It's Officially Winter! Time to Try Out Night Mode
Try Night Mode For Winter
Back in the day, when I was learning to shoot film, hardly a day went by that I didn't wish for more light. Film just wasn't that sensitive and, inevitably, the shot I wanted was blurred, grainy, or just plain weird once I'd applied all my lightening tricks in developing and printing the image. Even early digital cameras didn't do a great job with low light photos, trading digital "noise" for the push-processed graininess of film. The only way to get great low light photos has been to use a tripod to hold the camera rock steady and a long time exposure to capture enough light.
Spontaneity has its time and place.
Apple clearly felt my pain and now offers Night Mode on the 11 and 12 series iPhones. Not only do those iPhones have an improved 1x chip for low light, but Night Mode uses computational photography to merge the best information from multiple captures into one photo. I know. Too much information. The takeaway is simply that the current iPhones make it truly possible to get great photos without a tripod in low light. With the winter solstice in our pocket and a few months of short days ahead, this is the perfect time to get some practice using Night Mode for your low light winter photography.
Night Mode is automatic and shows up next to the flash icon when the app senses a low light scene. If it calculates that the exposure is going to be 1 second or more, the icon turns yellow to alert you that you need to hold the camera steady for that time to get a sharp picture. Which sounds easy enough until you try it with a normal camera. None of us is as good as we think we are. But Apple's tech includes image stabilization, something that used to be limited to professional DSLR's, to compensate and make it possible to hand hold a 3 second shot.
The result is much more natural and interesting than a flash photo, especially for nighttime scenes indoors and out. Here's an outside portrait I did with nothing but candles and the window light from surrounding buildings.
What's fun is that with a longer exposure, the photo slowly develops like a Polaroid® or a darkroom print. Night Mode is definitely not a tool for action shots or pop up snapshots, but it's a wonderful option for those long winter nights gathered around a fire pit, holiday light decorations, or a snow-covered moonlit scene.
Turn off your flash
Watch for the yellow Night Mode icon
The number on the icon shows the exposure in seconds
Choose the 1x lens
Frame your picture and tap the shutter button
Hold the iPhone as still as possible
Wait for the timer to complete
Practice taking Night Mode shots with lights dimmed in your home or on an evening stroll after dark. You'll get the hang of it before you know it and have some interesting, natural photos to share.