Any tips for taking pics from a moving ship in low light?

[ion-man]

For those of you with alot more shooting experience, could you please enlighten us relative newbies to your strategies for getting better images from a moving ship?

From reading different forums I know #1 would be to use a tripod, as well as use of fast shutter speed and up the ISO.

In my case, it was sailaway, my tripod was in my cabin and we would have been too far out to sea by the time I got it and got back up on deck. The railing didn't help much, the twilight lighting required longer time and I didn't want to make it too noisy by upping the ISO too much. So what should I have done, or can I do, to get better, motion free images besides making sure I have the tripod handy next time?

Thx for any and all assistance in advance.

[zackiedawg]

Well there are two different approaches, and two different types of shots you may want to take in low light from the moving ship.

 

Approach 1: for shots of the ship you are on - for these, a tripod is the best way to go, as it will allow low ISO and longer shutter speeds. Upping the ISO may jus tbe a necessity - how far you can go depends on your camera, and noisy results can be cleaned up with different noise reduction software. The only thing these tripod shots won't help for is when there is movement you'd like to freeze without blur - so good for interior shots of rooms/lounges, outdoor deck shots, ship shots, etc...bad for people shots, shots off the ship of nearby islands/boats/water, etc.

 

Approach 2: shots of other things off the ship, from ON the ship. These are the hard ones in low light, that will generally require a camera capable of shooting cleanly at higher ISOs, and often with lenses specifically designed with very large maximum apertures to let in as much light as possible. Often, this will rule out P&S cameras, and put you in the realm of DSLRs. Sailaway shots of the port you are leaving, buildings nearby, other ships, etc can't be done with a tripod or rail, since the camera, you, the ship, and everything you're standing on are all moving past the subject you are shooting. The only way around that is a fast shutter speed, fast enough to compensate for the motion - usually 1/50, 1/100, or better. When dealing with low light, that usually means apertures of F2.0 or bigger, and ISOs in the higher ranges.

 

Remember too that there are creative ways to incorporate movement and blur into photos that can be interesting - for example, if you were to use a tripod to take a shot during sailaway from a port, and were to compose the shot so the ship's aft or decks are in the foreground and the port/buildings/sky in the background...a long shutter speed of 15-30 seconds can yield the ship and decks in perfect, crisp detail and clarity, but the background completely streaked/blurred, to show the movement of the ship.

[ion-man]

Thx for the timely response Justin, I appreciate the two-pronged approach to my question. I'm shooting a Nikon D5000 right now so I guess I'll just have to practice. Hmmm, come to think of it, I think it's only fair to practice under real-time conditions, so me thinks another cruise is in order!

[TheRoff]

I will simply second Justin's good advice. Don't be afraid to Jack that ISO way up on that Nikon. I don't carry a tripod on cruises, but make good use of the "railpod."

 

 

Larry

[donaldsc]

Thx for the timely response Justin, I appreciate the two-pronged approach to my question. I'm shooting a Nikon D5000 right now so I guess I'll just have to practice. Hmmm, come to think of it, I think it's only fair to practice under real-time conditions, so me thinks another cruise is in order!

 

Buy a fast, non-zoom prime lens (they are available used for reasonable prices), up the iso, shoot in manual mode so that you have control of the shutter speed and f-stop, shoot raw so that you can fix thing after-the-fact, use a beanbag pod that is easy to carry, use your self time to reduce camera movement.

 

Have I forgotten anything?

 

DON

[pierces]

I will simply second Justin's good advice. Don't be afraid to Jack that ISO way up on that Nikon. I don't carry a tripod on cruises, but make good use of the "railpod."

 

Larry

 

I have to second Larry's "Rail-Pod" suggestion and as usual, Justin's excellent advice. You can get some really long exposures (a full second in this case) using the rails with a little practice.

 

 

Four seconds (can you tell I used the rail? :D):

 

Don't forget panning as a way to battle the low light. I used a pair of hand-held 1/15s images to stitch this panorama of the Valor sailing into Miami at dawn. I used a wide angle to minimize the effect of panning with the ship's motion:

 

Dave

[ion-man]

Thx for the responses guys, much appreciated. I see the old saying about practice and perfection may still hold true.

Larry-I will say I did try the "railpod" but not effectively. I was thinking it was vibration from the railing that messed up the images but it could have been something else I did. By the way, can you provide the EXIF data on that shot you attached?

Don- nice list of suggestions. I'll add that I should have used my remote to shoot as well. It is so hard to draw on all that goes into creating a nice shot in that instant that you are about to shoot.

Does a 35mm/ f1.8 fit the bill adequately for fast prime, fixed lens? I've been thinking of adding it to my arsenal but keep holding off.

Dave- splendid captures, especially the pano...I really need to practice. WOW! Looking at yours and Justin's images, I am in awe.

I've said it before and will reiterate, the shots you guys produce are indeed inspirational and aspirational for a hobbyist like myself. I just have to practice so that the theoretical knowledge and practical aspects merge as one and it becomes as seemless as the captures you guys produce. Thx for all your input.

[donaldsc]

Don- nice list of suggestions. I'll add that I should have used my remote to shoot as well. It is so hard to draw on all that goes into creating a nice shot in that instant that you are about to shoot.

Does a 35mm/ f1.8 fit the bill adequately for fast prime, fixed lens? I've been thinking of adding it to my arsenal but keep holding off.

 

A 1.8 lens will be significantly faster than your zoom lens. If you can afford it, a 1.4 will give you one more stop increase in speed.

 

DON

[TheRoff]

Ion-man, That image of the three ships was shot with an ISO of 3200, 1/2s f/4.0. From what I read about your 5000, it will do just fine at high ISOs, particularly is you are just showing the images on the web or in small prints.

 

Larry

[zackiedawg]

Exactly...that D5000 has the same sensor I've got in my A550, and it should be a solid performer at the high ISOs - no reason to fear blasting up to ISO6400 if you need to get the shot. This was an ISO6400 shot at F1.7 handheld of the pilot boat coming out to meet us as we left Aruba:

 

And this was with a slow zoom lens at F5.6, ISO3200 handheld at 1/8 shutter, leaving Bonaire:

 

Your D5000 with the same sensor should be every bit as capable...just get the right settings, a good stable stance, and the right lens and you're golden for those types of shots.

 

Oh, and thank you for the gracious comments on my gallery.

[bobmacliberty]

One addition to the already great advice that you've received. If your current zoom lens has a variable aperture, shoot at the widest zoom setting. This will give you the largest aperture and bring in more light. On the D5000 kit lens for example, you would have an f/3.5 aperture at 18mm, and an f/5.6 at 55mm. That's a 1.5 stop difference, which will more than double your shutter speed. You might not be able to compose the way that you would like without zooming but if you can get close, you can crop later on the computer.