Get GREAT PHOTOS in BAD LIGHT!
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My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. This video will show you how to get great photos, even in terrible light.
I use Topaz Labs software for noise reduction, sharpening and upscaling:
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Music in intro: "Nicer", by Houses on the Hill. Find that, and other sound effects at Epidemic Sounds
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What’s your favorite low-light trick? Let me and the viewers know and share your expertise! None of us are as smart as all of us!
Embrace the low light! Shoot somewhat underexposed or _do_ shoot silhouettes.
3:51 Simon, maybe a more general "Camera *support* for lowlight, especially a tripod?" Some of our newer photographers might not think about bracing a camera against a tree or using a stack of books to enable slower shutter speeds, such as for that tabletop owl. A great body position, breath control, and a lean into a handy wall can get you a lot of camera stillness. If we *are* using that tripod, hanging some weight from it, such as a camera bag, will add a lot of stability and further reduce camera motion, especially if it's windy or if using a lightweight travel tripod that may be fully extended. (P.S. don't extend that tripod if you don't have to, especially the center column - you just turned your tripod into a bit of a monopod.)
Using fast aperture lens, my favorite lens is Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art DG HSM (Nikon D600 body).
Converting to black and white can be very effective, as well. In fact, I often intend to shoot for black and white from the start, which opens up a lot more possibilities for low-light photography. 🖤🤍
Thanks for the insight!@@gr-os4gd
I'm an American living in South Africa. I got my wife a 6d Mark 2 in early 2020 and she's gone full steam ahead in trying to learn everything there is to learn about photography. She now also owns a Nikon D 7200 and a Canon R. She's an HOD at her local school here and has gradually become the school photographer. She watches your videos more than anyone else's.... including Jared Polin..... lol. She loves your soft, and kind.... yet serious demeanor. Her being an award winning school teacher of the year....she knows a good teacher when she see's one, and she says your the best!!! You know how to break down complex subject matter into nice bit sized pieces. I just want to say thank you sir....for being a light to so many people around the world. May God bless you is our prayer!!!
too kind! wish her luck from me!
I surely will pass on your best wishes to her. Her and I are hoping to meet you someday if you ever come to South Africa. You and yours are in our prayers!@@simon_dentremont
His videos are the best! 🙌
tell her to return the nikon or divorce her. No one should be seen with a nikon
@@underscore_tipshe is not a kid to use Sony
Yes you CAN ask foxes to stand still for a second. They just won't listen. But then again neither will some people.
Simon, I found your channel randomly the other day and literally last night I was out taking some photos with my new lens. Came home thinking "I need to look into how to get better shutter speeds while at night" and here you are.......
He is a master
Happy to be relevant!!
I just found this too after I finally got a camera. I’m excited to use a nice camera
I’ve been photographing for nearly 50 years, you do a great job of distilling key points of information that is clear, concise and easy to understand. Bravo.
Wow, thank you!
Totally agree! Not to mention that it helps to listen to the reminders. It's so easy to get out there and forget a few things. Thanks Simon!
Exactly what I wanted to say, So much very valuable informations, but clear and compact, easy to watch ! Very good quality videos ! thanks Simon
Your teaching style is incredibly effective Simon... comprehensive but straight to the point. Keep up the good work.
Some youtubers cram 5 minutes of info into 15. You give the whole 15 in 15. Great presentation and easy to understand. Wonderful production value in your videos as well. Glad I subscribed. Keep up the great work !!
Wow, thank you!
There are literally thousands, if not 10's of thousands of photography videos. Yours are the ONLY ones I've ever found that are accurate and concise. No behaving like a loud bombastic clown, no proselytizing, just accurate and easy to understand explanations. They are also the only ones I will allow on my mirrorless group on the book of faces. Thank you.
Too kind.
Agreed!! Simon is my favorite among many KZhead photographers. His wildlife images are stunning, and the teaching is top notch!
Just one of the most amazing KZhead channels for photography on KZhead! Please never stop making videos Simon! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
ok!
Being a photographer for the past 6 years, I must say it's incredible how much - yet how simply - you analyze each senario, whilst being perfectly understandable. From the basics to more intricate parts, you make sure it all make sense. Either someone is new to photography or a complete proffesional, I believe it's always good to revise, but most importantly to do so with someone like you who shares his thoughts so passionately! Great job and thank you!
Finally someone explaining the problem clearly and giving straight to the point advice for solutions. Thank you! Subscribed!
Really appreciate this one, Simon. I take photos of trains and buses, more for compiling/archiving than for artistic reasons (although I will do one time from time). Much easier in daylight and in the open, but harder underground with bad lighting, or at night, especially when the train or bus is moving. There are constraints, since you can't flash a train operator or a bus driver (big no-no for obvious safety reasons), nor are tripods/monopods allowed in the subway. Outside, standing on street corners with overhead lamps provides light. It's easier to have a higher shutter speed, with some noise, and lighting it up a little in post, rather than to have a dark, blurry, unfocused shot.
You are such a wonderful teacher. Thank you for all that you do for us who are passionate about photography and learning.
Your channel is probably the best place to go for photography advice because its very straight to the point and easy to understand. Thanks for the great advice! :)
You're one of these people who have a real knack for teaching, great eloquence.
Fantastic video Simon. Some great tips really well explained. I often struggle with low light issues shooting aviation in the UK. I’ve used lots of your tips and with practice I’m getting far more keepers and honing my Lightroom skills as well.
My second photoshoot was in an arcade. What a challenge. The low light room combined with bright machines made for some amazing pictures.
One note for Nikon cameras when using a tripod: you can use "Exposure Delay Mode" instead of the self timer. It can be set to as long as 3 seconds. Look in the manual to find it for your specific camera. For the D7200 and Z5, it's custom menu item d4. It was initially introduced on their DSLRs to compensate for "mirror slap" on long exposures.
Canon has a feature similarly designed to eliminate mirror slap. They call it mirror lock-up.
Simon, your channel is always filled with GREAT content & delivered in a professional manner. Thank you for sharing your knowledge & the valuable tips that you provide in your videos. Best wishes!😊
When i can understand everything you say then that means hope for me. Been away from photograpghy a while. You came at a great time.
Anyone can get a great shot in perfect light, the rest of us “working photographers” shoot in all conditions. 😊 Thank you, Simon, for once again providing excellent teaching on how to get it done! I appreciate you!
Great Job. It’s amazing how much information you can provide in 14 minutes plus.
I have always loved photography but only this last year become serious about deep diving into it. I've learned most of what i know with low light by trial and error. I found your channel the other day and am obsessed with the tutorials. Absolutely incredible and the most helpful information. I am like a sponge absorbing everything you teach. Things are more helpful for me when there's an explanation behind WHY things work the way they do. Your tutorials are perfect in that way. Thank you so much for your gift of knowledge to us all!
Your video is spot on! Low light photography is something that I always enjoyed a lot, and for my use cases, the three things that make the biggest difference are large aperture lenses (for events happening in low light), using a tripod (for shots of more static subjects), and software usage (always shoot with post-processing in mind). For events (using an 1/200s minimum aperture or faster), having an f/1.2 lens makes a massive difference, and I wish I had a 135mm f/1.4 lens that's sharp and has good AF.
Yes Simon learning and improving a lot in my journey of photography by the way you make us understand by your teachings.Thank you!
This guy's the GOAT when it comes to these types of channels. Hand down
THANK YOU FOR YOUR E-BOOK ABOUT SHOOTING BACKLIT SUBJECTS!!! I AM ENJOYING THIS CHANNEL SO MUCH!!!!! THESE VIDEOS INSPIRE ME TO GO OUT AND TAKE MORE PHOTOS!!!
If I enjoyed this video... Simon, I love your videos! Concise, well structured and every time providing an AHA! moment. They are seriously elevating my love for photography, thinking process and quality every single week. Thank you for sharing all your hard earned knowledge. Please keep it up!
Glad you like them!
fantastic and simple structure to follow, thank you! also for the honesty, work with what you have, i love the philosophy of not needing the absolute perfect technical photo to enjoy the photos we have.
Your teaching and style of speech connects directly to my brain! 98% of photographer created technique and tips videos do not connect. They’re mostly about whoever is making the video or which camera brand they KNOW is superior, ha! Not so with your content and I am very thankful to have found your channel. Can’t wait to work my way through all yours videos to see what I will learn.
Simon, your videos are so full of ideas and advices - it's impressive how you get focused on the point. Thank you again! I love those lessons.
Glad you like them!
I LOVE long exposures in law light. The colors are so much more vibrant! I've done photo stacking on different types of shots too: where different parts of the frame required different exposures because I wanted a bright part and a dark part to both look good.
I find that reviewing fundamentals is essential. Your videos are always helpful.
An excellent video! I’m the guy from England where a “dull day” takes on a whole new meaning in terms of their frequency and intensity. Your advice is most welcome and I’m off out to give it a try. Many thanks.
Ken AKA the "Angry Photographer" said photography was dead. Look at this mans views 👆
We visited our local Botanical Gardens last weekend, and it was night and darkened inside, so lots of great chances for low-light work! I did struggle a bit (they don't allow tripods because of narrow walkways), and at certain points I decided the shot I wanted was more important than the HOW of getting it, so I went ahead and used my camera's automated "scene" settings a bit. I'm all about learning, yes, but I'm also all about not coming home empty-handed! :)
One of the best video ever about shooting in low light!
Once again this video is a hidden gem, Simon! Wonderful tips. I have made notes and will be sure to refer and put them to use.
Perhaps a targeted video for low light wildlife photography with a zoom, like the Rf 100-500 F 7.1. I struggle with noisy soft shots in the early morning. Many of us don’t have a big prime. Thanks Simon! Maybe take us back into the field to see these tips in action!
Seconded!
I love your motto, embrace the light and use what you have. 😁
I've heard the term "focus stacking" but never gave it a thought and in just seconds your sunflower/milky way illustration gave me an exact understanding of it's use and benefit. Thank you for helping others the way you do!
Glad it was helpful!
I've been taking pictures For a long time and I have considerably good experience But I'd like to revisit photography lessons Once in a while just to restudy, and I think your videos are the best free photography course, thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
Well explained, I had a 18-85 mm lens f4, from 2014 to 2022, but this year I got a 50 mm f1.8 and my photos improved greatly, some clients thought I had got a better camera yet I still have the same canon 60d , so a better lens determines better photos
It's great to see how your channel has grown over the last year. Always good helpful information for the new camera owners and some helpful tips for some of us not so new camera owners. Keep up the good work. Take care.
Thanks 👍
Another perfect explanation of a common problem and what to do about it! Thanks!
I’ve been searching for someone like you for YEARS! Thank you for explaining things so well.
Happy to help!
“And I don’t use flash on foxes for ethical reasons…” at 10:22, hehehe! Like this channel a lot. Great work!
Thank you, Simon, for your hard work and experience to give us these tips. You're doing such a good thing sharing this information out to everyone.
My pleasure!
The selective denoise/sharpening trick via object selection in LR was new to me. Thanks a lot for that 😊👍
NEEDED THIS. Literally last night was struggling with how to get good low light photos
I used your tips in this video and others on a safari and they really helped! Taking multiple shots at slow shutter speeds to get one that’s sharp worked great!
Great to hear!
Great video, absolutely love these. Been watching them for ages and you don’t understand how helpful they are. Keep it up! 🙌 i was watching Owls this evening and i wanted to know the best way to shoot in those situations so i think lowering the aperture and shutter speed will be good. Lightrooms noise reduction is so good now days anyway!
Thank you so much for this masterpiece of comprehensive video. Truly grateful! - Aspiring Photographer
you explain the camera and the use there of the best i've ever heard thank you
We urgently need a comprehensive video on the absolutely stunning new HDR features in Lightroom Classic. Especially in the context of you doing lots of backlit shots, this will take your existing images to a whole new level! Try that on your wave shot as well, you will be blown away!
Great content as usual. You can actually practice taking long exposures by hand without camera shake. With proper breathing and timing, getting fine detail at 1/15 handheld becomes very possible (similar practice to long range target shooting). I’ve managed scenes far away with even a 1 second exposure. You can’t always have a tripod so practice with steadiness can help.
The breathing technique I was taught for shooting rifles is deep breath in, breath out, deep breath in, breath halfway out and hold. Then take the shot within 2 seconds. Sometimes I find my own heartbeat is enough to ruin the shot though, which is annoying lol.
Use a piece of string. One end is tied to a screw in the tripod mount. The other is tied to something to weigh it down,, and goes under your foot. Pull it tight, and it helps enormously.
Simon, your videos just keep getting better, keep up good work!
Thank you very much!
great explanation man, no gimicks or comedy and all, just straight to the point clear examples
Just found your channel, I’m glad. One of the best camera channels out.
Wow, thanks!
Another tip is to shoot in black and white with high ISO since colour information is always gonna suffer in low light but eliminating that can still produce very good images. And sometimes any image is better than no image. This works very well on smaller sensors cameras.
I have so much respect for this guy
I wanna say Thank you sincerely for helping me learn and understand this craft , Ive struggled to understand it for some time in learning from other people on youtube but your wisdom is very clear and direct and very much so helpful , so i greatly appreciate these videos
You are most welcome
Hello mr. d'Entremont, im just starting photography for a couple of months and i gotta say im already a fan your work and lessons. You explain things very well and and not over complicate things with terminology. Appreciate how you even throw in some information on what you did and give examples of what you're talking about. Just wanna say thanks
Awesome, thank you!
I am always on the look out for your uploads as your content is always educational and informative. Your way of teaching makes me want to go out and try new techniques (to me) to broaden my photography horizons. Thank you.
Happy to hear that!
Great video. I always look forward to when the next one comes out. Very helpful to this newbie.
Simon, you are amazing!! Thank you very much for all the priceless lessons. I’m from Brazil and I’m grateful for everything I’m learning with you.
Fantastic!
Another brilliantly explained video with a style not only informative but entertaining. Your development in this has surpassed your peers. You bring joy and passion into our lives. Well done.
Much appreciated!
Thank you for continuing to teach us, you'll probably never understand the impact you're really having on our development
Most fundamental concept of lighting explain in simple terms.
One trick I use is to practice a lot with flash so I feel comfortable with it. I used to hate to put the flash on but now it doesn’t freak me out. I know I can lean on ETTL but if I need to adjust in manual I’m not afraid of it. A little practice goes a long way, with flash.
Thank you very much.i enjoyed many of yr videos while practicing english hearing.u r a nice lecturer too
Whoa! A video worth watching a second time. Definitely a lot of useful information. Thank you.
The thumbnail! Simon in his 70s detective era, love it!
This is a 14:31 block of great, solid info for someone just getting into swappable lens cameras. Thanks! (Also hello from Toronto :)
Thanks for cool vid mate. Concerning "light snobs" - few years ago, I went to shoot pulsatillas (pasqueflowers) during sunrise. I met another photographer there. We waited for sunrise, then took few shots. After 10 minutes, the other photographer told "light is too harsh", he put camera to his bag and went home :)
Simon is right on buying decent glass as you tend to keep glass for a very long time. IS in lenses and IBIS in cameras does help a lot, however if do not have it, you do not miss it as ypu will learn how to work around this. There too many videos on KZhead about buying new, and though that is OK. A lot of people do not have that amount of money to splash on a gear when cost of living is going up ! There are a lot og pro's that still use DSLR'S and take amazing images, we just have to in the hard work !
"And I can't ask the fox to 'stand still' for a second" lol. Thanks, for another great video!
Any time!
Thank you! I was always struggling with this! You're always so helpful!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for your amazing podcasts, you're amazing 🙏
Despite these videos aren't giving me much new info, your way of explaining things helps me to explain these tips to my friends, who still aren't watching your videos despite my constant recommendations!
Glad you like them!
Here is what I do in low light situations (espcially in colorfull arias like in a disco or so) : Use ISO 400 - f4 and up to a half a second or slightly more shuttertime, and yes, use the flash rebounced on the second curtain.... Than finsh it all in Photoshop adjusting brightness and so. Yo can play around with that but changes are that you get hooked to this set of working once you get used to think different. It sure gave me the most amazing shot ever made and I used this technique a lot, you might be amazed! Thank you for your interesting videos sir!
This is such a wealth of information for amateur photographers. Thank you Simon!
My pleasure!
Simon, loved this video. I shoot basketball frequently in the Winter and use an f2.8 28-75mm Tamron. Works real well on my Nikon D7000. I also shoot high school soccer in the Fall. That’s a challenge because as the shadows grow longer from the trees across the field, it gets harder and harder to get useful shots. I shoot soccer in Shutter priority mode and prefer 1600, but will go down to 1000 if I have to. I got a nice shot with a 18-400mm lens last week from across the field, shooting in RAW. Photoshop helped me recover it and turn it into a very warm., colorful photo.
You explain so well !! I've already learned so much in the few videos I have watched, so thank you very much. This is incredible content and your pictures are great :)
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Simon... you are gold
Great video I got a great shot of my dog in the kitchen with just window light f2.8 s 1/8 iso 200 at 17 milHis face and eyes were perfect but the back of him was a bit blurry.I love the shot as his eyes were the most important thing to me.Your tips prove to be correct in low light.
Hi Simon, after a long photography break (due to no more inspiration) I am coming back and I am going throuhg all the basics again, haha. with the grey winter sky, you know that the lighting is not very good and I struggled getting a good image. I forgot about this one and it is a great reminder! (I forgot so much of these simple basics and I don't mind at all going through it all one more time. :) Thank you so much! :)
I really appreciate your approaches to clarity in knowledge and practice. Thank you
You are very welcome
Simon is the best. Mostly about photography vs all about gear.
This was excellent, coupled with the ISO and even some simple Lightroom tips. I shot with auto ISO for years without knowing, adjusting it and wondering why i still had so much noise. Lately I'm just struggling with these pieces you pointed out here and experimenting with flash (which is still hit or miss, trial and error). Utilizing noise to create a naturally vintage image can work and in some cases, adding grain or keeping noise actually looks pretty cool. I think the shutter speed tends to be the most critical in many circumstances as I've found I'll compensate a bit on F stop and find things to be blurry later. Can't edit that out.
You're the best! Perfect balance between theory and pro practice. Cheers from Brazil!
Glad you think so!
Excellent. simple, clear and no BS. thanks
Man !!!!! Simon sir .... Really your my teacher. You know what sir I am learning mobile photography by watching your camera photography videos .....😅 And I also hope you make a video on mobile photography in the future .... Thank you my master (guru) love from India
Thanks for sharing your experience. It'll help everyone who's stragling with particular photo-problems.
My pleasure!
I've discovered your channel a few months ago after buying my first camera, a Canon M200. And indeed, the best decision was to buy another lens than the kit lens that comes with it. Got a Sigma 56mm F1.4 and the difference between the kit lens and the Sigma is unbelievable. Thanks for all the tips, from Montreal! Oh and you probably already knew that, but Lightroom had an update that added AI denoise, similar to what the topaz software does and it works really well!
I keep watching your videos and they are all so well explained ! Thank you so much for helping out beginner photographers :)
Happy to hear that!
It was a joy to watch this video (except the advertising). Concise, easy to follow and overall pleasant to watch. You earned a new subscriber.
Absolutely love your videos, Simon!
Next time I'm at a concert, I've got to keep these tips in mind. This is a fantastic way to teach, simplify and show examples. Super cool!
Glad it was helpful!
I do some low light photography and found I needed some faster lenses. If the price of a fast zoom is a problem a possible option is a couple of very fast prime lenses.