Photography by Candlelight - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken

Episode 16 - It’s that time of year when the sun sets early and we photographers are forced to practice our low light skills. Candlelight is not very bright and often inconsistent, but it’s one of the best sources for creating warm, cozy, moody, contrasty light. 

In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about how to photograph with candlelight and what makes it effective.

Zach has lots of practice with candlelight while photographing events like A Merry Prairie Holiday at Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana. Zach & Courtney also look at some examples from photographers around the world.

“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson 

Index

0:00 - How to make artistic photos.

0:28 - Today’s topic: Taking photos by candlelight.

3:26 - Photographing in low light without flash.

6:31 - New camera technology for low light photography.

7:36 - Using the LCD screen on a camera to manually focus in low light.

10:02 - Taking better photos in low light with your phone.

12:48 - It’s okay to use high ISO in low light.

14:26 - Examples of candlelight photography - Merry Prairie Christmas.

15:54 - Available light photography captures the ambiance of the scene.

18:00 - RAW files give you better image quality in low light.

20:45 - The people of Conner Prairie.

22:28 - Putting reflective surfaces next to candles for more light.

23:04 - Photographing candlelight Mass.

24:23 - How to get sharp photos without a tripod.

26:43 - Get sharp photos in low light by shooting in bursts

27:49 - High contrast photos in low light

29:38 - Kamakura festival in Yokote, Japan. 📷 Peter Essick

31:51 - The Miracle of the Holy Fire. 📷 Simon Norfolk

34:00 - Los Crucificados. 1990. 📷 Flor Garduño

34:55 - Day of the Dead. Brazil. 1966. 📷 Bruno Barbey

36:11 - Elsa Maxwell's Toy Ball at the Waldorf, New York (3 Cigarettes), 1955. 📷 William Klein.

37:26 - Catholics in China. 1993. 📷 Lu Nan.

38:15 - Share with us your candlelight photography.

Find Zach

Website: https://zachdobson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphoto

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphoto

Find Courtney

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessons

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_

About the Podcast

Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. 

Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.

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