I really like shooting night shots without flash but carrying cumbersome tripods can be really inconvenient, especially if you are on vacation. Last January I went on a weekend getaway to Disney with my mom, so I thought I would give the Gorillapod a try. You obviously don't have as much flexibility as with a standard tripod but it gets the job done and you can get some great shots.
This was taken at Port Orleans Resort where we were staying. There is a little foot bridge that takes you to the main lobby and restaurants from the rooms. I wrapped the gorillapod around a support beam from the bridge and ended up with this shot (8 second exposure). Hitting the shutter produced considerable camera shake since it wasn't on a flat surface so I had to use the camera timer.
I've been meaning to get a Gorillapod for a while, but still haven't gotten around to it. I don't even had a tripod or a flash! :(
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think of low light photography, I think of three things I try to balance: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. I have no problem shooting wide open, and usually prefer it unless I'm shooting street photography. I keep the aperture wide open all the time really, but a wide aperture can only let in so much light, so I'm really just trying to get the right balance of shutter speed and ISO.
If you shoot slow on the shutter speed, then you get more light. But you basically NEED a tripod to make it work (which I don't have). The other problem is that your shots of people will be very limited because they're constantly moving (hopefully!), and I enjoy shots of people so that's no good. And finally, like you mentioned in your Istanbul pictures, a big tripod basically screams, professional photographer!, to everyone around you.
You could, theoretically, use a flash and solve all your problems. The problem I have with DSLR flashes is that they're obtrusive not only in the sense that the flash like, blinds people, but also that that decent flashes are HUGE! For most of my photography, I try my best to blend in (because I'm doing street photography), and it's hard not to draw attention to yourself when you have a giant camera and a giant flash on top of it. It's the same problem I have with tripods, really.
So I'm left with high ISO as the only option, but it has other problems, because it introduces noise into the image. And that reduces texture, clarity, and contrast. Not good! However, this factor is really dependent on the type of camera you have.
I recently found myself frustrated when taking low-light street photography, because people would be blurry or there would be too much noise. So I upgraded from a crop-sensor DSLR to a full frame DSLR. (Nikon D5000 to Nikon D700) And like magic, all my problems seem to have been solved. Because the sensor in a full frame camera is the size of traditional 35mm strip of film, and not 75% of the size like most DSLRs, the actual size of the pixels (which are like little cups that collect light) can be bigger. For me, it was one of the best investments into photography ever.
Of course, nothing is ever perfect. There's always a tradeoff in photography. Full frame DSLRs are over 2000 new (without a lens!) and they're big and heavy. The big and heavy part doesn't bother me (they aren't THAT big), but the cash part is rough. I ended up mitigating it by just saving up for a while and buying used. In the end, it was well worth it.
So, that's my story on how I get the shots I do. btw, www.flickr.com/photos/fdelys
The street photography in DC I take is the best example of this, I think.