I want to take some b&W portraits with low light (using a candle) I was wondering what is the best kind of film to use for this, and I know to use the bulb setting on my camera, and of course a tripod. Any other pointers on doing this successfully would be very much appreciated!

-- Erin Conroy (ericon_22@hotmail.com), November 12, 1999

Answers

Depending on how far the candle is away from your subject, and on the speed of the film and lens you use, you may not need the B setting, or even the tripod, unless you must stop down to achieve sufficient depth of field.

If you don't mind grain, use T-max 3200. Keep in mind that its actual speed is 1600 instead of 3200, if you want some shadow detail.

If the candle is in the image, it will usually burn out, because it is so much brighter than the rest of the image. Being a point source, candlelight tends to give you hard shadows.

Most meters will be hard put to it under such conditions. If yours refuses to give a sensible reading, try and measure a white sheet of paper and subtract two EVs from the reading. Bracketing may be a good idea, too.

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), November 12, 1999.

If the candle is in the image area, you can solve some of your problems by shielding it - that's have the subject cup their hand around the flame so it won't shine into the camera lens but will shine on their face - or use some other kind of shield etc, etc... However this will of course not give you the flame in the picture.

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), November 12, 1999.

The Kodak Professional Photoguide suggests: for "candelighted close-ups"

EI 400:f/2 1/15

Take it from there and bracket, of course. Film can be cheaper than candelit dinners :)

-- Paul Harris (pharris@neosoft.com), November 12, 1999.