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At their most primary level, all photographs are simply light interacting with chemicals. Photography would be impossible without light, and in almost every situation the more light you have, the better. Unfortunately, there are plenty of situations in which photographers do not have the benefit of added light, and thus are forced to think on the fly. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your camera in low-light situations, all without using a flash.

Think Ahead

If you’re going somewhere where you think the light might be dim, plan to bring a tripod and some high speed film. And if you are lucky to have multiple cameras to use, make sure you choose one that offers the lowest F stop value .7 or 1.5 would be ideal for low-light situations.

Keep Yourself Steady

No matter how open your aperture is, you’re going to need lower shutter speeds and a tripod whenever possible. Placing your camera on a tripod will protect it from the shake of your body and will allow you to use even slower shutter speeds than would have been possible if you were relying entirely on your hands. If a tripod isn’t available or appropriate, try resting your arms or camera on available surfaces whenever possible. If not, your pictures will be fuzzy and will look terrible displayed in small picture frames or  even super ornate picture frames.

Use Faster Film

400 ISO film is what many consider to be the industry standard, but a film that slow is going to be a liability in a low light situation. If you are shooting stationary objects, you may be able to get away with slow shutter speeds and slow film, but if you’re planning on getting pictures of moving targets like people you’re going to need to go with 800 or above. Be warned that as a film’s ISO increases, so does its graininess. When you use film speeds over 800 you’ll have considerable quality loss in the grain of the picture.

Blurry Can Be Good

We normally teach ourselves as photographers that blurry is bad and that all shots must be in focus. However, the deliberate use of motion blur can be a compelling element of a great photograph; don’t be afraid to let your subjects move around a bit. You will likely not end up with sharply focused photographs but the interest of a blurry picture is often more interesting than a bunch of stationary objects.

Bracket Your Shots

When it comes to judging light, humans and light meters are often unreliable. If you’re shooting in a low light situation and you’re not certain that your photos are going to turn out, bracket your shots by shooting three of every photograph, each at different exposure times. What you’ll do is shoot one photograph at the shutter speed you think is correct, then shoot another one with the shutter speed turned to the value below that and then another turned to the value above. This acts as a type of safety net for many photographers. And sometimes an under or over exposed picture can turn out even better than one taken using a light meter.

Low light photography is an incredible challenge, especially if you’re attempting to do it without the use of a flash. Equip yourself right, understand the nature of your film and camera, and consider every shot carefully. If you do all of these things, you won’t be able to tell the difference between your low light photos and those shot during the day. As long as you have fun when you shoot and don’t stress too heavily about the end results, you should have no trouble teaching yourself to adapt to even the worst lighting situations.

Shooting photographs of natural environments, known most commonly as landscape photography, is one of the most popular and fun ways to get started in art of taking pictures. While it may seem simple to snap a couple of photos of a mountain or a hillside, it can be a bit more complicated than point and shoot.  With that in mind, here a few easy to implement tips to help your next outdoor shoot end successfully:

Slow it Down

One of the most important things about landscape photography is detail. The more detail you can get in your landscape pictures, the better your final limage will look.  In order to get a maximum depth of field and be able to capture the smallest detail, close your F stop as much as possible and use a slower speed film or setting with a longer exposure.

Choose a Focal Point

What is it about certain photographs of mountains that make them appealing, when others look boring? The answer is often found in the focal point of the image. No matter what subject you’re shooting, you need to decide on what is going to be the important part of that image and frame your shot accordingly. Landscape photography offers all kinds of different types of focal points such as trees, mountains, rock formations and many others to choose from.

Try Using a Filter

There are tons of filters available for cameras, each of which serves a specific type of photography. Polarizing filters will darken the sky in your image and help build contrast in the colors, which will lead to a more dynamic and interesting image when it’s time to print.  Whenever you’re working with landscape photography, try to consider the contrast before you shoot.  Generally pictures that have all one color or tone won’t be interesting

Time it Right

Depending on what you’re planning on shooting, different times of day are going to either hurt or help you.  Since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the overall appearance of a landscape can be dramatically different in the morning than it is at dusk, so plan ahead on catching the perfect angle. We recommend morning and evening hours; the pitched shadows will add texture to your images.

Always Have a Tripod

Although carrying a tripod is a pain, it really is necessary with using longer exposures so that you can get the proper amount of detail in your landscape. Using a tripod will give you the opportunity to take the same picture with different exposures and will help to prevent image blur. Image blur can be a problem when you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything less than 60 is too low to guarantee clarity without a tripod).

Landscape photography is a great way to get started as a photographer. You never have to worry about difficult or impatient subjects and you get to go outside and appreciate the beauty of nature. With a little thought and the right equipment, you’ll soon be shooting beautiful landscapes that you’ll be proud to display in a picture frame on your wall.

Black and white photos present a challenge that many photographers enjoy. The nature of the black and white photo last much longer than a color photograph. This may be one reason so many modern photographers enjoy using the black and white medium for their photographs. For fine arts prints, black and white photography can be easily reproduced.

What advantages are there in taking black and white photos?

Black and white is used by photography students to learn to spot flaws in their photos. Without color, mistakes are much more apparent.

Using black and white photography means having to learn how to develop your film. Serious students should know how to accomplish this. The amateur photographer can take a color photograph and then use one of the software programs to change it to a grayscale image or a black and white image. Black and white photos can give the viewer and the photographer a new perspective.

The moods in your photos can be very pronounced when there’s an absence of color. Lighting can create different feelings and it is essential to photography. The elements of the pictures will be emphasized by the lack of color. The effect of this is dramatic.

How do I choose the right type of film to produce the photos that I want.

The image’s appearance will change based on the speed of the film. 100 or 200 are the most common speeds and have a very small grain. More grain and small particles will be produced if you use 3200 speed film. You will figure out your desired effect by experimenting with film. You should develop your own film when using black and white film.

How to develop your own black and white film:

Even in a small apartment, you can develop your own film. You will need to find a film developing powder, a place to mix chemicals, good ventilation and a dark room. The developer has very simple mixing directions.

When using common 35mm film, you will have a simple time and have the capability to enlarge to almost any size you want without messing up the photo’s quality. You will also need reels to thread the film that you develop, which run about twenty dollars each. You will also need to purchase containers that will keep light out of your developer. Store these in a cool, dry environment. You also will need to find a fixer to let the film open to light, and you can reuse this. It needs to be handled carefully. The soap bath is the chemical solution you will make to develop and print your film. This needs to be handled carefully as well. You need a red light in your dark space for developing film. If the chemical goes bad during development, it will cause the solution to turn purple. Before the soap bath is opened, you will need to keep it in a well-ventilated area. You can probably see that making your own dark room is neither hard nor expensive. Do follow directions carefully.

About the author: Michelle Walton writes as a hobby and maintains websites featuring estee lauder perfumes and gucci perfume.