Foundations of Photography: Night and Low Light with Ben Long

Join photographer and teacher Ben Long as he describes the tools, creative options, and special considerations involved in shooting with a DSLR camera at night or in low-light conditions, such as sunset or candlelight. The course addresses exposure decisions such as choice of aperture and shutter speed and how they impact depth of field and the camera’s ability to freeze motion.

Ben also shows how to obtain accurate color balance in tungsten and fluorescent lighting situations, and how to postprocess the images in Photoshop to remove noise caused by higher ISO settings. He also demonstrates accessories that can greatly expand your low-light photography options.

Topics include:

• Understanding how low light affects exposure, shutter speed, color temperature, and more


• Preparing for a low-light shoot


• Shooting in dimly lit rooms


• Using the flash indoors


• Shooting in the shade


• Taking flash portraits at night


• Controlling flash color temperature


• Focusing in low light


• Light painting


• Manipulating long shutter speeds


• Correcting white balance


• Brightening shadows


• Sharpening and noise reduction