Low-Light Cinematography (sponsored by Laowa)

Night photography often offers a chance to see beauty we can’t see with the human eye, using long exposures, stacking and other techniques to unlock the mysteries of the dark.

Then, we switch to video mode, and all that seems to disappear. That same camera can’t even reproduce what our eyes see. Why is that?

Video at night requires careful consideration. The settings, lens choice, camera choice and processing techniques all often need to change to make the most of low-light environments.

In this session, Sam Morse will go over exposure considerations, optimal frame rates, codecs, and how the best camera and lens for low-light photography and the best camera and lens for low-light cinematography might not be the same. He will also talk about getting rid of flicker, both in-camera and in post, as well as some basics in DaVinci Resolve Studio software to remove noise and to clean up footage. Time permitting, there will be a quick demo of the free software StarStaX for making star trails come to life!

This session is geared toward experienced photographers with a basic understanding of video.