A rain-drenched Iain Afshar illuminates his soggy apprentice’s understanding of low-light imagery
THE PRO
NAME: Iain Afshar
CAMERA: Nikon Z 9
Iain splits his time between photography and adventuring. He runs photography workshops through his business The Photography Project and is the founder of the Adventurous Activity Company. As an International Mountain Leader, his travels allow him to capture some of the most remote places in the world. Low-light image making is a travel photography staple, and from shooting the Milky Way to night-time cityscapes, Iain’s done it all.
www.thephotographyproject.co.uk
THE APPRENTICE
NAME: Rhodri Wyn
CAMERA: Nikon Z 6II
Rhodri is a transport planner from south-west Wales. His father was into photography, so it’s been on his radar since he was a child, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced him to Nikon DSLRs that he decided to invest in a D3500. As he witnessed the rise of mirrorless, he opted to make the jump before amassing a collection of F-mount lenses he might soon decide to upgrade. He now enjoys travelling with his Z 6II and is hoping Iain’s low-light tuition will aid his next trip.
Bristol Light Festival invites visitors to explore a trail of light installations throughout the city centre during a 10-day exhibition that celebrates the work of a variety of light artists. When Rhodri applied to be an apprentice and photograph city lights, February’s light festival seemed like the perfect opportunity. Bristol resident and pro photography workshop leader Iain has photographed the event every year since its inception in 2020. But what nobody could have anticipated was the weather...
TECHNIQUE ASSESSMENT 1 TAKE CONTROL
Iain says… I use Manual mode, so I have complete control of my camera settings. I select a shutter speed based on how much movement I want to introduce and will use my aperture and ISO to compensate. I tend to ensure my ISO doesn’t go any higher than 800, and I focus using single-point AF.
2 WATCH IT LIVE
Iain says… Mirrorless cameras excel at night-time photography, because you can see a very accurate representation of your exposure via Live View/the EVF. This takes out much of the guesswork you’d have to do on a DSLR. That said, I still use Playback to check the final image is exposed and critically sharp.
3 PLAY IT BACK
Iain says… Taking photos at night requires an awful lot of trial and error, so reviewing your shots on the Playback screen is essential. Make sure you zoom in to evaluate noise and critical sharpness. Also, pay close attention to how your shutter speed has effected any moving lights.
PRO KIT RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON ME LENS
Iain says… Invest in a good umbrella that won’t turn inside out in a mild breeze. Mine has a one-handed opening mechanism – useful when you’re holding your camera. The main function of an umbrella isn’t to keep you dry, but to protect the front element
