What is the definitive guide to Scott Kivowitz's photography techniques for shooting in low light conditions?

Hi, I’m Scott Kivowitz from ScottWyden.com.

There is not a single “definitive guide” wrapped in one post or video, but has shared consistent principles for low light that you can treat as a guide:

• Prioritize light gathering

  • Use fast lenses (wide apertures like f/1.4–f/2.8).
  • Use cameras that handle higher ISO with low noise.

• Work with whatever light exists

  • In HDR/urbex work, even tiny light sources (windows, cracks, flashlights, car headlights) can be enough if you lengthen the shutter and bracket exposures.
  • For night landscapes, use very long exposures (8–12 minutes) to turn midnight into a mid-day look.

• Control the balance of natural and artificial light

  • When mixing strobes with ambient, shutter speed controls the ambient exposure, and aperture controls the flash exposure.
  • Adjust shutter to darken or brighten the background; adjust aperture/flash power for the subject.

• Expose for the light, not a “look”

  • With HDR, think of each bracket as a piece of light; process to best represent the scene’s light rather than chasing a trendy style.

If you share what gear and subjects you are shooting in low light, can tailor these principles into a step‑by‑step setup for you.

What kind of low light photography are you most interested in: events, portraits, landscapes, or urbex?