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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> How do we take pictures in Pitch Dark?
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 03/08/2012 11:22:08 AM · #1
I was trying to take pictures in a really dark cave this week and to plainly put it... I couldn't. The only pictures I could get were when the camera was pointing towards the small cave opening because of the light. The problem was actually the focus. I couldn't focus even with manual focus on because I couldn't see much.

So, basically that means it would have a been a trial and error thing where I would have click again and again, hoping I'll get it right or is there a simpler way?

03/08/2012 11:25:39 AM · #2
How about carrying a flashlight for manual focusing, then turn the flashlight off and do your long exposure?
 03/08/2012 11:31:12 AM · #3
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:
How about carrying a flashlight for manual focusing, then turn the flashlight off and do your long exposure?


I tried that as well but the parts of the cave I wanted to get (where all the bats were) was too far away. There were other rocks that were closer and they would take the focus away.
 03/08/2012 11:43:15 AM · #4
I'm thinking if you are able to walk into the cave about the same distance away from your camera that your subject is you might be able to make it work. If you have someone with you, they could walk in and shine a flashlight on their face for you to set your focus and then you could tilt your camera up for your exposure. That would probably still take some experimenting but it should get you close...
 03/08/2012 11:43:45 AM · #5
Focus just prior to infinity?
 03/08/2012 11:49:31 AM · #6
If you know how far away the subject is, just use the scale on the lens.
 03/08/2012 11:59:20 AM · #7
A laser pointer is a wonderful thing, it can put a spot on something hundreds of feet away and allow you to set focus.
 03/08/2012 12:01:01 PM · #8
Originally posted by kirbic:
A laser pointer is a wonderful thing, it can put a spot on something hundreds of feet away and allow you to set focus.

If you tape it to the top of your camera, you have a laser guided canon.
 03/08/2012 12:06:53 PM · #9
This situation is a natural-born learning opportunity. Google "hyperfocal distance" and study up on it, then set your camera on MF and at the hyperfocal and you are all set.

R.
 03/08/2012 12:10:18 PM · #10
Originally posted by kirbic:
A laser pointer is a wonderful thing, it can put a spot on something hundreds of feet away and allow you to set focus.


The light of the torches kept diluting enough to not register at all so I think a laser would have been a good idea. And I couldn't figure out the size of the cave I should have been focusing to infinity. I'm not entirely sure what I was doing, the bat smell killed my ability to think over there.
 03/08/2012 12:11:29 PM · #11
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
This situation is a natural-born learning opportunity. Google "hyperfocal distance" and study up on it, then set your camera on MF and at the hyperfocal and you are all set.

R.


Thanks for the reading material :)
 03/08/2012 01:15:16 PM · #12
theres an app for iphones etc htat calculates it for you, i got it the other week after watching a video on snapfactory the mark wallace guy, quite a good video actually.

the tricks i use are shine a flashlight back at the camera makes focus a lot easier or i use my big torch 15m candelpower hehe

likes been said just shy of inifinity is normaly an ok focus at a mid to small aperture
 03/08/2012 01:19:36 PM · #13
Am probably missing the plot here but what is the point of focusing (by whatever method) to attempt to shoot an image in the pitch dark? Surely you need at least some light to capture anything?
 03/08/2012 01:44:22 PM · #14
Originally posted by Ecce Signum:
Am probably missing the plot here but what is the point of focusing (by whatever method) to attempt to shoot an image in the pitch dark? Surely you need at least some light to capture anything?


From what I read, there is some light from the cave opening, but not enough to focus or to see much. If it is truly dark, as it is way down inside mines and caves, she might as well shoot with the lenscap on. Might be a good way to map sensor noise though.
 03/08/2012 02:55:32 PM · #15
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJSvwJTXZsw

very handy...
 03/08/2012 03:19:06 PM · #16
Originally posted by Giles_uk:
theres an app for iphones etc htat calculates it for you, i got it the other week after watching a video on snapfactory the mark wallace guy, quite a good video actually.

the tricks i use are shine a flashlight back at the camera makes focus a lot easier or i use my big torch 15m candelpower hehe

likes been said just shy of inifinity is normaly an ok focus at a mid to small aperture


I'm all about that app.
 03/08/2012 03:32:43 PM · #17
Use the "Pitch Dark" scene setting?

For the situation as you described it, I would have gone with the focus manual, a little back from infinity, unless there was a flashlight handy to see the focus scale on the lens. It would seem that you would need a pretty long exposure to get what you need in a dark cave.

Another option would be to use manual focus, the on camera flash, and chimp the resulting images until you get focused, then shoot the long exposure without the flash.

I saw where someone posted a while back to shoot at very high iso and aperture wide open until you work out the correct exposure, then lower the iso and adjust shutter speed and/or aperture to shoot the keepers at the same EV. It saves a lot of set up time if you are going to be shooting exposures longer than a minute or so in the dark.

One other thing I have noticed when shooting in the dark is that the images on the LCD will look much brighter than they will on the computer because your eyes are adjusted to the darkness, so it's a good idea to review the histograms until you work out the best exposure combination.

"Holy bat cave Robin, I can't see a thing" ( Pow!! Biff !) : )
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