Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

Page 1

One of the hardest aspects of

photography is figuring out how to
capture photos in low light situations.
The truth of the matter is that if you can
master low light shooting, other light
settings become less daunting. Think
about that for a second: you will not
only be able to capture solid images in
low light situations, but also in pretty
much any other situation you can think
of.

ABOVE:
Gavin Degraw at Madison Square Garden 8/7/2014
Manual Settings: 1/320th of a second at F3.2 ISO 2500 with the Nikon 14-24mm
2.8; shot RAW; not Cropped edited in Adobe Lightroom.
As you can see, the stage lighting is all over the place. You have two bright spotlights
right on Gavin, as well as other stage lights that could mess with the exposure.
Because I manually set the exposure triangle, I was able to get a proper exposure.
If I were to allow the camera to do the work, its likely that the spot lights would
have caused the exposure to be completely wrong, leaving me with a dark image.

I am going to explain the fundamentals

of capturing images in low light
situations no matter if you have a
DSLR (digital single lens reflect) or a
mirrorless camera. Keep in mind, its
not the camera that makes the images,
its you. You are smarter than your
camera.
Are you ready?

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

Page 1

POSSIBLE SITUATIONS:

POSSIBLE SITUATIONS

As far as difficult low light situations

go, concerts pose some of the
biggest challenges. Often, lighting is
unpredictable. Concerts tend to either
have really poor lighting, lights that
are constantly changing, subjects that
are moving around quickly, or all of
the above.
If you dont shoot concerts, dont
worry--I am going to walk you through
some other scenarios like shooting ice
hockey indoors or low light candids
that you may find at a wedding or
other indoor events. These situations
will help you figure out not only how
to capture motion in low light but how
to quickly tweak your settings for when
the subjects are standing still.

CAMERA SETTINGS
I am a big proponent of shooting in
manual. I know manual sounds scary
but its what will allow you to take
full control of your camera and the
images you are capturing. In fact, I
even created a three-hour video guide
to Getting Out Of Auto for those
who are looking to take full control of
their image making (check out a free
preview right here).
For those of you who are more
comfortable shooting in auto modes, I
will also explain how to capture great
photos in low light situations using
priority modes (Aperture / Shutter
Priority).

ABOVE:
Kickboxing
1/500th of a second at F4 ISO 12,800
Nikon D4s Nikon 24-70 2.8 at 32mm
As you can tell, I was in a dimly lit gym. There are only a few lights above and my goal
was to freeze Maria in air. I knew I needed a fast shutter speed so I bumped my ISO
pretty high. I decided to use Single Focus mode because she would pretty much be in
one place which would allow me to lock my focus for her movement.
The combination of the exposure triangle and the focus mode allowed me to capture
this image where Maria is at the top of her jump. As a rule of thumb, you want to look
for that peak action, a.k.a. when the subject hits the highest point right before they
come down.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

One major component of my teaching

revolves around understanding the
Cause and Effect of the exposure
triangle. You need to always ask
yourself, if I change this, how will
it affect my photo? Keep that in the
back of your mind from now until, well,
forever.
FILE FORMAT
Before we get down to the nitty-gritty,
we need to talk about shooting RAW. A
RAW file is your best friend. I SHOOT
RAW is not only a saying; its a way
of life.
The RAW file format takes all of the
raw data that the image sensor
captures and sends it right to your
memory card without making edits or
compressing your file. This is important
as the RAW file gives you more ability
to tweak your final images exposure,
contrast, vibrancy, clarity and more
help create a better all around image.
For example: if your captured image
is underexposed (looks dark) but the
subject and motion appear the way
you hoped, you can tweak the RAW file
to change your exposure settings after
the fact, offering you a better chance
at a usable image. I call this cheating
the system where you deliberately
underexpose the image knowing that
you will be able to bring it back with
the flexibility that the RAW file offers.
If youre not quite sure why you would
use RAW files, I suggest you shoot
RAW+JPEG so you have both options.
If you just shoot JPEG, you will never
be able to go back to the original RAW
file for tweaking in post-processing.
You will thank me in the future when
you realize how much better your final
images will look because you have the
RAW files.

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THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF YOUR WINNING IMAGE:

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF YOUR

THE
EXPOSURE
TRIANGLE
WINNING
IMAGE:

THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE

Your exposure is comprised of three
things: Shutter Speed, Aperture and
ISO. These three settings determine
if your exposure is going to be proper
for the situation youre in. Every time
you change one of these settings it
directly affects your overall exposure.
Remember: cause and effect.
I know it may sound daunting to
understand how each one directly
affects the image, but Im going to take
the fear out of it as we go. Prepare to
be fearless.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

ABOVE:
Perry Farrell 9/9/2007
Manual exposure settings: 1/40th of a second at F2.8 ISO 1250; Nikon 10.5mm DX
Fisheye; shot RAW; not cropped; edited in Adobe Lightroom.
This image is a perfect explanation of what cheating the system really does. The idea
is you underexpose your photo in order to keep a shutter speed that is hopefully fast
enough to allow for a frozen image. In Lightroom, you then open the exposure up to
bring the image back from the dark side.
The image on the right is what the photo would have looked like if I hadnt cheated the
system. The reason I needed to cheat the system was I couldnt bump the ISO higher
than 1250 and get a usable image (Nikon D2Xs). I was at F2.8, the widest aperture
of the lens, and finally, if I dropped my shutter speed two stops, I would have been at
1/10th of a second which would have risked blur. The only way I could get two stops
was to cheat the system and bring it back in post.

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ISO
The ISO is your film speed. You can
determine the proper ISO based on
how much light is available in your
shooting environment. ISO settings will
directly affect your shutter speed and
aperture settings. The rule of thumb
is that as your ISO goes higher, your
shutter speed will follow. For example,
if you have a proper exposure at ISO
1600 and a shutter speed set at 250th
and increased your ISO to 3200,
your shutter speed would be 1/500th,
which is a 1 stop change to give you
the same exact exposure. Making the
one change caused the other change
to need to be made.
In most concert situations, you are
faced with dimly lit stages and rooms;
therefore a good starting point would
be an ISO between 3200-6400
depending on your camera (the same
applies for indoor sports, weddings
and other low light situations). Since
you are in a darker environment, you
know right off the bat to select a higher
ISO. You also know that a higher ISO
will allow you to have a faster shutter
speed thus allowing you a better
chance of capturing motion (Higher
ISO could also lead to a more grainy
image which I will discuss in future
articles).
Keep in mind, your ISOs reach is
dependent upon your camera. Today,
most consumer cameras can push
their ISO to 6400 and higher, but
pro cameras have the ability to shoot
at ISOs of 12,800 to 52,400 and
beyond.
Its pretty insane how far some of
todays cameras can go in terms of
ISO. But remember, if you dont
understand the fundamentals of the
exposure triangle, the best pro camera
in the world may not help you get any
better pictures than an inexpensive
consumer camera.
The same ISOs tend to apply in most
low light situations; the less light you

ABOVE:
Ed Sheeran 2/5/2015
Manual Settings: 1/1250th of a
second at F4.5 ISO 4000

have, the higher you may want your

ISO. Keep in mind, though, that no
ISO, regardless of how high you push
it, will compensate for a lack of actual
light.
For those who are letting their camera
set the ISO automatically, you may run
into some issues. Sure, the camera

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

can do a great job of selecting what

it thinks is the proper ISO, but why
rely on it when you can make that
call yourself? Also, the camera may
change the ISO from picture to picture
even if youre in a situation where the
light is not changing.
If youre in a situation where the light
is constant, simply select your ISO
manually and lock it in. You can
always push it higher if you need the
effect of more light or lower if you need
less. Say it with me, I am smarter than
my camera.

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ABOVE:
Local Hockey Rink
Manual Settings: 1/800th of a second
at F3.5 ISO 5000

SHUTTER SPEED
Understanding the role shutter speed
plays in capturing motion directly
translates to capturing low light images
in which subjects dont move.
For example, if you are shooting
indoor ice hockey where the subjects
are moving quickly, you will most likely
want to have your shutter speed higher
than 1/250th of a second. If I were
you, I would prefer my shutter speed
to be 1/500th of a second or higher
to make sure I am actually freezing the
motion.
This is where understanding your

exposure triangle comes into play. Its

all about cause and effectif I do
this, this will happen; if I do that, that
will happen.

the subject, but have a little grain or

have the subject blur but have less
noise?

NOTE - see focus modes later in this

article for tips on which ones to use
when and where.

Another way to cheat the system is to

underexpose your image. I do this in
situations where I dont want to push
my ISO any higher but need faster
shutter speed to freeze the movement.
Underexposing with the shutter speed
means you are deliberately using a
faster shutter speed, which in turn
means your image may come out
darker (due to not letting in the proper
amount of light). The cheating comes
into play is in post-production. Bring
the image back by bumping up the
exposure slider. Its a good idea to
make sure you are shooting RAW when
you try to cheat the system.

I would rather bump my ISO higher

and have more grain in my image than
leave it lower and possibly end up with
a blurry subject. Think about it: freeze

For those who are not in manual and

want the camera to set your shutter
speed automatically, use aperture
priority mode.
In this mode, the

If youre shooting a bride walking

down the aisle towards you in a lower
light situation you will not want to set
your shutter speed below 1/125th of a
second. Even at that shutter speed, it
is still possible that you may get some
movement in your image you may not
be looking for. On the flip side, if the
bride is standing still at the altar, you
can drop your shutter speed lower than
1/125th and possibly get a still image.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

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camera will automatically set the

shutter speed for you based on your
ISO and Aperture settings. However,
youll still have to pay attention to
where its set. If you arent getting
a fast enough shutter speed, youre
going to have to do one of two things
to make it higher: 1) raise your ISO or
2) open your aperture to let more light
in. Remember: change one setting

at a time, check the image, and then

make further adjustments.
There are a few rules tied to setting your
shutter speed. One is that your shutter
speed should be higher than the focal
length of your lens. For example, if
your lens is zoomed to 300mm, your
shutter speed should not drop below
1/320th of a second. If you are using

a 50mm your shutter speed should not

drop below 1/50th of a second. The
reason you have to set your shutter
speeds higher than your focal length is
because small movements can cause
your images to blur as light travels
to the image sensor. Again, this is a
general rule of thumb but it can be
broken in certain situations.

ABOVE:
Walking down the aisle 8/9/2009 Manual Exposure Mode 1/250th of a second at F3.2 ISO 3200; Continuous Focus Mode.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

Page 6

ABOVE:
Nick Perri 3/9/2013
1/1000th of a second at F3.5 ISO
8000 shot RAW; not cropped Nikon
14-24mm 2.8
As you can see from the image on the
right, I cheated the system. I knew in
order to capture Nicks jump I would
have to have a fast enough shutter
speed. But I didnt want to push
my ISO any further so I decided to
cheat the system and bring it back
in Lightroom.

APERTURE
What is your aperture and how does
it affect your shooting in low light
situations? Like shutter speed, your
aperture controls the amount of light
youre letting onto the image sensor as
well as depth of field. For this guide,

my main focus is to explain aperture as

it pertains to light gathering.
If you want to gather more light for
your image, you will want to do what
we call opening up. Open up the
aperture or, in other words, use a
lower F setting. For example, going
from F5.6 to F4 lets in one extra stop
of light. Going from F4 to F2.8 also
lets in one stop of light. The lower the
F-number, the more light youre letting
in. The higher the F number (16; 22;
32), the less light youre gathering.
On a side note, your aperture directly
affects your depth of field, which is
the portion of your image that will be
in focus. I dive much deeper into this
subject in the FroKnowsPhoto Guide To
Getting Out Of Auto.
You may be saying, But FRO, where
should I set my Aperture if I am shooting
X? Before I can tell you that, you have

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

to know that not every lens will let you

shoot at the widest aperture. Most
consumer lenses tend to have a widest
aperture setting up F3.5 or F4. But, if
you have a consumer zoom lens, the
more you zoom the more your aperture
will close down thus cutting back on
the amount of light youre letting in.
On the flip side, more expensive pro
glass can open up to as wide as F1.2,
F1.4, F1.8 and F2.8.
For those who are not shooting in
manual, you can set their camera to
aperture priority and select the widest
aperture possible. The camera will do
the rest of the work for you by setting
your shutter speed and possibly your
ISO. Keep in mind that just because
the camera can make a decision for
you, that doesnt mean it will make
the proper exposure choice for the
situation youre in.

Page 7

METERING MODES

ABOVE:
Goalie 2/2/2012
Manual Settings: 1/250th of a second
at F3.5 ISOMODES
4000
METERING

Many of todays cameras allow you

to choose from three-dimensional
metering to spot metering.
3D
metering will survey the entire frame to
get an average light reading, helping
you determine the proper aperture
and shutter speed.
For everyday, general shooting, 3D is

great for attaining your initial exposure.

Spot metering exclusively uses the
center portion of the frame. This means
that a smaller portion of the frame will
be used for metering. Usually this will
be done inside a very small circle inside
the viewfinder. This is a great setting
to use when trying to shoot a subject
who may be backlit or surrounded by
lights that may throw off your meter.
This setting will give you a reading of
exactly what you are trying to meter
with less chance of the meter being
tricked.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

As you start to understand light better,

you will see that all of these meter
settings will give you a close reading.
Your personal tweaks, however, will
get an even better one.
If you are using a wide-angle lens and
3D metering, it is possible that random
stage lights, ceiling lights, or spot lights
will give you a false meter reading as
the meter is most likely reading the
brightest light source. If this is the case,
your main subject might come out too
dark. Switching to spot metering will
allow you to meter for just your subject,

Page 8

giving you a better chance of getting

a correct reading. Conversely, when
you use a telephoto lens, you are
gathering light from a smaller area,
so either spot metering or 3D metering
should work.
For those who are shooting in manual,
the meter will not affect your final
image because you have manually
locked in the exposure yourself.
To determine whether or not your
exposure is in good shape, simply look
at one of your images on the back of
your screen. The screen is a good way
to make sure you are on the right path.
Its not perfect but its a nice tool to use
since you have it at your disposal.

PHOTOS:
Misterwives 1/4/2015
Manual Settings Image on the
right: 1/200th of a second F3.2
ISO 4000; Shot RAW; not cropped.
The image on the bottom was shot
in manual exposure. The image on
the top shows you what would have
happened if I allowed the camera
to select all the settings. What
would have happened is the strong
backlight would have told the
meter that it was actually brighter
than it really was thus telling your
camera to raise its shutter speed
and leaving you with a darker
image. This is why you are smarter
than your camera.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

Page 9

FOCUS MODES
FOCUS MODES
What good is capturing a WINNING
image in low light if its not in focus
in the first place? Youre going to
encounter four main types of focusing
options (some cameras allow you to
tweak multiple focusing modes beyond
three):
1. Full AUTO: The camera selects
between counties or single focus
modes. This mode is selecting
what the camera thinks you should
be using. This is not a mode I ever
venture into. We just spend all this
time getting our settings situated
only to allow the camera to
select the wrong focus mode that
may lead to missing your focus.
2. Continuous Focus: You will find
yourself in this mode when youre
shooting moving subjects. This
mode lets you better track your
subjects.
As they move, your
focus should continue to focus
and refocus. This is great when
youre shooting sports, concerts,
and even weddings where youre
trying to capture the bride walking
down the aisle. This primarily
is the mode you want to be in
when it comes to shooting
unpredictable subjects. Generally
speaking, this means that when
youre
holding
the
shutter
button
halfway
down,
the
camera will focus continuously
as you track the subject.
3. Single Focus: Switch to focus
mode when you know your subject
wont be moving or for when you
have more time to attain focus:
the bride standing at the altar,
the hockey player sitting on the
bench watching, the musician
that is static, or inanimate objects
that arent going anywhere.

I personally would not be able to

keep up with fast moving subjects
and simultaneously manually focus
the lens. The few times you will
find yourself manually focusing
may be if you are shooting macro
images and you need to get a more
precise focus than the camera is

giving you. Or when your camera

is hunting for focus. Hunting
means the auto-focus keeps
racking back and forth and not
locking in. At that point, you may
need to switch into manual to try
and get the proper focus.

PHOTOS:
Quarterback
1/800th at F3.2 ISO 8000
Nikon D750 Nikon 70-200 VR II at 200mm
A low light situation you may find yourself in is at a high school football stadium. The
lights tend not to be very bright, which means you have to push your ISO a little further
than normal. In turn, you have to remember how raising your ISO affects your shutter
speed as well as what focus mode you will use.
In this case, I was using the continuous focus mode and making sure my focus point
was on the quarterback. I had to bump my ISO to allow me to have a 1/800th of a
second shutter speed to help freeze the motion. Yes, I could have dropped my shutter
speed one stop to 1/400th of a second, which would have allowed me to drop my
ISO one stop to 4,000. However, I did not want to risk showing motion in the image
so I left my shutter speed at 8000.

4. Manual Focus: This is not a

mode I find myself in very often.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

Page 10

REAL WORLD SHOOTING

ABOVE:
The Hooters 11/27/2009
Manual Settings: 1/400th of a second at F3.2 ISO 3200; shot RAW; not cropped.
The image on the left is the manually exposed image whereas the image on the right is what would have happened if I left the camera
meter the scene. The cameras meter would have told you that the scene was really bright and caused your shutter speed to be
around 1/2000th of a second which would have left you with a totally underexposured dark image.

REAL WORLD SHOOTING

What I want to do right now is break
down three different, potential low
light scenarios. Keep in mind the
information, I am giving you is meant
to help you get as close as possible to
the proper settings. The reason I cant
give you exact setting is every situation
is going to be different.

Yes, these are three specific scenarios

but the same rules apply to capturing
motion in low situations no matter what
youre shooting. You also need to ask
yourself the basic questions; they never
change and can be used in any situation:

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

1. Is my subject moving fast or slow?

2. How high can I put my ISO before
I run into noise?
3. What focus mode should I be
using?
4. If the light changes which part of
my triangle should I move first?

Page 11

ABOVE:
Grouplove 6/11/2012
Manual Settings: 1/640th of a second
at F3.5 ISO 10,000; shot RAW; not
cropped.
For an image like this one where the
subjects are moving a ton I would be
in continuous focus so I can track the
subject. A combination of proper
exposure and focusing mode allowed
me to capture this image.

SCENARIO #1:
LOW LIGHT CONCERT
Introduction:
Before a concert, I ask myself a bunch
of different questions. Will the subject
be moving quickly or more static?
And, at all times, what are the most
important parts of the triangle for what
I am about to shoot? If I know the

subject is going to be moving, I know

that my shutter speed will need to be
fast. In order to make it faster, I could
raise my ISO, making the sensor more
sensitive to light, or I could open my
aperture to let more light in. Everything
is cause and effect; what is most
important and why?
During the show, the lights are going to
change. But what settings should you
tweak first? Im a big fan of riding my
back right thumb on the dial. Just about
all DSLRs and mirrorless cameras will
have some kind of control dial on the
back right hand side. I have mine set
to control shutter speed.
Shutter Speed:
For a moving subject: no less than
1/250th of a second. I try to live in
the 1/500th to 1/1000th of a second
range but a lot depends on the lenses
you use, the ISO capability of your

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

camera and last, but not least, the

amount of light at the concert.
For a still subject: shutter speeds of
1/250th and slower, depending on
the focal length youre using. See rule
of thumb for the focal length vs. shutter
speed settings in Shutter Speed
section.
Aperture and ISO:
If I see that my shutter speed is getting
to a point where I may not be able to
freeze the motion, I have to decide
what should I do next. This is when
you look at your aperture and ask if
you can open it up to let more light
in, thus keeping my shutter speed
higher. Or whether or not you have
room to bump the ISO to keep that
faster shutter speed. These are the
kinds of cause and effect scenarios
that are constantly running through my
head.

Page 12

Dont get overwhelmed by all of this;

the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Focus Modes for Concerts:
For a moving subject: use continuous
focus as it allows for the camera to
track the subject as they move from
focus point to focus point. All of todays
DSLRs and mirrorless cameras do a
fantastic job of tracking your subjects
or allow you to tell the camera where
to focus.
For a still subject: you can switch to
single focus mode which means when
you press the shutter button halfway
down and the focus locks in it will not
shift unless you lift your finger. So if
you lock in a subject then they move,
you will have to lift your finger and
refocus.
Metering Mode for Concerts:
9 out of 10 times I am leaving my
cameras metering mode on matrix
metering, as it takes the brightest
and darkest parts of the photo and
giving me the average reading.
Post-script:
Keep in mind when you have a lot
of lights moving around at a concert
youre going to see your meter
dancing around quite a bit. Thats why
I suggested being in manual exposure
above. You are smarter than your
camera; you understand that all the
flashing light will affect the better but
not cause you to need to change your
settings.
I love concerts, I love the challenge
of shooting in them but please dont
over-complicate things. Dont try and
change three settings if youre having
trouble getting the proper exposure.
Just ask yourself the questions I laid
out one at a time and build/tweak your
exposure from there.

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

ABOVE:
Frozen on Stage
1/640th of a sec at F3.5 ISO 3200
Nikon D4s Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR II at 95mm
The difference between capturing the motion and missing the shot is very slim
especially when you have a subject whos constantly moving. In a situation like this
one, I want to determine a few things: 1) that my shutter speed is high enough to
freeze any action and 2) that my focus mode is on continuous to track the subject.
With these two things combined, I was able to capture this moment in time.
The fast shutter speed and the continuous focus made this a winning image. You will
notice my ISO was only 3200 and my f stop was at 3.5. Most consumer lenses and
bodies will be able to use these same settings and hopefully get similar results. Even if
your lens is a 5.6, you can simply do the math to figure out what your settings should
be. In this case, thats roughly a stop different from 3.5, which we can call F4. From
F4 to 5.6 is one stop, from 3200 to 6400 is one stop. Remember: cause and effect-- if
I change one thing, this happens; if I change another, that happens.

Page 13

SCENARIO #2: INDOOR SPORTS

(ICE HOCKEY AND SCHOOL GYM)
Generally speaking, when youre at
a hockey rink the lighting should be
even across the ice. Of course theres
always those older rinks that have the
terrible sodium vapor lights that buzz
and give off a pinkish color, which
really messes with your white balance.
But for this scenario, lets say the light
is evenly spread across the rink. In
my opinion hockey may be one of the
hardest things to photograph because
you never know where the action
is going to happen. But once you
practice finding the proper action, the
settings pretty much become set it and
forget it.
Shutter Speed:
For a moving subject: set shutter speed
of 1/400th of a second or higher to
freeze the motion.
For a still subject: perhaps you want to
photograph a player on the bench. The
bench tends to have less light available.
Simply lower your shutter speed to
let more light in and compensate for
the darker area. Always remember
to bump it back up when you start to
focus on the rink again.
Aperture and Focal Length:
As a rule of thumb, you will want to
shoot your lens on the wider side. For
example, if you have a 2.8 lens you will
want to shoot at F-2.8. If you have a
kit lens, then simply shoot at its widest
aperture. For those with faster lenses
like 1.2 or 1.4, I suggest setting it to
around F-2.8.
ISO:
In terms of your ISO, you will probably
find yourself somewhere between
3200 and 6400 in order to get similar
settings to above.
Post-script:
Before we shoot, we know the
following things: the subjects will be
moving quickly; the light is even across
the ice; it isnt going to get brighter or

darker, its fixed. This means once you

lock in your exposure you can focus
on capturing the moment and not
worrying about your settings.
Remember when I recommended
shooting in manual exposure, and
not one of the auto modes? If you
attempt to shoot in shutter or aperture
priority mode, your meter will be totally
thrown off by the ice and cause you to
overexposure your images. This is why
taking control of your settings is vital to
becoming a competent photographer.
BONUS SCENARIO:
PHOTOGRAPHING
A SCHOOL GYM

a bright white surface reflecting light

back into the players face, the gym is
going to look darker because of the
wood floors. Your settings will not
be that far off from the rink but you
may need to bump your ISO higher
to compensate for the lack of light
reflection coming off the white ice.
Again, once you get your exposure
locked in, you are free to focus on the
action in front of you.
In both scenarios you will want to be in
continuous focus to allow for the best
chance at getting a tack-sharp in focus
image.

Unlike the hockey rink where you have

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SCENARIO #3:
WALKING DOWN THE AISLE

moving super fast down the aisle.

ISO and Aperture:

One of the most important shots to get

at a wedding is the bride or groom
walking down the aisle. Unlike hockey,
they will not be moving super fast, but
they will be moving and you will need
the right settings.
Shutter Speed:
For this scenario, you are using
whatever natural light you have--no
flash. As a general rule of thumb
you wont want your shutter speed to
drop much lower than 1/250th of a
second. In some situations you may
be able to get away with 1/125th
since the bride or groom shouldnt be

Like the other scenarios above, you

simply have to build your exposure
knowing that youre trying to freeze the
action. Where does your ISO need to
be to help you get the proper shutter
speed? Where does your aperture
need to be to allow you to get the depth
of field youre looking for?
Post-script:
This scenario is one where the lighting
will be different from location to
location. I suggest that you use the
time before the wedding to do test
shots. Photography guests arriving

and walking down the aisle to their

seats. Shoot a photo of an assistant
walking down the aisle to you can test
the lighting. Do what you need to do
to help you get the shot youre being
paid to capture.
Closing:
Remember these are three scenarios
plus one as a bonus. This doesnt
mean these concepts only work with
the situations above. These concepts
and tips transcend from scenario
to scenario. Ask yourself the right
questions, build the exposure, think
about what your trying to capture and
you will have a better chance and
getting it right.

ABOVE:
Wedding Kiss 8/22/2008
Manual Settings: 1/250th of a second at F2.8 ISO 3200; shot RAW; not cropped.
The Focus mode was set to single focus for this shot. The reason being is the subjects are not going to move from where they are at
that moment. The focus was locked on for the kiss. Right after the kiss, I would switch to continuous focus to get them walking back
down the aisle.

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ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING THE STEP-BY-STEP

PROCESS I USED TO CAPTURE THE IMAGES IN THIS BOOK?
If so please CLICK HERE to check out the FroKnowsPhoto Guide To Getting Out Of Auto.

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[Noah to send updated copy]

Guide to Capturing Motion in Low Light Situations

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