I touched on the subject of available light in a previous post, but I would like to explore it further. Available light, by definition, is the light already in the scene of your photograph (excluding outdoor sunlight), without artificial additions of light, such as floodlights, flashbulbs or electronic flash. Available light can be coming from a fireplace, a household lamp, or a neon sign.
Many professional photographers prefer to work with available light for the following reasons:
Realism and mood – Available light photography conveys a sense of reality, since the viewer get the feeling that they are seeing the subject of the photo as it really is. There is also a mood that can be conveyed with available light. The scene may be dark, and emphasize the shadows, or bright. By looking at the light that is around you right now, you can start to train yourself to recognize the different moods of available light, and capture them in your pictures.
Ease of photographing – When you use available light, you don’t have to carry other lighting sources with you, such as electronic flash. You can move around easily and freely, and try different positions to get a great shot. And even though I suggest you use a tripod for most of your shooting, some pros do not use tripods with available light, since it may cause the subject to be too stiff, or it changes the “natural” feeling in the room.
A relaxed subject – With available light, your photo subject may be more at ease than with the setup of flash and umbrellas, allowing you to get a more candid photo. This, of course, does not apply to my daughter, since she poses for everything.
When using available light, keep in mind that you will need to use a fast film, such as 400 speed film (or a 400 speed film setting on your digital camera), since the light strength is much less than that of sunlight. A fast lens will help too, so you can get some depth in the photo. You will probably also lose some detail in the shadow areas in the photo, since the range of light that is recorded on film and by a digital camera is less than what your eyes can see. But, if you have a great shot, take it, and worry about the details later.
Be sure to brace yourself against a wall or chair and hold your breath as you press the shutter button, if you are not using a tripod.