Low Light Shooting
Shooting in low light environments is one of the most difficult things to do in photography. Since photography is the recording of reflected light, it is important to take steps to have a sufficient quantity of light for exposure.

As explained in the exposure section of the primer, we can change three settings to allow more light into the camera;
1.) We can open the aperture to it's largest focal stop
2.) We can slow down the shutter so that it has time to collect more light
3.) We can make the sensor more sensitive to the existing light by raising the ISO.

All three choices have severe trade-offs in quality and usability:
1.) The large aperture yields a shallow depth of field, and may not be enough.
2.) The slow shutter will yield both motion blur and camera shake without a tripod.
3.) The high ISO will yield noise (color and grain)

Depending on the subject, here are some other helpful tools for shooting in low light situations:

Flash
Yes, you can use your flash, but just keep in mind, it will always look like flash. Read the flash section for more info regarding flash. Also, keep in mind the minimum shutter speed to avoid camera shake, and the minimum sync speed and how those two might not work out with each other, especially if you are zoomed in on something.

Tripod
Get a tripod, and not the Walmart kind. Your tripod should reflect how much you care about your camera. It should be sturdy and easy to use or you won't use it, or worse, you will and it will be so flimsy that it falls over in a small gust killing your poor camera. Ball heads are nice, but not necessary. I like fine-tune adjustments and fast leg release. I also like a carrying strap.

If you don't have a tripod, or you don't want to use one, then set the camera on a firm surface to shoot. This doesn't mean you have to shoot from the ground; you can shoot from a column, the bottom of a railing, the roof, whatever, as long as it isn't moving. Some people use a small bean-bag.

If you shoot from the ground, make sure that you focus before you set your camera down so that the camera doesn't try to focus on the floor.

Slow Shutter
Some point and shoot cameras have a priority mode that will choose a slower shutter speed than usual to allow for background exposure. This is an automatic setting with a shutter speed priority (slower than usual) and might not be slow enough, so it may fire the flash as well. Check your manual to see the difference between regular and slow shutter modes.


Self-Timer, Remote Control, and Long Exposure
Depending on the camera, you may be able to buy a remote control or at least set up your self timer to take the shot. Your icon will look like this:



I use this when I need to be in the image or when I think I might shake the camera by pushing the button.

If you have a slow shutter speed, it is possible to blur the image even if it's on a tripod just by your interaction with the camera shutter release button. To avoid this, set up your self-timer or use a cable release/remote control.

A cable release plugs into your camera and allows you to not only fire the camera without touching it, but lets you lock the shutter open when placed on the B setting. Some cable releases have the ability to set timed exposures and have digital readouts

Bulb
Using the self timer, cable release or remote control can also help you with long exposures. Because light is additive,

(more time = more light)

the longer I leave the shutter open the more light will accumulate on my sensor. This means if I have a B or Bulb setting on my shutter speed (SLR and Prosumer cameras), I can leave my shutter open for as long as I want and not the skimpy 30 seconds that most cameras offer as their longest shutter speed. On bulb setting, as long as the button is pushed, the shutter will stay open.

To use the bulb setting the camera will need to be stationary (tripod or set down) and using a cable release that you can lock will keep you from accidentally moving the camera.

Also realize that any and all light, moving or not, will show up eventually. This means airplanes in the sky, stars, cars, reflections, etc.

Vibration Reduction
This is either inside the camera body or on the lens and is a system (hardware and software) devised by camera companies to allow you to hand-hold a shot at slower shutter speeds than is humanly possible without the system. However, at very long shutter speeds (10 seconds plus) the motor that the system utilizes can actually cause soft focus blurring, so make sure to turn it off during those super long bulb exposures.