Indoor Low Light Pics

Hi all, I'm having trouble taking good low light pictures indoors. Everything I take seems to be grainy and too warm. I have tried adjusting ISO, I use "standard" for picture control and use an SB700 speed light. Is there anything else I should do?

post an example with the EXIF...there are too many variables.

I don't think that is too warm. The whites look white to me...

There is the problem right there! Your walls are orange! LOL What is the EXIF data? I agree with Jen, it seems a tad over exposed making the white glow. There also seems to be some strange shadows on the ceiling.....most likely from the speed light.

I agree with Joe Lewis Photo. Paint the room.

LOL that looks fine to me, maybe if you have the cameras white balance set to flash, that usually cools the image slightly but I don't think there is anything wrong with what you have posted here

Just because your flash sync speed is 1/250, doesn't mean you have to be locked in at that speed. Nothing in this photo is going to move, so use a tripod and a longer exposure so you can dial your ISO to 200. The flash is only active for about 1/1000 of a second anyway, and the longer exposure will help remove some of that shadow cast on the ceiling.

The color temp you should be at for flash is 5500K. Tungsten lighting is going to add some orange cast, and with those funky colored walls, you might also consider adding a CTO gel to your flash unit.

Looks fine to me, if anything the ceiling is a little on the blue side (to me)

Joe, that strange shadow you see, I see the same thing in my house when I shoot. In normal light or with the on board flash you don't see it, but when under a powerful flash like the SB700 it shows up. Well that's my experience with it.

It took me a while to figure out what it was in my shots and I bet it's the same thing here. The shadow you see on the ceiling is a dry wall seam, also if you look around the edges of the walls at the ceiling you can see a shadow, too. That is where a flat edger or paint brush was used during painting to "cut in the ceiling".

Pmillage, I'm not saying you have a bad paint job, you have a beautiful room. but I think your speed light is just showing every small detail.

I'm not a flash expert, and I have not tried this yet, but if this was my photo I would try to cut down on my power on my flash so you don't see this effect.

Now at this point I'm going to bow out and let the flash experts take over on my guess here and maybe offer advice.

I also see a bluish tint to the cieling.

Anthony, thanks for your comments. I'm about to show my inexperience.....I can shoot indoors in low light with an ISO of 200 ? My camera's lowest apeture is 5.6, would that suffice?

thanks axeman......really appreciate the comments. I am brand new to speedlites and your comment about cutting down on the power is interesting

pmillage said:

....I can shoot indoors in low light with an ISO of 200 ? My camera's lowest apeture is 5.6, would that suffice?

Click to expand...

Set your ISO @ 200. Set your Aperture @ f/8. Put your camera on a tripod and press the button. Easy as lyin'.

You'll undoubtedly have to fiddle with things to get a proper exposure (and it will be a long one, probably a second or two). But just because your flash sync speed is 1/250 doesn't mean that you can't have an exposure longer than that.