LOW LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Today's topic is on light and with examples of dim light photography.

Here I am not talking about shadow areas behind buildings or large trees or any other such structure. I am talking about low light after sunset, it can be indoor or  when everything is  about getting darker and all the more dark at night when we can see only lighted items.
This is very complex situation, where the light condition is very weak, after sunset our naked eyes can see much more but when we talk about camera that amount of light is not sufficient for photography or clear picture. Under such condition our priority should be to increase the iso. Try to come near a light source that could provide enough light to the camera sensor.
Another additional option is to shoot in RAW because it can store more details then jpeg images and a situation where no light is available there you have to use slower shutter speed also and for that you definitely require tripod or monopod.
To photograph under such situation first you have to understand your camera well and the lighting situation. This can be achieved by practice only and no one can get perfect shot in just one shot, everyone has to take sample shot to understand the outside or indoor situation and the difference is the one who has practiced better under such situation can estimate the exposure situation.
"Light" plays a very important role in photography, it's not only about photography if we go through a painting or sketch we see light and dark combination to highlight anything like in portraits eyes, nose, etc. Similarly, when we talk about photography we consider light and then only we decide that what Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO should we keep. This comes with practice only. The more we practice under different light situation the more we are on the way of perfection.
I am not a pro photographer but just a photography passionate and tried some photography under dim light situation.
This is an example of low light where the available light was of this candle only, no other light source was there, this had to be taken with great difficulty and what I did just tried to increase the available candle light using silver foil and white paper behind the candle where shadow is falling. In this shot I increase the ISO and slower the shutter speed.

 Nikon D5500, Lens 50mm f/1.8

 Nikon D5500, Lens 50mm f/1.8

The above example is of ample light from the candles and diyas, because of which rangoli got highlighted and I kept the ISO not too hight but kept the shutter speed slow and had to take this shot with camera on tripod.
Sometimes we see mostly morning and evening time when the sun is about to rise or set, we get dark outline or structure to see of trees and buildings and this create a "Silhouette Scene".
This one I got to capture during my visit to Haridwar Gangaji and on the bank of Gangaji river captured these scenes. In these scenes you must have noticed that I used fast shutter speed and the reason is I wanted to take the shot hand held and above that to create a scenario where I could get Silhouette. This is how we can also create a dream situation with the camera, the only thing is to utilize the available light accordingly.
I have captured this with Nikon D5500 with 55-200mm lens.

Nikon D5500 + 50-200mm,
 Aperture - f/4.0, Shutter Speed - 1/1250 & ISO - 100

In the below image I tried to capture the sun in between buildings and tree and tried to keep the branches of a tree to the side of my image to create a different impact on the whole image. Here the mail role is played by light only and the sun brightness is creating a magical impact on the whole image.

Nikon D5500 + 50-200mm,
 Aperture - f/4.2, Shutter Speed - 1/1600 & ISO - 100

To get the clear image under such dark conditions you have to practice, practice & practice a lot under different light conditions and you also have to understand the settings that are required to maintain the temp of the scene. You also have to try to increase the available light by using different means like white colored papers or silver foil or something like, that can reflect back on your main subject.