Low Light Restaurant Photography

feliporpeta

Hello guys,

Next weekend I'm going to a birthday celebration that will take place in a restaurant.

I know that using a speedlight to bounce the flash or using a fast lens should probably be the best but I don't have those.

I have a 18-55mm kit lens and a 55-200mm (not very useful in this case).

Using on camera flash should correct the low light but it's too risky. It could blow up everything. :(

Do you have any advice for me?

How can I take good photos in this situation?

Thanks,
Felipe

Moose

@feliporpeta - Looks like I didn't get to you in time. Having a baby in July delays my response times quite a bit. :) How did the shoot go? Do you still need help with this?

feliporpeta

Hi @Moose,

The shoot was better than expected. I used the 18-55mm lens, aperture priority (A), and ISO 1600 (sometimes I could use 800). I've had a decent shutter speed. I believe that the average was about 1/40 of a second. Additionally, I tried to keep between 18mm and 35mm in order to achieve a wider aperture. Actually, I've taken one of two pictures with 55mm to blur the background a bit when the subject was well lit.

I believe I've done a good job considering the material I own. Not that they are bad, it's just not great on low light situations.

Feel free to give your input if you agree/disagree regarding what I've done. I'm here to learn. :)

Thanks for the response and for your forum. It surely helped me gather the knowledge I have.

Thanks, Felipe

Moose

@feliporpeta - You did everything right, considering the equipment that you own. Obviously a 'bright' prime lens like the 35mm 1.8G would've given you faster shutter speeds at lower ISO's, but sometimes you've got to make it work with the gear that you have.

It sounds like you're picking things up quickly. Keep that passion alive and happy shooting! :)