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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Increasing Shutter speed in low light?
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07/30/2009 11:12:26 PM · #1
Hello everyone.
I enjoy taking alot of surfing photos and I am having trouble increasing shutter speed in low light without loosing quality of the shot.
like i have been shooting near dust and just cant find the right range and end up with the surfer being slightly blurred.
I have increased my ISO alittle but to much and its abit noisey.
Can anyone give me some tips and what mode should i be shooting in?

Cheers
Shaun
07/30/2009 11:38:41 PM · #2
You are already doing it -- the factors which allow you to increase the shutter speed are increasing the ISO setting and opening the aperture (setting to a lower number).
07/30/2009 11:52:45 PM · #3
Originally posted by GeneralE:

You are already doing it -- the factors which allow you to increase the shutter speed are increasing the ISO setting and opening the aperture (setting to a lower number).


and buying expensive fast glass :\
07/30/2009 11:56:12 PM · #4
Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

Originally posted by GeneralE:

You are already doing it -- the factors which allow you to increase the shutter speed are increasing the ISO setting and opening the aperture (setting to a lower number).


and buying expensive fast glass :\


...and a juicy full frame camera. Moving to the East Coast would help also.

Message edited by author 2009-07-30 23:57:49.
07/31/2009 12:59:01 AM · #5
To sum up what everyone is saying and the best setup and times.

1. Full Frame Camera (less noise)
2. Up the ISO
3. Open the Aperture with new Glass (f/2.8 or lower)
4. Photograph the surfers in the morning on the west cost and the evening on the east cost.

About all you can do...I think :P
07/31/2009 01:01:15 AM · #6
Or build a 70 foot reflector. That would probably work too.
07/31/2009 02:05:01 AM · #7
Thanks guys...so im on the right track..i usually shoot in the morning but surfs been better in the Arvo and i know its not the best time to be shooting but i thought someone might have had a little tip...yep been at the wife about a new lens f2.8 but need to rob a bank or something..hehehe

Cheers

Shaun
07/31/2009 02:10:58 AM · #8
Depending upon how early or how late, there is potential to get a sweet silhouette shot if you meter for the rising/setting sun. The shutter should be high and the foreground will be total black. I could see that being cool if you got a good silhouette of a surfer in those conditions.
07/31/2009 03:54:46 AM · #9
yeah I just uploaded a sort of silhouette that i took the other day...the sun wasnt quite in the right place but you cant get the surfer to pull off an air in the right spot all the time...check out my portfolio and let me know what you think.

Message edited by author 2009-07-31 03:55:06.
07/31/2009 04:35:49 AM · #10
Looks good but you should try to crop the bottom and give it a little pop.
07/31/2009 04:51:29 AM · #11
Yeah, that's what I was talking about. Your sky is still blown out so you can up your shutter even more if possible. If you've reached the top of your shutter you could stop down a little so you aren't asking your camera for a higher shutter than it can supply to deal with that much light, or decrease ISO.
You could also do spot meter, meter for sky, recompose with AE lock on surfer, shoot. This way you can still pull some texture out of the sky, or capture more of the morning/evening colors.

ETA Thumbnail for everybody. Here's subject22 photo in question.

Message edited by author 2009-07-31 04:53:39.
07/31/2009 06:50:22 AM · #12
Originally posted by SDW:

To sum up what everyone is saying and the best setup and times.

4. Photograph the surfers in the morning on the west cost and the evening on the east cost.

About all you can do...I think :P

Better yet, go to the North Shore of Hawaii and you are good most of the day.
08/01/2009 08:46:59 AM · #13
Originally posted by subject22:

Hello everyone.
I enjoy taking alot of surfing photos and I am having trouble increasing shutter speed in low light without loosing quality of the shot.
like i have been shooting near dust and just cant find the right range and end up with the surfer being slightly blurred.
I have increased my ISO alittle but to much and its abit noisey.
Can anyone give me some tips and what mode should i be shooting in?

Cheers
Shaun


Shaun, I would consider investing in an SR lens for your Canon. That can give you up to 3.5 more stops of latitude when shooting in low light, thus allowing you to shoot at slower shutter speeds and lower iso.
08/01/2009 04:38:08 PM · #14
Originally posted by benjikan:

Originally posted by subject22:

Hello everyone.
I enjoy taking alot of surfing photos and I am having trouble increasing shutter speed in low light without loosing quality of the shot.
like i have been shooting near dust and just cant find the right range and end up with the surfer being slightly blurred.
I have increased my ISO alittle but to much and its abit noisey.
Can anyone give me some tips and what mode should i be shooting in?

Cheers
Shaun


Shaun, I would consider investing in an SR lens for your Canon. That can give you up to 3.5 more stops of latitude when shooting in low light, thus allowing you to shoot at slower shutter speeds and lower iso.


And would be absolutely useless for moving objects. The OP is already having issues with blurred surfers from too slow of a shutter speed, how in the world would using a IS lens and lowering the ISO help in that?

Matt

Message edited by author 2009-08-01 16:40:07.
08/01/2009 08:00:51 PM · #15
Most everything I could think of has been covered, except using a flash. Have you tried helping with a flash and a Better Beamer flash extender? It might help, especially when shooting into the sun. It won't do much but every little bit helps.
08/01/2009 08:12:57 PM · #16
Wouldn't it take about a 10,000-watt unit to fill-flash a surfer from the beach? :-)
08/01/2009 08:16:01 PM · #17
Ive seen birders shooting with 400mm lenses using these guys, it doesn't have to light the darkness, just give you a stop or two of help, and fill in those shadows.
08/01/2009 08:16:49 PM · #18
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Wouldn't it take about a 10,000-watt unit to fill-flash a surfer from the beach? :-)


Actually no, the Better beamer has a Fresnel type lens on it and it not only boosts but throws the flash a long way. It will increase the output of the flash 2 to 3 f stops. I've used one for shooting eagles and its really an amazing device.

Matt
08/01/2009 08:21:04 PM · #19
Interesting -- I'll look into that, though I rarely use flash at all; thanks for the info.

Someplace I have a Fresnel lens about the size and shape of a credit card -- I might try figuring out a way to hold it in front of my stupid pop-up flash ... if it doesn't "project" maybe it will at least diffuse ... :-)

Message edited by author 2009-08-01 20:25:18.
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