Photographing in low light is one of the most challenging tasks you can encounter. This is a scenario where your setup truly matters. Not only should you know what to do with your camera, but also keep in mind which camera to bring for low-light photography. In this article, I will go over the essential gear for such work.

Camera Body

When shooting in low light, there’s only so much you can do with your camera. Usually, the first step is to increase the ISO. While all digital cameras perform well at their native ISO, their performance starts to deteriorate as you push that number up. Some sensors handle this better than others. If you primarily work in low-light conditions, you will need a camera that excels at high ISO. Sure, grain is inevitable, but if you compare my Canon 5D Mark IV at ISO 6,400 to my Canon 5DS at the same ISO, you will see a significant difference in image cleanliness.

The more modern the camera, the better its low-light performance will be. As much as I love the Canon 5D Mark II, I would not recommend it for low-light work. Something like the 5D Mark IV or, better still, an EOS R would be much better. While I am not fully aware of the lineups from other manufacturers, I hear that Sony is incredibly well-suited for low-light work. The Sony a7 III is a great camera for such work, for example.

Another factor to consider in a low-light camera is focusing. DSLRs generally perform much worse at focusing in low light than mirrorless cameras. If you prefer using the viewfinder for taking your images, opt for a mirrorless body. You can switch to live view on your DSLR to mimic a mirrorless camera, but this disables the viewfinder.

Lenses

When it comes to lenses, you want to make sure that there is as much light being let into the camera as you can possibly get. Kit lenses would not be your best bet. Their “slow” apertures will often mean that you will have to be cranking up the ISO to uncomfortable values, as after all, the higher the ISO, the worse your image quality gets. This is why I recommend fast lenses. If you want versatility in your composition, go for a fast f/2.8 zoom lens. However, if you are willing to sacrifice zoom for an even faster aperture, there are plenty of much faster prime lenses available. They usually tend to be more lightweight than fast zooms as well, making them a very good option to consider.

When I was shooting a lot in low light, before the fashion days, I had a trio of fast zooms. I still do. Here they are: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8. These days, I rarely use the first or the third lens, as I mostly shoot in the studio. Recently, I have begun to fall out of love with the 24-70mm f/2.8 as well, as I have gotten my hands on an EF 50mm f/1.4 and have begun to love it for how lightweight it is.

If I were shooting in low light nowadays, I would arm myself with some fast primes. My kit bag would definitely have the 50mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, and the 135 f/2.0. These lenses would allow me to get a variety of different composition angles, all the while being superfast and perfectly suited for low light.

Tripod

If you will be shooting in low light, a tripod is a must-have for your kit. There are a bunch of different tripod companies to pick from. I tend to go with slightly heavier and more stable options. Essentially, the logic with tripods is that if you will be putting your expensive cameras and lenses on something, you better make sure it won’t fall over. I see far too many people use the cheapest tripod or stand with the most expensive piece of equipment. Having tried a few tripods in the past, I am most willing to trust Gitzo tripods as well as Manfrotto. The difference between the two is the price, of course. Better be safe than sorry, which is why I have a Gitzo Systematic Kit Series 5. It is overkill for a full frame camera, but is just right for anything larger, which I plan on having. It is rated for 30 kg; however, it can take 70 kg of my own mass.

Off-Camera Flash

Another great addition to your low-light photography kit is an off-camera flash. Typically, you can go with a speedlight; however, why should you if there are better options available? You see, speedlights made by camera manufacturers are usually overpriced and have rubbish functionality. However, speedlights made by flash companies are perfect ways to not only have a better lighting solution but also start your off-camera-flash journey. As such, my recommendation would be the Profoto A1 series light. It has everything that your typical speedlight won’t. First of all, it is easy to use, unlike a normal speedlight. Another benefit is that it is powered by rechargeable batteries that last forever. Moreover, it also functions as an Air remote, meaning that if you want to grow your kit and add extra flashes, the A1 can be your trigger. Lastly, there are plenty of incredible accessories for this flash available.

Tips

Buying equipment that I just listed will not be cheap. That’s only if you buy it new. I often say that buying new equipment is like burning money. This is because once you open that box, you will lose around 50% of the value of the gear that you bought. If you are looking to save some money and get a good deal, check out MPB.com, which has tons of used gear I mentioned for sale. Buying from MPB as opposed to the Facebook Marketplace is much safer, as MPB checks everything they sell to you. In case something isn’t as described, their return policy makes it easy to send items back. Lastly, if you have some gear you want to get rid of, MPB is more than happy to buy it from you. 

Artist Tad Kline has been on both sides of the track, in the most literal sense of the phrase.

In the 1970s, Kline worked as a brakeman on the Colorado and Southern Railroad Road (now the BNSF), working long hours while moving freight across the Great Plains.

Now Kline spends most of his time on the side of a railroad spur outside of downtown Boulder, camera in hand, documenting graffiti on rail cars as they roll through town.

While some people see graffiti as vandalism, others see art. Kline sees a bit of both.

For the past eight years, Kline has dedicated himself to capturing the transient nature of railroad cars — and how for some, the cars act as a type of permeable canvas.

Kline’s exhibition, “Rolling Steel Canvases,” on display at the Boulder Public Library’s main branch, documents the same stretch of railroad over eight years, depicting how weather, overpainting and removal create an ongoing cycle of creation and alteration in graffiti. His work also examines the thin line between street art and the destruction of property.

“Rolling Steel Canvases” can be seen at the Boulder Public Library on the Arapahoe Ramp, which is on display until Jan. 30. We caught up with Kline to talk about his experiences working for the railroad, his journey as an artist and the evolution of graffiti over the years.

Q: Tad, could you share with us what initially drew you to the specific railroad spur in Boulder for your project “Rolling Steel Canvases?”

A: A long time ago, I used to work as a journalist and did a lot of photography then. I quit all that, and had a life doing other things, but then got back into photography, I realized that I really didn’t know anything about color. I started looking around for something to shoot that was colorful, and the railroad spur is just sitting there, it’s across from one of the Naropa campuses.

I used to work as a brakeman on the railroad, and I wandered out there one day and started taking photos. It kind of became a study in painting, really. I’m a big fan of abstract expressionism and the various other movements of 20th-century painting, and I started to find echoes of that on the boxcars.

It’s become this big project, and I now have well over 100 photos.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your days as a brakeman?

A: It was kind of a classic industrial, blue-collar job. I worked both as a switchman and a brakeman, and the switchman works in the yard shuffling the deck of boxcars so that a train will come in from one place, and a train will come in from another, and you send the boxcars in different directions. The brakeman is the person on the ground who does the running around and coupling and uncoupling, and stuff like that.

In the summer, it was the best job in the world — some days I would just sit on the engine and we would ride 100 miles across the prairie. In the winter, it was 10 below, and you had to be able to carry a 60-pound hunk of steel several miles to repair a separated train.

It was kind of a Jekyll and Hyde situation, sometimes it was fabulous, and sometimes it was icy cold, hard and a bit dangerous.

Q: What was railroad graffiti like in the 1970s?

A: There was very little graffiti. The tagging or tagger style of graffiti just hadn’t arisen yet. But there was a little bit of what people called hobo graffiti, which was just like a small scrawl on the side of boxcars, usually with a date. But the big colorful tags that you see today hadn’t been developed.

Q: Did you observe anything surprising or encounter any challenges while capturing the graffiti over the eight years of this project?

A: It was really interesting because I was able to see how our paint interacts with the world, out in the weather and exposed to the elements. These tags are outside 24/7, 365, and the sun beats on them, the rain beats on them and the railroad company comes along and scrapes part of them away.

Q: How do you navigate this complex relationship between art and vandalism in your photography, and what conversations do you hope to spark about art in public spaces?

A: I’m not a personal fan of tagging, but it’s a pervasive reality. The photographs focus a lot on the interplay between the boxcar itself and the industrial symbols on the boxcar, and the way that they are affected by the graffiti. But I’m also really fascinated by the painting — not the result as much as the technique, and what happens to the painting over time. The boxcar companies are often trying to undo the work of the taggers, and I show that interplay between the railroad and the graffiti writer in my work.

It truly is public art, but I think a lot of the public would rather not have graffiti. And I guess I’m a realist — graffiti is out there, and sometimes there is a lot of bad graffiti. And the taggers have their own systems of hierarchy and quality control. Sometimes taggers will paint out someone’s graffiti because it’s crappy.

There’s a lot of nice street murals and street art in Boulder, too, but that’s not what’s happening here. Graffiti has to be seen a little bit differently from street murals and street art. But I think that tension shows up in my pictures.

Tad Kline will host an exhibition reception and presentation showcasing “Rolling Steel Canvases”  from 5-6:45 p.m. on Tuesday in the Boulder Creek Room at Boulder Public Library. Guests can also request informal gallery tours from Kline. For more information visit TadKline.com.

Shutterstock Editorial and Shutterstock Studios Return for 40th Edition of the World Renowned Sundance Film Festival with Special Events, Portrait Studios and more

Shutterstock Studios’ Hosts Panel Featuring their Breakthrough Documentary, “Surfing Through the Odds” on Friday, January 19 at 2pm CT

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK), a leading global creative platform connecting brands and businesses to high-quality content, today announced that they are the Official House Photographer and Portrait Studio Partner for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which takes place January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. More than 50 Shutterstock Editorial photographers, videographers, editors and production staff will be onsite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to capture all of the premieres, parties, panels and surrounding events.

Shutterstock will also host the Official Sundance Film Festival Portrait studio, inviting celebrity and VIP festival attendees in for a professional photo shoot with renowned Shutterstock celebrity photographer, Presley Ann. The invitation-only portrait studio will be located at the corner of Heber Avenue and Main Street. In addition, Shutterstock will host an exclusive venue at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — the Shutterstock Chalet on Main Street. The invitation-only hideaway will offer VIPs, talent and members of the press a place to relax and recharge with snacks, hot drinks, must-have mountain accessories and more.

“Shutterstock is honored to once again support the bold, creative, independent art and artists of the Sundance community as a Leadership Sponsor and for the first time as the Official House Photographer for the Festival,” said Candice Murray, Vice President of Editorial at Shutterstock. “We couldn’t be more pleased to capture the special moments of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and to add them to Shutterstock’s collection of iconic entertainment, editorial and archival content for the world to see.”

With the largest network of the world’s top photographers and more than two million creators around the world contributing to the Shutterstock platform, the company offers the world’s most extensive and diverse collection of high-quality and iconic stock photography, 3D models, videos, music, vectors and illustrations, SFX, playback, animation, AI and XR, as well as live event production through Shutterstock Editorial and custom production through Shutterstock Studios.

On Friday, January 19 at 2pm CT at the SFF24 Filmmaker Lodge on Main Street, Shutterstock Studios will also host a panel and viewing of their breakthrough documentary Surfing Through The Odds, produced in partnership with Betclic Studios and Coming Soon. Born out of the need for better representation of diversity in the surfing world, Surfing Through the Odds follows an NGO, SOMA, as they work to fight gender inequality through Surf Therapy programs and highlights the young girls of São Tomé and Príncipe, Africa, on their journey of self-discovery through surfing. The project culminated with a beautiful and impactful collection of images and videos captured as part of the documentary that are now available in Shutterstock’s catalog for licensing. The profits from the collection go directly to SOMA to further contribute to effective change in racial and gender inequality in the surfing community and to the empowerment of women in São Tomé. The short film is not an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival.

This documentary is one of several Shutterstock Studios projects that illustrate the breadth, depth, and unparalleled impact of its global production and creative services across branded and unbranded projects and documentary storytelling. Last year alone, Shutterstock Studios shot at high-volume and broad scale across hundreds of shoot days in countries worldwide, ultimately delivering tens of thousands of unique assets for global brand, agency and media partners.

As part of Shutterstock Editorial’s live event production offering, the company’s global team of photographers and videographers capture iconic, must-see and behind the scenes moments deliverable as raw footage, media edits, sizzle reels, social media-ready content, and packaged content. Shutterstock leverages its editorial access and expertise to help its clients achieve a bigger brand impact at bespoke footprint or high-profile sponsorship events, including some of the biggest industry events of the year, such as the Sundance Film Festival, Golden Globes, Oscars, Grammys, Cannes Lions, SXSW, Super Bowl and more.

About Shutterstock
Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK) is a premier partner for transformative brands, digital media and marketing companies, empowering the world to create with confidence. Fueled by millions of creators around the world, a growing data engine and a fearless approach to product innovation, Shutterstock is the leading global platform for licensing from the most extensive and diverse collection of high-quality 3D models, videos, music, photographs, vectors and illustrations. From the world’s largest content marketplace, to breaking news and A-list entertainment editorial access, to all-in-one content editing platform and studio production service—all using the latest in innovative technology—Shutterstock offers the most comprehensive selection of resources to bring storytelling to life.

Learn more at www.shutterstock.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. 

SOURCE Shutterstock, Inc.

GTA Online animal locations have now become a lot more important, thanks to the launch of the Shoot Animals Photography daily collectibles on behalf of the LS Tourist Board. These require you to take a photo of three different animals each day, submitting each one to tick that creature off your checklist, and you also need to do this at least once to unlock the Declasse Park Ranger vehicle for purchase from Warstock Cache & Carry. Animals arrived in Los Santos and Blaine County as part of the GTA Online Chop Shop update, though they are exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series so only players on those formats can take on the associated challenges. If you want to find animals in GTA Online to complete Shoot Animals Photography challenges, then here’s where you need to look.

GTA Online animal locations map

I have found success looking for animals in GTA Online at the marked locations:

1. Boar
2. Border Collie
3. Cat
4. Chicken-Hawk
5. Cormorant
6. Cow
7. Coyote
8. Crow
9. Deer
10. Hen
11. Husky
12. Mountain Lion
13. Pig
14. Poodle
15. Pug
16. Rabbit
17. Retriever
18. Rottweiler
19. Seagull
20. West Highland Terrier

These correspond with the locations used in the GTA 5 Wildlife Photography Challenge during the single player story, and that separate guide contains more specifics about exactly where you can find each animal if you’re struggling.

For some more general guidance, you’re most likely to find domesticated animals around the city or suburbs, with dogs tending to be in back yards or walked down the streets. If you own an Agency business then you’ll often find Chop in Franklin’s office, to tick off a Rottweiler requirement. When tracking wild animals, try to keep your distance and use the zoom on your camera, otherwise you risk scaring them off or being attacked. If necessary, leave an area completely then return to improve the chances of the right animal spawning.

How to complete Shoot Animals photography assignments for the LS Tourist Board

Each day, there are three GTA Online animals that the LS Tourist Board want you to photograph, and only those will count towards the Shoot Animals Photography Daily Collectibles that can now be found through the Interaction Menu. To find out which animals they require, you can travel all the way to the physical LS Tourist Board marked towards the northwest corner your map and interact with it, but it’s much easier to hover over the icon on the map then follow the Contact prompt which appears, which will then generate an email containing a checklist of the three animals you need to photograph.

Once you’ve visited one of the GTA Online animal locations and spotted your target, quickly activate the Snapmatic app on your phone (press up on the d-pad twice in a row to go straight to it) then point it at the animal and take a photo. If you’ve successfully captured a wanted creature then the option to Send to LS Tourist Board will appear, and by following the prompt you’ll submit your image and tick that animal off your daily list.

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