside.
For exposure, I go with manual mode and set the shutter speed along with aperture and ISO according to what I want my backdrop to appear. Then, I choose the appropriate flash settings based on how I want my person to appear. I generally adjust the strength of my flash by trial and error, however you can also use the TTL method (and the compensation for flash exposure) as well.
Finally, you must remember the species you’re photographing. Certain animals are extremely sensitive to bright light especially at the night. The use of a flash for photographing an owl is quite a different process from using it on a snake, as an instance. Do not hurt your subjects just to get a photograph!
4. Utilize Motion Blur
While shooting in low light conditions is more difficult, it can give you the chance to take unique pictures. For instance, you could create unique photos of wildlife by using deliberate motion blur.
In the image below, such as the blurry splash of water (and some blurring in the neck of the bird) give a sense of motion, which could be lost in a flash of lightning-fast shutter speeds:
Any movement in a photo could be blurred. Tree leaves blowing in the wind or moving water, clouds and the list goes on. The image below was taken at 1.6 seconds. The stream in the background is sporting the typical “soft” look due to it. It’s not a common appearance that is seen in photos of wildlife and that’s why it special!
You’ll notice the fact that my ISO at 400 as well as my aperture of f/11 kept the background sharp. Also that by using this long shutter speed I was able to maintain the highest quality of images than I normally would! With a handheld camera, I’d be around 1/40 seconds at f/4, ISO 3200. The picture would have been pretty clear, but it would have been much more noisy as well as the backdrop would’ve been totally blurred. I’m glad that I chose the long exposure!
5. Try Image Blending Techniques
Sometimes, the stars align to provide the chance to capture an authentic nighttime landscape surrounded by the wildlife. These photographs are especially demanding and often require more creative freedom when editing.
One of the biggest freedoms is the ability to blend images. The majority of landscape photographers are adept at techniques such as mixing images into panoramas, HDR, AHDR, and focus stacks. These methods aren’t as popular for wildlife photography, however some of them could assist in particular low-light situations.
Take the image below.
This image is actually two images that are blended. Both images were shot in the evening (I realize that the foreground appears like it’s daylight but it’s actually not!) because I used a single flash for foreground and a long exposure for the distance.
Then, I crafted the image I wanted to capture and ensured that my tripod was set in a stable position. Then, I snapped the picture of my subject using an LED, with my usual settings. Finding the right time to shoot wasn’t easy but I could detect a tiny bit of the subject due to the light that was a little dim that was present at the time, indicating it wasn’t exactly a photo taken in darkness.
After that, making sure that the camera was at the same location I changed the settings and refocused my lens to take pictures of the city in the distance. This was more of a normal nighttime time exposure of a few minutes.
Some purists aren’t an advocate of image-blending methods like this. This is a form of art at the end all times, so it’s up to you to choose the rules you want to follow. However, as I think about this, it’s true that there’s nighttime pictures that are impossible to achieve in without any other means. This is why mixing techniques doesn’t cause me to worry like something like sky replacement would.
6. Practice!
Moments with wildlife are typically restricted in time. It could take only just a few seconds to choose your camera and settings, then snap the picture (if you have the time). There can be quite a bit of pressure.
Try low-light photography, without the challenge of having wildlife. Begin with an eddy within a forest that is dark, or astrophotography, like. Add some flashes in the foreground, to get used to the power of your flash and diffusers, and then on.
At a minimum it’s an exercise worth doing. However, it could produce some great photos by itself!
Conclusion
Let the light or equipment determine when you are able or cannot do wildlife photography. You will never have to choose a camera or lens that is better at capturing low light than the one you currently own. It is better to adopt these techniques to ensure you have good quality, no matter what the circumstance.
I hope that these suggestions have been helpful, and prompted you to expand your working hours as a wildlife photographer. There are opportunities and challenges as well in low-light photography. It’s more difficult than other wildlife photography, however it also produces incredible images.
