Night photos

benkolenda

I've downloaded the cheat cards and they've been really helpful, but there are no instructions for night photos. There are concerts and fireworks, but what about family shots? Please help.

Moose

Hi @benkolenda - The cheat cards are built upon the strengths of each individual lens. Unfortunately the 18-55mm and 75-300mm lenses have a really dim/dark aperture range (f/3.5-5.6), which makes them struggle in low light.

In order to get good results in this scenario, you need to add more light artificially. The pop-up flash blasts the subject with light and usually leaves the rest of the scene quite dark. In order to get softer, more natural looking light, you'll need an external flash.

With an external flash, you can either bounce the light up towards the ceiling or diffuse the light with a snap on diffuser. This can all be done automatically, without any manual adjustment on your part. I have a video that shows the basics here:

As for a recommended flash, the Yongnuo YN568EX is a great affordable option.