Low Light

kid vishus · Dec 7, 2016

First of all let me start off by saying, I enjoy taking pictures but in all reality may be just above a novice at this. That means, please go easy on me as I am just starting to fool around with the manual settings and it's really a trial and error process at this point. Unfortunately for me there are times where I end up taking a lot of low light shots, and I am finding a hard time of finding the balance of letting enough light in but not so much it causes the subject to blur. Here are two shots. Both taken with a Nikon D5500. First one with a Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8. The second was taken with a Sigma 18-250mm 1:3.5-6.3.
The first one I was shooting just in jpeg so I couldnt really do anything with the sliver of light in the background at the top of that door (shooting in jpeg and RAW now, but have no idea what to do with the RAW files.) I intentionally shot them kind of dark as I liked the way the blue light looked as it reflected off her hula hoop, but I may have left them a tad darker than needed.
The second one was taken at a pretty good distance away (I was standing on the top row of the stands), and with as quick as the cars were moving, it was all I could do to get them that clear.
I know the camera is capable of better pictures, other than buying expensive glass what should I have done different? I have no aspirations of ever selling anything or ever charging for taking pictures, I just want to be able to get the best possible shots I can.
Thanks, and if this should have been posted elsewhere (like in the novice section), just let me now.
Edit: I cant get the pictures to load thru here. I'll get them on photobucket later.
Sorry.

kid vishus · Dec 7, 2016

First pic

kid vishus · Dec 7, 2016

Second pic.

tirediron · Dec 7, 2016

What sliver of light?

That's a very nice image, and to be honest, I don't think I'd have changed much at all, other than to level it.

SCraig · Dec 7, 2016

Local drag strips are poorly lighted. Even some major strips won't turn on all the lights for a small event because it gets expensive. I've been to Firebird Raceway (now Wildhorse Pass Motorsports Park) in Phoenix for NHRA national events and local Friday night events, and it is two different worlds.

The bottom line in situations like that is that you MUST get enough light to use a decent shutter speed. Way up in the stands the light fall-off is extreme (the square of the difference in distance) so at night you need to get as close as you can to the track. Higher ISO and wider aperture will also help but add their own issues to the shot. The bottom line though is that without using a flash (which is something I won't do at a racetrack at night) it is sometimes quite difficult.

My shutter speed varies with the class and where I am on the track. Closer to the tree they aren't moving as fast and I can get away with a lower shutter speed. Further down the track means more speed for them and for me. Higher speed classes (top fuel, funny car, pro mod, etc.) I need more shutter speed. Classes like the one you shot you should be able to use 1/125 second or less and pan with the cars to get some good shots. At night, close to the cars, close to the tree that can sometimes be managed.

kid vishus · Dec 7, 2016

Thanks. I took a bunch of them during that routine, and I really liked the way some of them turned out.

When you say "level it", do you mean I should have been shooting from a slightly higher position?
I was off to the side of the stage, and I kept alternating between standing and crouching when I was shooting. At that point I may have actually been sitting on the floor.

kid vishus · Dec 7, 2016

Thanks Scott. That's really good info to have.
That was a big money bracket race and I had lost second round so I thought I would stick around and take some pictures. I took a couple on the 'no flash auto' setting, didnt like how bright they were and knew any motion would blur, so I looked at the settings auto was using and started adjusting from there.
Since at that point I was just a spectator, I'm not sure how close they would have let me get to the starting line.

tirediron · Dec 7, 2016

kid vishus said:
...When you say "level it", do you mean I should have been shooting from a slightly higher position?.

No, rotate it in post so that the floor is level; if you look at the floor, the feet are on a severe angle.

kid vishus · Dec 7, 2016

Ok, that makes sense.
Thank you.

SCraig · Dec 7, 2016

kid vishus said:
Thanks Scott. That's really good info to have.
That was a big money bracket race and I had lost second round so I thought I would stick around and take some pictures. I took a couple on the 'no flash auto' setting, didnt like how bright they were and knew any motion would blur, so I looked at the settings auto was using and started adjusting from there.
Since at that point I was just a spectator, I'm not sure how close they would have let me get to the starting line.

R2 is better than R1

If you were racing then you should have had an all-access pass. I sort-of crew for some friends who race Pro-Comp in NDRL and as long as I've got a crew wristband nobody says anything. At Beech Bend in October they had some fuel alterds racing and I was about 5 feet from one of them doing a burnout. I love the smell of nitro at night

Or any other time.

Next time try shutter priority. I don't know what camera you have but set your ISO somewhat high and the aperture just wide enough to get what you want in focus. Try to get around 1/125 second and then pan with the car as it goes in front of you. Meter something that will meter gray, such as the wall in your shot, and see what the aperture reads. Switch to manual mode and set that shutter speed and aperture and you should be good for cars in that area of the track.

If you are shooting the cars in motion having the background and wheels blurred adds a sense of motion to the shot which, in my opinion, improves the shot as in this one:

If you want everything in sharp focus without motion blur you're just about going to have to use a flash for night shots. I personally hate to do that. Drivers have enough on their minds without some jackass firing a flash in their face so I usually just watch the race at night.

If you want the wheelstand shots, trip the shutter right when you think they are at the top. They will usually hold at that point for a second or two before they start to fall so that's the best time for a shot.