Tamron USA logo
Tamron Pro Learning Center

Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | News | Contest

New ’Awlins Illuminations

Ken Hubbard uses a versatile collection of Tamron lenses to capture the dimly lit jazz clubs and evening street performances of the Big Easy
© Ken Hubbard © Ken Hubbard © Ken Hubbard © Ken Hubbard © Ken Hubbard
SP AF28-75mm F/2.8, SP AF17-35mm F/2.8-4 and SP AF14mm F/2.8
by Jennifer Gidman Zumpano

Whether you’re taking an after-sunset stroll down Bourbon Street, hanging with hep cats at a Big Easy blues bar, or sampling spicy Creole cuisine by candlelight, New Orleans is bursting with low-light ambiance. But while an evening spent downing Hurricanes and shooting pool at the local watering hole may make for interesting stories for your travel journal, shooting in the shadows can wreak havoc on your photo album if you don’t have the right equipment (and know how to use it) when the lights are low.
On a recent trip to the heart of Louisiana, Ken Hubbard packed some photographic heat that allowed him to capture the never-ending Mardi Gras atmosphere in less-than-ideal lighting situations: a fully stocked gearbag of Tamron lenses. “Any of our F/2.8 lenses are perfect for low-light photography,” he says. “The ability to go down to F/2.8 allows you to have a shutter speed that’s fast enough to hand-hold. The Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di lens, for example, is a great lens for low-light shooting because of its constant F/2.8 throughout the entire focal range.” For Hubbard, the optimum shutter speed in low-light situations is 1/30th or 1/60th of a second. “These are the slowest shutter speeds I can work with without having camera shake,” he says. “This may differ among people based on their ability to hold a camera steady. There are a number of photographers I know that can hold 1/15th of a second shutter speeds.”
Using a tripod will get rid of camera shake in nearly all low-light situations and can help you nab the artistic shots you’re looking to achieve. Hubbard parlayed this knowledge into an impromptu photo shoot during an authentic Cajun-style concert. “If you have a chance to use a tripod, you’ll be able to go as slow as you want,” he says. “With the style of shots I was taking, the slower speed actually helped with the picture. I wanted to show some movement in the musicians’ hands, and with the 1/30th of a second shutter, I got what I was looking for.
If you don’t have the luxury of a tripod, scout out your location. “Almost anything that’s sturdy can be used, such as a park bench, guard rails, rocks, or whatever is available to prop your camera on,” says Hubbard. “Some people use the car they’re traveling in, which is a good idea except for one thing: Most people forget to turn the car off before putting the camera on it to shoot an image. The vibration of a running car is strong enough to cause shake in the camera, creating a blurry image.”

Unusual Musicianship in the Shadows
Using a wide-angle lens can also help when in low-light situations, according to Hubbard. “Using one of Tamron’s wide-angle lenses, such as the SP AF14mm f/2.8, is great, since such a wide angle allows for hand-holding even at slow shutter speeds,” he says. “Having such a wide angle also gives you a large depth-of-field, which lets you use even slower shutter speeds.”
Hubbard got the chance to try out his wide-angle workmanship on concert glass harpist Peter Bennett, a fixture on the New Orleans street-performer scene (www.glassharper.com). Bennett, whose wine-glass and brandy snifter repertoire includes “Amazing Grace,” “Fur Elise,” and Pachelbel’s “Canon in D,” was playing by candlelight when Hubbard stumbled across him in front of St. Louis Cathedral. “Two years ago, when I was in New Orleans with [fellow Tamron photographer] André Costantini, we spent a day-and-half searching for Peter, not realizing he wasn’t touring in the city at the time,” he says. “This time around we figured he was probably retired. Then one night, in front of the cathedral, André spotted him. I probably would have walked right past him if André didn’t shout out, ‘Hey, it’s Peter Bennett!’
“I ended up shooting all my images of Peter with the 14mm lens,” he continues. “I wanted to get closeup shots but still get everything else in the frame. The 14mm allowed me to include everything in the image, from the glasses to the top of his head, while only standing a few feet away.”
The zoom came in handy for shooting La Pedrera (Casa Mila) as well. “This was built by Antoni Gaudi, a turn-of-the-century architect who built a number of buildings in Barcelona,” explains Pamatat.
Stemware harmonics isn’t the only out-of-the-ordinary musical genre you’ll find in the French Quarter. “We were having dinner one night at Mulate’s (www.mulates.com), known as the ‘King of Cajun Dine and Dance Halls,’” says Hubbard. “Everyone seemed to want to get up and dance to the Cajun-Creole music. I was concentrating on trying to capture the festive atmosphere of the dancers when I noticed this old man in the corner. As I got closer, I noticed his tie, which turned out to actually be a washboard (often used in Cajun music) designed to look like a tie. He was very friendly and willing to let me shoot as many images as I wanted. I used the Tamron SP AF17-35mm F/2.8-4 lens for these shots. I wasn't exactly sure how close I could get to the old man, so the 17-35mm focal length came in handy, allowing me to crop.”

 

Lights, Camera—Action!
You have a few options when it comes to exposing images correctly in low light, according to Hubbard. “If you’re shooting musicians in a bar, a handheld light meter is your best bet,” he advises. “Make sure you take a few readings around where your main subject will be standing. Even though the rest of the club may be low-lit, the stage lights will usually give off enough light to allow for a decent shutter speed. If you don't have a handheld meter, use the internal light meter in your camera.”
And as much as you’d like to be ready for the opening act, make sure you take your readings when the lights are at show level—meaning you may have to wait for the first song to start before you can start testing. “The lighting can be dramatically different once the show starts from what it was when the band was setting up,” explains Hubbard. Using a fill flash during low-light situations can help create some dramatic effects. “I normally don't use a fill with the types of shots I took at the concert, since the stage lights will usually give a very dramatic effect by themselves—but an image under different conditions may need a fill,” Hubbard explains. “Peter Bennett the glass man also happened to have the perfect lighting, with some on the glass and a street lamp behind and overhead. If he had been in a different spot without a backlight, I would have chosen an off-camera fill to give a little backlight to shine on his hair.”
For more information and spec sheets go to www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/2875mm.asp, www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/17_35mm.asp and www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/14mm.asp.

Tip Box

Going Against the Grain—or With It
If you’re shooting film in low-light situations, the faster the better, according to Hubbard. “My ideal is not to go above ASA 800, because of the amount of grain that will be in the image,” he says. “The only time I’ll go above 800 is when I'm shooting black-and-white film. Grain tends to give black-and-white film a nice look, even when shooting an ASA1600 film. You can push 400 speed film to 800 if you’re worried about the grain in 800—just remember to tell your lab what you did so they can develop it correctly.”