Photography in low light - in pictures

Using light trails in images can be quite unpredictable. In this image you can just make out the shapes of London buses on both sides of the road where they pulled in and waited at bus stops for a few seconds (thus leaving more of an imprint on the image). The great thing about shooting digitally is that you can review the image straight away and shoot again if you're not happy with the result.

Shutter speed: 47 seconds
Aperture: f/22.0
ISO: 100 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

When shooting images of people at night or in artificial light, try to observe the light on faces and how the shadows are cast. In this image, the light from a shop window cast enough light to get an interesting candid portrait. I was using a fast Canon prime lens, which allowed me to get a large aperture (f/1.8) and, coupled with a high ISO of 800, I was able to capture the image in the very little light that was available.

Shutter speed: 1/80
Aperture: f/1.8
ISO: 800 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

I shot this to demonstrate how pushing up your ISO can help you get images in a darker setting, such as this location, the interior of Westminster Cathedral. An ISO of 1600 allows me to mix the ambient, inside lighting with the limited window light that is entering the image on the right-hand side.

Shutter speed: 1/80
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 1600 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

The period during and after sunset is often referred to as the “magic hour”. If you observe the light, it goes through subtle changes and can add something really special to your images.

Shutter speed: 1/400
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 1600 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

This is another shot taken in the “magic hour” just after sunset. The focal point is right in the middle of the picture, giving a shallow depth of field and enhancing the feeling of evening twilight.

Shutter speed: 1/30
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 1600 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

This slightly abstract look at the London Eye includes two moving elements, albeit very slight movement: that of the clouds and the leaves on the trees. Clouds at night are interesting because they tend to reflect the light given off by the landscape; here, that adds a splash of colour to the bottom of the frame.

Shutter speed: 30 seconds
Aperture: f/16.0
ISO: 400 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

This image was captured just after sunset using a relatively high ISO (800) and large aperture (f/2.8). Because the palm trees were going to be in silhouette, I knew they had to be the element in focus. So although I was shooting at a large aperture, it didn't matter too much as it's barely noticeable. If I had shot this image using a tripod, I would have got a different effect: I could have slowed the shutter speed right down, keeping a small aperture (and thus a large depth of field). Both the swimming pool and the sea would have become blurry, as they are both moving slightly. There is no right or wrong way to shoot this picture – it is just a matter of taste.

Shutter speed: 1/80
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 800 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell

This image is a quick example of how you can balance the on-camera flash with the ambient light to give a more natural look to images shot at night. This involves bringing up the ISO (in this case, 1600) and dropping the shutter speed (in this case, 1/20) to a level where the natural light will affect the image. The subject immediately in front of the camera gets caught with the flash, but the background details will seep into the picture as well. This is worth experimenting with, as it can often give quite creative results.

Shutter speed: 1/20
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO: 1600 Photograph: Greg Funnell/Greg Funnell