Tip For Shooting Street Photography In Low-Light Without a Flash

Tip For Shooting Street Photography In Low-Light Without a Flash:

Question From a Subscriber: I’m wondering if I could have some tips. I’m shooting on this medium format camera with HP5 400. I’m trying to do night time photography on the streets. Using the light from lampposts. Does anyone have an tips on settings and how long I should exposure for?

Me – I’m a documentary photographer in Chicago who often shoots film at night using only natural lighting. Here are a few things that I keep in mind when shooting:

First, I shoot at EI 1600 or 3200 rather than box speed. I then push in development (I personally use a stand development method).

Next, I open my aperture all the way to 1.4 on my 50mm, or 2.8 on my 28mm.

Next, I set my shutter speed to 1/15 or 1/30. I then keep close to the buildings, thus allowing the natural light to fall on the subjects.

No need for a light meter once you know your camera. I hardly ever use a meter. If you are shooting hand-held, using a film speed of 800 just will not cut the cake. You’ll need 1600, 3200, and even 6400 in order to get a usable image. If you are interested in shooting traditional street, you’ll want to employ the best methods for street photography.

This is an example of a low-light shot using the techniques I just described above- Minolta SRT 202, 28mm f/2.8, Tri-X 1600 EI, 1/30 shutter:

This was a difficult situation, as I had a dark subject located in a dark alley. As Teddy was singing, he was also swaying. I waited for Teddy to turn towards the light, as well as for him to pause in his movement. These two things allowed for a reasonably sharp image.

Shooting in low light can be challenging, but if you pay attention and learn to work with whatever light is given, you can capture awesome shots in low light without a flash or tripod.

Here is another example of street photography shot at night (no meter) – alley in Chicago with one streetlight. Minolta 202, 28mm 2.8, Tri-X EI 3200 f/2.8 shot at 1/30 of a second. It was 18 below zero on this night!

Also see these helpful tools for general camera settings in low-light: Light Values Chart and the Available light photography exposure calculator.