The adventures of indoor low-lighting

Every once in a while a photographer will be put in a situation where they have to compromise with the lighting. Indoor weddings can be a very tricky example: you are assigned a place and time to shoot, but the lighting may not always be the most pleasing in terms of what a photographer would like to be shooting in. Luckily, there are some things that one can do to increase flexibility while shooting in low-light. Some of these things could be considered rules of thumb whereas others are more situational. A very important thing however is to avoid bouncing flash as much as possible. Yes, you will diffuse the power of the flash by bouncing it off of a wall or ceiling, but you will almost always get more attractive results, even if that means bumping-up the ISO level and dealing with more noise. However, why do we bounce the flash in general? The answer is that when we bounce a flash, we are theorectically making larger surface areas a light source by which to spread light more evenly. A flashgun head is approximately 3x2 inches. A ceiling or wall however is several feet wide. By reflecting light into bigger surface areas we distribute light more evenly, allow for more natural-looking light with softer shadows.

1/250 F4 @ ISO 1600 70mm

This image was taken at the reception of a wedding I shot recently. The groom and his mother were dancing in a dimly-lit reception hall, and since the ceilings for this particular venue were quite low (as opposed to the sanctuary where the ceremony took place), I was able to use a faster speed to ensure that I got a crisp image, without compromising the integrity of the ambient light in the background. You might notice that this image was shot in ISO 1600, though unless viewing the 100% crop of the image, the noise is virtually not noticeable. I'm sure that I could have shot directly with the flashgun with a lower ISO, and therefore the noise would have been reduced - however, the lighting would be unflattering and extremely artificial given that there was very low ambient light to begin with. In the end, it's just not worth it. There are some rare situations that a direct flash might need to be used, but the whole point is to avoid this. Lighting should never look like it was produced by the camera's light source. In this image, the two were almost lit entirely by flash, but since I bounced it, it looks very natural with no flash shadow.

So when would it be appropriate to shoot directly with the flashgun? The answer can be situational. Let's look at this image. Here, the couple was actually indoors for the shot. However, since there was a lot of ambient light in the background I shot this straight on with the flashgun as a fill flash. The key to exposing for images like this (this is more of an outdoor type of an exposure, though shot indoors) is to meter for ambient light, and then to use just a touch of flash to match the lighting of the background. In this case I used F4 1/160 @ ISO 200 70mm. Since I used it as a fill flash, the FEC was dialed down to about -1. Now, why didn't I bounce it like I normally would have indoors? I didn't because for a fill flash, only a touch of light is needed and the flashgun is not the primary lightsource, so bouncing, although I could have done it, would not have been the most feasible option since I know that the difference would not have been great. In addition, when I shoot with a fill flash I already have an idea of what settings I will use for a bright, ambient background. I know that I will most likely need to use less FEC (I shoot with a TTL flash), and after a quick adjustment to meter the background, and maybe a test shoot to further adjust the FEC, I am ready to go. Bouncing would diffuse my flash when I am really only using a little to begin with.

When shooting indoors, there are some things to consider given that you are bouncing flash whenever possible. For starters, there is the equipment aspect. If you have fast lenses with wide apertures then you will have a much better time getting a fast enough speed to shoot with. There are times when it's absolutely necessary to shoot at F2.8 or wider, and if you're in a large venue or ceremony hall where you might be using telephoto lenses (like a 70-200mm), you can't risk the consequences of using smaller apertures. Another thing to consider is whether the lenses are equiped with IS (image stabilization) features. These features make it more possible to pull off handheld shots with lower lighting with speeds lower than what could normally be used to maintain a crisp image. However, remember that IS features are for making longer exposures possible when handheld, not making stop-action photography possible at slower speeds. On the contrary, faster lenses will allow for faster shooting speeds, and a smaller max aperture lens with IS can compensate for slower speeds, and both of these lenses could produce crisp images. The difference lies in subjects that are not static, where faster optics can use additional speed to feeze capture the subjects when slower optics even with IS could not.

One other thing that should be remembered when shooting with a bounced flash indoors is that the ceiling does not have to be the only place where the flash is bounced. Often times you can use other walls, objects, or even people (though you don't want to blind the wedding guests with a flash fire!). I often find that if I want a nice direct lighting effect indoors, I shoot with the flash bounced over my shoulder so that it reflects behind me. This can depend a lot on what is around you, however... there is no simple "how-to" for settings, and anyone that tells you that certain settings can always be used for something is simply wrong. Rather than give settings, the best thing to do would be do dissect the situation and find a solution. As photographers we are not formula followers - we are formula creators to the problems that arise while we work and shoot.

So, for shooting indoors with low light, it is important to remember what the cost of getting a good image will be. Higher ISO levels may produce more image noise, but if that is what it takes to get a crisp image, then that's what needs to be done. With better digital photography equipment coming out and larger sensors (full frame or 1.3x), noise is becoming less of an issue. A photographer should know the limits of their equipment thoroughly before they endure any type of shoot that may require some low lighting situations. Faster optics make less light more easy to handle by allowing for faster shutter speeds, and bouncing the flash allows for lighting that is more eye-pleasing and reduces flash shadows. If you remember these things, then shooting indoors with low light will be less of a burden and a more pleasing experience, and your images will show these results.

Phil