Okay...I am actually Spangler's Mom. I am a professional photographer. He has been asking a lot of questions about low light photography, orbs and such. I am hoping I can shed a little light on the subject (pun intended). In low light, you should be concerned about a couple of thngs. First, is there enough light to get anything? Secondly, are you using the right equipment? Using digital equipment, if you can't or don't know how to manually adjust apature and shutter speed, then you need to use yur flash. Focus on an object about 6 feet away from you and let your camera adjust to that. Don't use a digital zoom. You will lose quality as this is just like cropping it. Optical zoom is much preferred. At home, increase your brightness and contrast to pull out the details in the dark background.
Keep in mind that even the slightest movement will blur your image. In low light, your shutter has to stay open longer to expose the image. Any movement while the shutter is open will create a motion blur. Make your camera stationary via tripod or placing it on a solid flat horizontal surface. When you depress the shutter release on your camera manually, you move the camera. It is better to use the internal timer on your camera. It takes some practice, but the results are worth it.
If you are shooting with film, there are a few considerations. You do not have the capacity to lighten the images in developing unless you do your own processing. You can ask the lab you use to lighten your images. They are usually willing to do this if they are not too busy. You may want to explaing that you want the contrast raised at twice the level as the images are lightened. You will see more detail this way. 800 film is best for low light. Film has cell that recieve the light that capture the image. 800 film has larger cells, collecting more light in shorter time. However, because it has larger cells yur photos can look grainy and details will be lost when enlarged. In full light, 200 film will give the best detail.
No matter what type of equipment you use...
- your flash has very limited distance.
- zooming increasing your chance of motion blur
- flashlights or other sources of light can cause orbs (typically the start out of frame and increase in size as they get closer to center, they are symetrical, transparent, and they can have a spiderweb like center or simply glow)
- shoot at least two pictures a few seconds apart. If you capture an anamoly and it is a reflection of something in the environment, it should show up in both frames.
If you have any specific questions, or would like for me to analyze something for you, I would be happy to help, time permitting.
Spangler's Mom
