Trouble with low-light long exposures!?

timputtick · Nov 18, 2011

Im having trouble shooting a Church at night, there's a large lamp illuminating the church meaning it could look really good BUT when I try to get detail on the darker side of the church the light is way too bright and overexposed. Can anyone please suggest a way to get both the natural light and the lamps light in the image, My plan once i manage this is to take another exposure to get the stars in then take the two images and get 'the best of both worlds' in photoshop.
Thanks for all your help.

Samango · Nov 18, 2011

Have you tried HDR?

timputtick · Nov 18, 2011

I haven't, this is going to sound ridiculous but that's the first time I've come across it. So is it in the camera or something after the shot? I'm curious now, please explain :drool:

Thanks!

Big Mike · Nov 18, 2011

To start off, the problem is that the dynamic range of the scene, well exceeds what your camera can capture in a single exposure. You can't get good exposure in both parts because the difference is just too great.

If it were something like a landscape, with a flat horizon, you could use a graduated filter. The filter darkens part of the scene, but not the other, bringing the range of the whole scene, closer together, hopefully allowing the camera to capture it all.

So as mentioned, you could try an HDR technique. In a nutshell, you take several photos, each at a different exposure. You can then use software to combine the images, taking what it needs from the various exposures....hopefully ending up with 'the best of both worlds'.

kundalini · Nov 18, 2011

Have you considered taking the shot earlier while there is still ambient light, yet dark enough for the church to have turned the lamp on? A.K.A. dusk.