The Low Light Photography Field Guide

Adding Flash

Strictly speaking, low light photography is about shooting without the aid of photographic lights, of which even a built-in camera flash is one.

Nevertheless, it really depends to what extent you use it to shape the final image, and among the most common techniques is to add a relatively small amount of flash to the end of an exposure otherwise metered for the ambient conditions. This rear-curtain flash technique is well-established, and most digital SLRs have a setting that allows it. Briefly, the flash is computed to fire at the end of the exposure, as the final curtain of the focal plane shutter is closing, rather than at the beginning or during. This is an important distinction for any shot that is at a relatively slow shutter ...