Photo Assignment 3: Doing it in the dark or how to shoot in low light

The exterior of Hunt Consolidated glows among other commercial buildings along the Dallas skyline near Interstate 345 on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (©2025 Rubyanne Moley/SMU)

A billiard light illuminates a pool table scattered with balls at an empty Lucky Lou’s on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (©2025 Rubyanne Moley/SMU)

For my photo assignment this week, we were asked to step into the dark to capture some photos. After some time researching some online pics, I knew I wanted to do one shot indoors and one outdoors to play around with lighting. The first of the two was set on the side of the highway after driving home from a dinner party. I’m unfamiliar with the Dallas skyline and downtown in general, so I set to searching for the perfect nighttime shot by simply driving around until the lights of the commercial landscape caught my eye just right. As for the billiard shot, I took this one in tandem with my assignment 2. Bars are the perfect environment for moody, dimly lit shots. This bar in particular had many sources of artificial light illuminating its game area, opposed to harsh, overhead lighting-- it made for the perfect lowlight picture. 

What I did right: I intentionally used the light sources as subjects, like in the city photo, where the building’s curved lighting stands out from the others. Or in the pool shot, where the brightest light in the room spotlights the balls on the table to guide the viewer’s eye. Additionally, my shots are well composed, following a center subject or rule-of-thirds alignment. They are compelling shots, capturing a well-known architectural landmark of downtown in a moody Dallas night, while the other frames a solitary pool table resting in quiet anticipation. Both photos contain detail that shine through the shadows with clear subjects present. These demonstrate my creative vision alongside the technical execution.

What I did wrong: There were a lot of shots that simply were too dark. It was proving a challenge to gather detail with the proper exposure for the setting. For example, to keep the moody elegance of the pictures, I was constantly adjusting my settings, which proved quite the hassle. When they were underexposed, detail was lost and silhouettes were lost to darkness. This would result in fat images without enough foreground and background balance. Additionally, scouting locations at night without more knowledge added a challenge. 

Here’s how I fixed it: I would take the same shot multiple times with different settings. I played around mostly with the ISO and the aperture for these shots often to compromise for the dim light. I found a high ISO worked well for the skyline, yet caused a dent in my quality. Low ISO provided a clear image, but was very dark. I also corrected the white balance with settings on my camera that helped to even out the lighting (the rebel has built-in correction settings for different environments). I used a quick shutter speed most of the time as well to counteract the ISO and aperture settings. 

Taking photos in the dark really tests your ability to balance the three elements that make up exposure: ISO, aperture and shutter speed. It taught me patience when it comes to experimenting with settings, and how when achieved, I can create moody, compelling images. I am excited to try these settings on the night sky to capture stars, when I next get the chance to travel outside of the city. While I still can improve my low-light skills, I feel comfortable now with maintaining quality in darker environments and being able to use the dimness to make intentional, creative choices.