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Using flash along with a slow shutter speed is the easiest solution (and raise the ISO to 800). If the flash is too strong put some kleenex over the flash to tone it down.
If you want a more natural look (no flash used) have your daughter hold a battery operated candle (or 2 or three) up to her chin (a little out front). That would set the mood. Or string some twinkle lights around her.
Fill flash
Try to balance the ambient light with the flash or your flash will over power the tree lights. You already have the ambient light correctly exposed all you need is the flash in a low power to light her up.
This ^
And if you find it might take more time then the child is willing to sit I suggest using a more patient model or inanimate object.
IF you want to keep the mood lighting in the room, you need to light the kid with an external light of some type. You can adjust your settings in camera for the flash to expose for the child and leave the rest of the room alone. You can do that in Manual mode. Read the camera manual it's in there under flash.
IF you are trying to fix this in post, it won't work, because it will produce so much noise the photo will be awful and unusable.
And this just shows why it's not a good idea to do this, it's not just the low quality of the jpg - trying to brighten such an underexposed area will bring out a ton of digital noise, making it look soft and out of focus, among other issues.
correct specially on a low quality jpeg
but anything is worth the shot
I made some adjustments per the recommendations. The problem I am having now is having the kid stay still. I am getting ghosting since she is moving. Sample below.
What I did is used a piece of paper to form a tube around my speed-lite and aimed it at the subject. I turned the flash down to its lowest setting.
You can put the camera in manual, pick a speed around 1/125 or higher and set the aperature so the tree is able to be seen but fairly dark. Then use the flash to freeze the movement of the subject somewhat.
Unless the room was dark you need to keep the camera speed up higher or you get a mix of motion blur and the flash freezing the subject.
You can not use a slow shutter speed like you did on anything that moves.
Using flash along with a slow shutter speed is the easiest solution (and raise the ISO to 800). If the flash is too strong put some kleenex over the flash to tone it down.
If you want a more natural look (no flash used) have your daughter hold a battery operated candle (or 2 or three) up to her chin (a little out front). That would set the mood. Or string some twinkle lights around her.
Oh yeah, use a tripod for the long shutter speed.
You can't use a slow shutter speed with people. You would need a very dark room where the flash was the dominant light and able to freeze the subject. That is not the case here with the lite tree.
You can't use a slow shutter speed with people. You would need a very dsrk room where the flash was able to freeze the subject. That is not the case here with the lite tree.
Yep I found that out. I'll try your suggestion. I may just change the entire scene to her sitting in front of fire place waiting for Santa. Back to the camera. Forget the whole tree.
It is good practice for you. This is why you need to shoot manual in scenes like this.
It is really easy once you get the hang of it.
I use flash in broad daylight to freeze my macro subjects using the same techniques.
Typical settings are speed 1/250 ,iso 400, and i adjust the aperture so the background is dark. I then turn the flash on and adjust the flash to expose and freeze the subject.
Photos are as sharp as a tack as the flash is way faster than the camera is. The camera settings control the background look,the flash controls the subjects exposure.
The flash is the primary light once you get the background dark enough.
In noon time sun you can freeze flying bugs and blowing flowers.
In this case you are trying to freeze a human. Since you are farther away then macro you will need a slower speed around 1/80 to 1/125 and a lens opening that will be wider but the technique is the same.
Last edited by mathjak107; 12-01-2013 at 07:03 PM..
Not sure if this will be the easiest solution but -----
If you have software like Photoshop or even free HDR package you can set the camera on tripod, take one exposure without flash for the tree and a second with a flash to freeze the kid and then combine them so that the two exposures are merged. I have done this and it works pretty well even when trying to do essentially an "available light long exposure" of something like a building as well as properly illuminating a subject in the foreground, exactly the situation with the tree and child...
This guy has a great tutorial on how he shot his truck AFTER SUNSET in the valley and sun was still glinting off the mountains in the background, you got to scroll to the bottom to see the original "before" image to appreciate just how much the HDR processing can shift around things ! The HDR Image | Off Camera Flash
Last edited by chet everett; 12-01-2013 at 07:37 PM..
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