Tips for shooting in a dark room

[C_mo]

My husband's cousin just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and I want to take some pictures when we go to see them later tonight, but the hospital rooms are quite dark with only florescent lighting...

I know to up my ISO, and usually I would put my camera in TV and set it to 1/20 + to get a sharp image, but I'm not entirely sure what to do beyond that. Any tips? I'm not a big fan of flash because I'm not very good at using it to my advantage.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Google has many: Google

And one tip specifically without flash: How to Take Hand Held Pictures Indoors Without Flash - wikiHow found with google.

 

[edddial]

Use fast lens like 10-16mm f/2.8 or 50mm f/1.4 or so. Set to aperture priority to lowest number (=bigger aperture).

 

[C_mo]

thanks I only have the 18-50mm that came with the camera though, and the lowest aperture is 3.4 (I believe anyways) but I will definitely follow your advice with what I have.

2wheelphoto: thank you for the links.

 

[edddial]

Well, those lens are quite expensive. I'm planning to get one i.e. Tokina 10-16mm f/2.8 for similar purpose (without flash).

Using lower aperture with that lens most probably the shutter will open longer than usual depending on the available lights. There is possible the photo get a little blur (camera shaking etc.). Just like you wrote, place on tv (at home). Perhaps there is an alternative there in the hospital because most of the time I saw the TV (if any) is ceiling mounted.
Anyway, all the best.

 

[KmH]

I'm not a big fan of flash because I'm not very good at using it to my advantage.

Many people feel the same way, and for many the issue boils down to the fact that using strobed light adds a level of complexity that they are unwilling to learn about.

Ironically, making good photos using only available light is a lot harder than using strobed light, because the photographer has little or no control over the available light. The photographer has a lot more control when using strobed light.

Unfortunately, photography is mostly about using light to advantage, so not using flash is like trying to box a professional prize fighter with one arm tied behind your back.