8. Mood Lighting

How much noise is too much is subjective. Some people have a higher tolerance for noise than others, and sometimes the output destination or subject matter determines the acceptable level of noise. If I’m shooting a night sporting event, for example, I am much more tolerant of higher noise levels if that is what allows me to stop action and get the shot. But if I’m doing a long exposure of moving water, I prefer it to be as clean as possible, so I keep the ISO low. You’ll have your own reasons and tolerance levels, so experiment with different ISO settings and get a feel for what works for your needs and output destinations.

You could use the flash, but that has a limited range (15–20 feet) that might not work for you. Or you could be in a situation where flash is prohibited or at least frowned upon, like at a wedding or in a museum.

And what about a tripod in combination with a long shutter speed? That is also an option, and we’ll cover it a little further into the chapter. The problem with using a tripod and a slow shutter speed in low-light photography, though, is that it performs best when subjects aren’t moving. Besides, try to set up a tripod in a museum and see how quickly you grab the attention of the security guards.

So if the only choice to get the shot is to raise the ISO, you’ll want to consider the High ISO Noise Reduction feature. This shooting menu function is set to Normal by default, but as you start using higher ISO values you might consider changing it to the High setting.

It is important to keep in mind that High ISO Noise Reduction is applied only to in-camera JPEGs, so raising it to the High setting slightly increases the processing time for your images, and if you are shooting in continuous mode you might see a little reduction in the speed of your frames per second. If you are shooting in RAW mode, then this setting is recorded in the metadata of the photo and used by Nikon’s post-processing software, but it is invisible to third-party post-processing software. So if you are shooting in RAW, you will be doing most of your noise reduction in post-processing software. (Chapter 7 explains how to set the Long Exposure Noise Reduction feature, which is applied equally to JPEG and RAW photos.)

To see the effect of noise reduction, zoom in and take a closer look (Figures 8.2 and 8.3).

Using the higher ISO settings

1. Press and hold the ISO button. Then rotate the Command dial while observing the viewfinder, the control panel, or the information screen (A). Rotate the dial until you reach the H settings, then release the ISO button.

2. Select H 0.3, H 0.7, H 1.0, or H 2.0 (B).

A word of warning about the expanded ISO settings: Although it is great to have these high ISO settings available during low-light shooting, they should always be your last resort. Even with the High ISO Noise Reduction turned on, the amount of visible noise will be extremely high. Try to avoid using high ISO whenever you can, but don’t skip an opportunity for a terrific shot because you’re afraid to use a higher ISO (Figure 8.4). The D610 does remarkably well at 1600 and below, so experiment a little. Remember: a picture never taken is far worse than one with a little noise!

The Nikon VR lenses contain small gyro sensors and servo-actuated optical elements, which correct for camera shake and stabilize the image. The VR function is so good that it is possible to improve your handheld photography by two or three stops, meaning that if you are pretty solid at a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second, the VR feature will let you shoot at 1/15, and possibly even 1/8, of a second (Figures 8.6 and 8.7). When you’re shooting in low-light situations, make sure you set the VR switch on the side of your lens to the On position.

Hands off for sharper images

Whether you are shooting with a tripod or resting your camera on a wall, you can increase the sharpness of your pictures by taking your hands out of the equation. Whenever you use your finger to depress the shutter release button, you are increasing the chances that there will be a little bit of shake in your image. To eliminate this possibility, try setting your camera up to use the self-timer or the Exposure Delay mode (or even both together). Self-timer mode is the most commonly used, so let’s look at that first.

1. To turn on the self-timer, simply press the Release Mode dial lock and rotate the Release Mode dial to Self-timer.

2. Press the Menu button to find the Custom Setting menu. Highlight and select C Timers/AE Lock, then press OK (A).

3. Select C3 Self-timer, and click OK (B).

4. Choose the length of self-timer delay: 2, 5, 10, or 20 seconds (C). 5 seconds is ample time to quiet the tripod vibration caused by your actions.

5. Choose the number of shots, from one to nine, that you want the camera to take when you press the shutter button. This can be handy when used in conjunction with the Auto bracket feature (covered in Chapter 9) or for group photos when you want to take multiple shots to ensure that you get a frame with everyone’s eyes open.

6. Choose the time interval between shots: 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 seconds.

Now all you have to do is press the shutter button, and the camera will take the shot based on your settings. The self-timer is great, but it doesn’t do anything to help with the vibration caused by the camera’s mirror slapping up when a photo is taken. This is where Exposure Delay mode can help. Exposure Delay mode works with any of the other release modes, and when turned on it delays the shutter from 1–3 seconds after the mirror is moved up out of the way. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Choose your desired release mode.

2. Press the Menu button to find the Custom Setting menu. Highlight and select D Shooting/display, then press OK (A).

3. Select D10 Exposure delay mode, and press OK (B).

4. Choose the length of delay (1, 2, or 3 seconds) and press OK (C).

On a recent outing, I forgot to bring my remote release. So while taking some pre-dawn shots, I opted for a 5-second self-timer coupled with a 3-second exposure delay. It worked really well, and I was glad to have those options, though I still prefer a remote release. Make sure you switch out of self-timer mode and turn off the exposure delay when your shooting session is done.

First, you should know that the camera utilizes contrast in the viewfinder to establish a point of focus. This is why your camera will not be able to focus when you point it at a white wall or a cloudless sky. It simply can’t find any contrast in the scene to work with. Knowing this, you might be able to use a single focus point in AF-S mode to find an area of contrast that is at the same distance as your subject. You can then hold that focus by holding down the shutter button halfway (or by pressing the AF-ON button) and recomposing your image.

Then there are those times when there just isn’t anything there for you to focus on. A perfect example of this would be a fireworks display. If you point your lens to the night sky in any automatic focus (AF) mode, it will just keep searching for—and not finding—a focus point. On these occasions, you can simply turn off the autofocus feature and manually focus the lens (Figure 8.8). Look for the A/M switch on the side of the lens and slide it to the M position. Don’t forget to put it back in A mode at the end of your shoot.

Once you have the noise reduction turned on, set your camera to Aperture Priority (A) mode. That way, you can concentrate on the aperture that you believe is most appropriate and let the camera determine the best shutter speed (I discuss the Bulb setting in Manual mode in Chapter 9).

If it is too dark for the autofocus to function properly, try focusing manually. Finally, consider using a remote cable (see Chapter 11) to activate the shutter. If you don’t have a remote of some sort, use the self-timer or the Exposure Delay mode discussed earlier. Once you shoot the image, you may notice some lag time before it is displayed on the rear LCD. This is due to the noise-reduction process, which can take anywhere from a fraction of a second up to 30 seconds, depending on the length of the exposure. Typically, the noise-reduction process will take the same amount of time as the exposure itself.

If you are working with one of the automatic scene modes, the flash should automatically activate when needed. If, however, you are working in one of the professional modes, you will first have to turn on the flash. To do this, just press the pop-up flash button located on the front of the camera (Figure 8.10). Once the flash is up, it is ready to go (Figure 8.11). It’s that simple.

The real key to using the flash to get great pictures is to control the shutter speed. The goal is to balance the light from the flash with the existing light so that everything in the picture has an even illumination. Let’s take a look at the shutter speeds for the other modes.

Program (P): The shutter speed stays at 1/60 of a second. The only adjustment you can make in this mode is overexposure or underexposure using the Exposure Compensation setting or the Flash Compensation settings.

Shutter Priority (S): You can adjust the shutter speed to as fast as 1/200 of a second all the way down to 30 seconds. The lens aperture will adjust accordingly, but at long exposures the lens will typically be set to its smallest aperture.

Aperture Priority (A): This mode will allow you to adjust the aperture but will adjust the shutter speed between 1/200 and 1/60 of a second in the standard flash mode.

Manual (M): You can adjust the shutter speed to as fast as 1/200 of a second all the way down to 30 seconds. The lens aperture is adjusted independently, so you will need to do a little experimentation to see what works best.

The default setting for the flash meter mode is TTL. The meter can also be set to Manual mode. In Manual flash mode, you can determine how much power you want coming out of the flash, ranging from full power all the way down to 1/128 power. Each setting from full power on down will cut the power by half. This is the equivalent of reducing flash exposure by one stop with each power reduction. The benefit of using Manual mode is that the flash output is consistent every time and not dependent on the exposure reading.

Setting the flash to the Manual power setting

1. Press the Menu button, navigate to the Custom Setting menu, highlight the setting called e Bracketing/flash, and press OK (A).

2. Highlight the item labeled e3 Flash cntrl for built-in flash, and press OK (B).

3. Highlight the Manual option, and press OK (C).

4. Select the amount of flash power you want to use, and press OK (D).

Don’t forget to set the flash back to TTL when you are done, because the camera will hold this setting until you change it.

Just as with exposure compensation, flash compensation allows you to dial in a change in the flash output in increments of 1/3 of a stop. You will probably use this most often to tone down the effects of your flash, especially when you are using the flash as a subtle fill light (Figures 8.13 and 8.14). The range of compensation goes from +1 stop down to –3 stops.

Using the Flash Exposure Compensation feature to change the flash output

1. With the flash in the upright and ready position, press and hold the flash compensation button.

2. While holding down the button, rotate the Sub-command dial to set the amount of compensation you desire. Turning to the right increases the flash power 1/3 of a stop with each click of the dial. Turning left decreases the flash power.

3. Press the shutter button halfway to return to shooting mode, and then take the picture.

4. Review your image to see if more or less flash compensation is required, and repeat these steps as necessary.

You can view the amount of flash compensation in the control panel or in the viewfinder. You can also see the amount of compensation by activating the info screen prior to changing the compensation (Figure 8.15).

The Flash Exposure Compensation feature does not reset itself when the camera is turned off, so whatever compensation you have set will remain in effect until you change it. Your only clue to knowing that the flash output is changed will be the presence of the Flash Exposure Compensation symbol in the viewfinder. It will disappear when a zero compensation is set.

This is a simple feature that shines a light from the camera at the subject, causing their pupils to shrink, thus eliminating or reducing the effects of red-eye (Figure 8.16).

The feature is set to Off by default and needs to be turned on by using the information screen or the flash compensation button.

Turning on the Red-Eye Reduction feature

1. Press and hold the flash compensation button on the front of the camera.

2. Rotate the Main Command dial until you see the red-eye reduction symbol in the control panel or the information screen (A).

3. With red-eye reduction activated, compose your photo and then press the shutter release button to take the picture.

When red-eye reduction is activated, the camera will not fire the instant that you press the shutter release button. Instead, the red-eye reduction lamp will illuminate for a second or two and then fire the flash for the exposure. This is important to remember, as people have a tendency to move around, so you will need to instruct them to hold still for a moment while the lamp works its magic.

Truth be told, I rarely shoot with red-eye reduction turned on because of the time it takes before being able to take a picture. If I am after candid shots and have to use the flash, I will take my chances on red-eye and try to fix the problem in my image-processing software or even in the camera’s retouching menu.

When your camera fires, there are two curtains that open and close to make up the shutter. The first, or front, curtain moves out of the way, exposing the camera sensor to the light. At the end of the exposure, the second, or rear, curtain moves in front of the sensor, ending that picture cycle. In flash photography, timing is extremely important because the flash fires in milliseconds and the shutter is usually opening in tenths or hundredths of a second. To make sure these two functions happen in order, the camera usually fires the flash just as the first curtain moves out of the way (see the “Flash Sync” sidebar, earlier in this chapter).

In Slow Sync mode, the camera knows to balance the flash with a longer shutter speed. In Rear Curtain Sync mode, the flash will not fire until just before the second shutter curtain ends the exposure. So why have this mode at all? Well, there might be times when you want to have a longer exposure to balance out the light from the background to go with the subject needing the flash. Rear Curtain Sync adds some creativity by capturing the movement of light with a longer exposure while freezing the subject with the flash. Imagine taking a photograph of a friend standing in Times Square at night with all the traffic moving about and the bright lights of the streets overhead. If the flash fires at the beginning of the exposure and then the objects around the subject move, those objects will often blur or even obscure the subject a bit. If the camera is set to Rear Curtain Sync mode, though, all of the movement is recorded using the existing light first, and then the subject is “frozen” by the flash at the end by the exposure.

There is no right or wrong to it. It’s just a decision on what type of effect you would like to create. Many times, Rear Curtain Sync is used for artistic purposes or to record movement in the scene without it overlapping the flash-exposed subject (Figure 8.17). To make sure that the main subject is always getting the final pop of the flash, I leave my camera set to Rear Curtain Sync most of the time.

You can have a lot of fun with Rear Curtain Sync. Figure 8.18 shows an example of a long exposure that recorded the light trail from a cool iPad app called Holographium (you type a word into the app and move the iPad across the frame during a long exposure to extrude the word across your photo), with a burst of flash at the end that gives a ghostly appearance to yours truly. As you can see, my friends and I were playing around with various light-emitting devices in the background.

If you intend to use a long exposure with Front Curtain Sync, you need to have your subject remain fairly still so that any movement that occurs after the flash goes off will be minimized in the image.

Changing the flash sync mode

1. Press and hold the flash compensation button.

2. Rotate the Main Command dial to change the mode.

3. View the flash sync mode changes by looking at the control panel or information screen (A).

To disable the flash when shooting in Auto mode, turn the Mode dial to the Flash Off icon (a flash with a slash through it).

To really make your flash photography come alive with possibilities, you should consider buying an external flash, such as the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight. The SB-700 has a swiveling flash head and more power, and it communicates with the camera and the TTL system to deliver balanced flash exposures. I delve into accessory flash units, including how to control an external Speedlight using your camera’s pop-up flash, in Chapter 11.

How steady are your hands?

It’s important to know just what your limits are in terms of handholding your camera and still getting sharp pictures. This will change depending on the focal length of the lens you are working with. Wider-angle lenses are more forgiving than telephoto lenses, so check this out for your longest and shortest lenses. Using a zoom lens, set your lens to its longest focal length and then, with the camera set to ISO 100 and the mode set to Shutter Priority, turn off the VR and start taking pictures with lower and lower shutter speeds. Review each image on the LCD at a zoomed-in magnification to take note of when you start seeing visible camera shake in your images. It will probably be about 1 over the focal length (1/125 of a second for a 125mm lens length).

Now do the same for the wide-angle setting on the lens. My limit is about 1/30 of a second. These shutter speeds are with the Vibration Reduction feature turned off. If you have a VR lens, try it with and without the VR feature enabled to see just how slow you can set your shutter while getting sharp results.

Pushing your ISO to the extreme

Find a place to shoot where the ambient light level is low. This could be at night or indoors in a darkened room. Using the mode of your choice, start increasing the ISO from 100 until you get to 25600 (H 2.0). Make sure you evaluate the level of noise in your image, especially in the shadow areas. Only you can decide how much noise is acceptable in your pictures for a given subject matter and output destination.

Getting rid of the noise

Turn on the High ISO Noise Reduction feature and repeat the previous assignment. Find your acceptable limits with the noise reduction turned on. Also pay attention to how much detail is lost in your shadows with this function enabled.

Long exposures in the dark

If you don’t have a tripod, find a stable place to set your camera outside and try some long exposures. Set your camera to Aperture Priority mode and then use the self-timer to activate the camera (this will keep you from shaking the camera while pressing the shutter button).

Shoot in an area that has some level of ambient light, be it a streetlight, traffic lights, or even a full moon. The idea is to get some late-night, low-light exposures.

Testing the limits of the pop-up flash

Wait for the lights to get low, and then press that pop-up flash button to start using the built-in flash. Try using the different shooting modes to see how they affect your exposures. Use the Flash Exposure Compensation feature to take a series of pictures while adjusting from –3 stops all the way to +1 stops so that you become familiar with how much latitude you will get from this feature.

Getting the red out

Find a friend with some patience and a tolerance for bright lights. Have them sit in a darkened room or outside at night and then take their picture with the flash. Now turn on the Red-Eye Reduction feature to see if you get better results. Don’t forget to have them sit still while the red-eye lamp does its thing.

Getting creative with Rear Curtain Sync

Now it’s time for a little creative fun. Set your camera up for Rear Curtain Sync and start shooting. Moving targets are best. Experiment with Shutter and Aperture Priority modes to lower the shutter speeds and exaggerate the effect. Try using a low ISO so the camera is forced to use longer shutter speeds. Be creative and have some fun!

Share your results with the book’s Flickr group!
www.flickr.com/groups/d610fromsnapshotstogreatshots