As a wedding photographer, I always encounter extreme low-light situations, and I almost always capture using available light. In fashion photography, low-light situations are also not uncommon, but artificial lighting is usually employed to illuminate the subject(s) appropriately. Sometimes, however, as in this shoot with Justine, having the necessary resources can become quite a circumstance. As our original plans at another location fell through at the last minute, we set out to do something a little less ambitious. The conditions were challenging, though, as it was just the two of us hiking for miles in the rain forest in the late afternoon.
It may not seem evident in these images, but I really tested the limits of my camera on this shoot. The light was very low, which made it difficult to focus and even more difficult to create sharp images due to the long exposures. I actually used my tripod for the last shot, which was a 1/2 second exposure wide open at a high ISO. Of course, as usual I got bit by mosquitoes despite the two layers of bug spray. And dodging toads on the way back kept it exciting as we navigated in total darkness with my mini Maglite.
What I particularly like about this series is how Justine’s body language just “fits” in the environment in each and every shot. I’m curious if everyone else has the same observation.
Location: Oahu, HI
by Kevin Lubera
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