How do you work with low light? 5 tips from event photographer Thom Verhoeven

Want to get into event photography but still find working in low light a challenge? We completely understand. That’s why we asked event photographer Thom Verhoeven for advice: “At events, light is often limited while the artists are moving around quite intensely. That can make it really tricky to capture sharp action shots.” Thom shares five handy tips that will help you take pin-sharp action photos in low light at your next event.

Tip 1: Time your shots in advance

“An artist moves a lot during a performance. How fast and in what way depends on the type of music. So it helps to know the musician a little. That way you can see or hear certain moments coming. Pay attention to the (more or less) fixed patterns that often recur with something like the lighting. The lights often rotate or change colour every so often, for instance. And the artist sometimes follows a certain route across the stage. If you know this before you start your assignment, you can prepare and plan for the ideal composition combined with the right light.”

Tip 2: Shoot in burst mode

“I don’t use burst mode much myself, but I do recommend it for beginner event photographers. It gives you a better chance of a perfect hit, because this function captures several frames in quick succession. If you use this mode at moments when a lot is happening, you can be sure there will always be a good shot among them. So fire short bursts during action moments. Better one photo too many than one too few. Afterwards you can select the best shots.”

Tip 3: Learn more about exposure settings

“It’s important to start with the basics of exposure settings. Build yourself a baseline and work from there. I almost always have my aperture at the widest possible opening, for example. Ideally you want a lens somewhere between f/1.2 and f/2.8; much slower than that will result in higher ISO values, because at some point the shutter speed you need simply ‘can’t’ go any lower if you still want sharp photos.

Image stabilisation can help at longer focal lengths, but of course it has no effect on moving subjects. The minimum shutter speed I stick to is usually 1/60s for static subjects and usually 1/250s for people walking or dancing – and even faster if the light allows.

ISO values are often already 1600+. Still, I usually prefer sharpness over less noise in the image. Noise can still be corrected, but motion blur can’t. A well-exposed photo with some noise is much easier to clean up than an underexposed photo, which will pick up a huge amount of noise once you compensate for the poor exposure in post-processing.”

Tip 4: Use single-point AF, small-group AF or face detection

“Many cameras get confused when there’s strong contrast between areas of the frame. A camera often tends to focus on the brightest part of the image, such as a light. A camera with more contrast points suffers less from this.

By using a smaller group of AF points and steering them yourself, you limit the camera to a specific area within the composition, which increases the chance of accurate focus. The camera is also considerably faster, because you’re telling it where you want focus instead of letting it assess the entire frame itself.

Modern mirrorless cameras often feature face and even eye detection. That’s a handy tool for capturing action: the camera does all the work in a very short time. Sometimes it’s better to shoot in AF-S/single shot, as AF-C or Servo can often hunt or get jittery in low light. Do keep an eye on the shallow depth of field that comes with a wide aperture, of course.”

Tip 5: Shoot in RAW

“Post-processing photos taken under artificial light has a big impact on the final result. When you save photos in RAW, you’re storing raw data. The advantage is that you have much more information to work with in post-processing than with a JPG. During the action you can’t always set your white balance yourself, but in post-processing you can still improve it without any loss of quality. Shooting in RAW is also a must for reducing noise, removing colour casts and correcting skin tones.”

What’s in the bag?

Thom: “Gear certainly isn’t the most important thing in event photography. Still, it matters to have the right equipment. As mentioned, lenses with a wide maximum aperture are a must. It also helps if the lenses can focus quickly. Unfortunately the perfect lens doesn’t exist, so sometimes you have to choose per situation. In a larger concert hall, for example, you may only be allowed to shoot from the back with a telephoto lens, while at other times you can stand right at the front with a wide-angle, practically under the artist’s feet. Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable entry-level options, such as a 50mm f/1.8, which can deliver great results and quality for the money.

I currently work with my Sony A7 mark III combined with the Tamron FE 28-75 f/2.8 RXD, the Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 Zeiss and the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM. Sometimes I need more zoom range, and then I use the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM. But a lot of my best work was shot with an ‘old’ Nikon D700 combined with a relatively affordable 85mm and 50mm lens. Which just goes to show that the right lenses and a bit of technique often give you that little bit extra.”

Update: his setup has changed a bit since then. He now works with the Sony A7 V, with the Sony A7 IV as a second body. He uses the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 as his all-rounder, plus the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Art and – still – the Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 Zeiss Sonnar T*, which after all these years remains one of his favourites.

“If I had to choose one lens, it would of course be the 28-75mm f/2.8. Lenses with a similar focal length and aperture are simply the most flexible lenses for situations like these. Personally I prefer working with prime lenses, partly because of their image quality and light-gathering ability, but that isn’t always practical given the dynamic artists and changes on stage. A modern (full-frame) camera isn’t strictly necessary, but it makes a big difference at higher ISO values.”

Who is Thom Verhoeven?

Rotterdam-based Thom is almost always busy with photography and image-making. When it comes to commissioned work, he focuses mainly on weddings, events and concerts. Thom got into the industry through friends. “I was allowed to tag along at events. After lots of practice, trial and error and research online, I got the hang of the technique.”