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How to Take Candlelight Photography

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Stunning candlelight photography
Stunning candlelight photography

Candlelight presents its own photographic challenges but photos taken by candlelight are so beautiful to look at that they're worth persevering with.

This article will explain a few things you can do to successfully capture the golden (and romantic) moments by candlelight with your camera.

Edit Steps

  1. 1
    Camera with tripod
    Camera with tripod
    Reduce the sources of movement. Be sure that there is little, or no, movement in the shot. While the candle flame will be moving, it is important to get rid of any other movement or the photo will be blurred or filled with distractions.
    • Use a tripod. Shooting in the dark will cause your shutter to move slowly and a tripod will help reduce any vibrations from the slower shutter speeds you'll need to use.
    • Ensure your tripod's rubber foot caps are in serviceable condition and attached. If one or more have come away, vibration from your movement may be transferred up the tripod leg to your camera from the direct contact that the metal tripod leg has with the floor surface.
    • If a person is in the picture, use a wide aperture for a fast shutter speed, focus on the closest eye (where sharpness or lack thereof is most apparent), and have her or him hold still.
    • Be sure that there is no breeze in the room. A breeze will cause the candle to flicker which will appear in the shot as extreme movement resulting in an image capture that results in a blurred photo.
  2. 2
    Check the impact of competing sources of light; sometimes they detract, sometimes enhance.
    Check the impact of competing sources of light; sometimes they detract, sometimes enhance.
    Eliminate or greatly reduce sources of light that aren't from the candle. You aren't going to get any good shots if your candle is outshone; rather, you want the warm aspects of a candle, so removing other light sources will help to increase the warmth and genuine color coming from the candle itself.

    Turn off overhead lights, bright lamps and remove or turn off electronic devices that throw light such as computer screens, television sets and digital clocks. And be sure to turn off the flash unless you've added an orange or red gel over the flash (it's recommended you only do this if you know what you're doing).
  3. 3
    Increase the background light. Although you need to reduce the light sources near the candle itself, the reality is that lighting is low with candle shots and low light always makes taking a good photo harder. However, there are three ways you can improve lighting without spoiling the candle's warm glow, namely by adding more candles, by using reflective light or by using dim light:
    • More candles means more light available for the shot.
      More candles means more light available for the shot.
      More candles: Adding more candles to the scene can increase the desired lighting effect. The benefit of this is not only the possibilities of producing a pretty display but it also gives you greater flexibility with the ISO, shutter speed and aperture settings.
    • Reflective light sources: These aren't light as such but are sources of bouncing light. There are a number of possibilities here:
      • White backgrounds and surfaces can improve the look of the candlelight in photos.
        White backgrounds and surfaces can improve the look of the candlelight in photos.
        White backgrounds and surfaces can improve the look of the candlelight in photos. And don't neglect the usefulness of white pajamas or other clothing if using human subjects with the candlelight.
      • Using a mirror with a candle
        Using a mirror with a candle
        A mirror underneath the candles can provide an interesting reflection, as if the candles have been lit from both ends and are floating, suspended in space as if they are not supported by any surface.
        A mirror underneath the candles can provide an interesting reflection, as if the candles have been lit from both ends and are floating, suspended in space as if they are not supported by any surface.
        Try using a mirror or silverware on the surface where the candles are. The reflection of the mirror or silverware adds to the available light and to the ambiance.

        Be sure to polish up the silverware if using it and if using a mirror, keep yourself out of the shot and ensure that no streaks resulting from the polishing action remain as these have a great tendency to show up in the resulting photograph.
      • Moonlight through a window might work if it's available and strong enough.
        Moonlight through a window might work if it's available and strong enough.
        Moonlight through a window might work if it's available and strong enough.
    • Letting light in from elsewhere may help sometimes, along with providing an interesting contrast as observed in the image above. Notice how the bright sunlight provides a vivid comparison to the gentle warmth presented by the light emanating from the candle. Such composition of your photographic piece may help evoke emotion from those viewing the image.
      Letting light in from elsewhere may help sometimes, along with providing an interesting contrast as observed in the image above. Notice how the bright sunlight provides a vivid comparison to the gentle warmth presented by the light emanating from the candle. Such composition of your photographic piece may help evoke emotion from those viewing the image.
      Dim light: If a little bit of detail in other areas is desirable, turn on a very small, dim light, or have a light on in an adjacent room. Or, if you have an adjustable flash, use it for exposure computed (or set with flash-exposure-compensation) to underexpose a lot, such as by three stops.

      The secondary light source should be from a wide area, such as a doorway or bounced off a wall or ceiling, so as not to cast its own shadows.
  4. 4
    With a human subject, you'll need to decide where to let the candlelight fall most, while treating shadows as part of the scene too.
    With a human subject, you'll need to decide where to let the candlelight fall most, while treating shadows as part of the scene too.
    Position both candles and the human subject with consideration for the features you're seeking to highlight. Bear in mind that candlelight can be really flattering to the human face, so don't be coy about placing the candles to ensure the best angle of the human subject. Play around with the placement a bit until you're happy with it.

    Also be aware that lighting only one part of the human subject with the candlelight (such as the face) while leaving the rest of the body shadowy can create an incredibly atmospheric photo. Don't be afraid to let a lot of the shot fall into the shadow, so that the viewer is drawn to the point where the candle and candlelight are.
    • If using extra candles, just be thoughtful about where you place the additional candles. If you're just photographing the candles themselves, the positioning is probably more a matter of making an artistic or patterned display, whereas if you're using the candles to throw light on a human subject, you'll probably need to balance the lighting for a general reflection of the human subject, or maybe you'd prefer more lighting on one side of the person's face or some part of them.
    • The way in which candles are grouped affects the lighting.
      The way in which candles are grouped affects the lighting.
      With extra candles, bunching them together will produce more shadows, while positioning them apart will make the light more diffuse.
    • If using objects, position them as closely to the candle or candles as possible to keep their shape clearer in the photo by being lit more obviously.
  5. 5
    Twilight candles can present interesting shots, especially when presented from differing altitudes as in this example artwork above. Notice how the feeling of depth that the artist has generated is enhanced by the elongated shadow of the twilight candles placed deeper in the composition. Varied lengths of container selection also help generate the effect observed here. The viewer is thus drawn in to the artwork created both by the composition and the lighting levels selected by the photographer artist. Offsetting the placement of the candles within their respective containers shall also add to the level of interest observers shall have with your artwork. As in the example shown above, varying shadow elements are created, offering clear lines of contrast within each vessel, varying from container to container as the placement of each candle is moved about the circumference.
    Twilight candles can present interesting shots, especially when presented from differing altitudes as in this example artwork above. Notice how the feeling of depth that the artist has generated is enhanced by the elongated shadow of the twilight candles placed deeper in the composition. Varied lengths of container selection also help generate the effect observed here. The viewer is thus drawn in to the artwork created both by the composition and the lighting levels selected by the photographer artist. Offsetting the placement of the candles within their respective containers shall also add to the level of interest observers shall have with your artwork. As in the example shown above, varying shadow elements are created, offering clear lines of contrast within each vessel, varying from container to container as the placement of each candle is moved about the circumference.
    Experiment with the ISO. You will probably have to have a fairly high ISO, but too much will produce a lot of noise in the photo. Try to keep the ISO under 400; use the lighting fixes suggested above to help keep the ISO level down.
    • Use daylight balanced film. This will assist in both creating and maintaining the orange tones that candlelight produces.
    • Some of the more modern digital cameras now come with a candlelight setting – be sure to check if your camera has this before fiddling too much!
    • Determine exposure by reference to the candlelight (some automatic modes will set a fast shutter speed whenever flash is used, which you don't want).
    • Experiment with shutter speed. A shutter speed of around 1/4th of a second will usually capture candlelight well.[1] Be careful, as any decrease of shutter speed will also increase picking up movement; 1/15th of a second could work provided not even the candle flame is flickering.[2]
  6. 6
    The viewer expects to see an orange glow emanating from the candles placed in the composition. The warmth of the light of a candle is well known by the observer and colour balance correction functionality available in many cameras often will have a tendency to enhance the prevalence of whiter light along with greens and blues will result in the creation of an image that appears unnatural to the viewer
    The viewer expects to see an orange glow emanating from the candles placed in the composition. The warmth of the light of a candle is well known by the observer and colour balance correction functionality available in many cameras often will have a tendency to enhance the prevalence of whiter light along with greens and blues will result in the creation of an image that appears unnatural to the viewer
    Don't use color balance correction when shooting the image. Unlike most types of photography the color balance should allow the orange glow of candlelight to dominate the photograph. The viewer expects to see the orange tones. Over-correction of these might spoil the effect.[3] Later use photo processing software such as Gimp, Picasa or Photoshop to fine tune the color balance.
    • If using a digital camera and you want to tone down the oranges a bit (cooler tones), try changing the white balance. "Incandescent" is a good starting point for an only moderately orange photo. However, bear in mind that this is one of the times when the heavier color tones work well and it's important to steer clear of "auto" settings.
    • If the digital camera is automatically adjusting to create color balance (a fairly standard feature), check the LCD screen to see how the end result will appear. You may need to switch to manual white balance and select a sunny daylight setting.[3]
    • Shooting in RAW might help you with post-processing of the colors.[2] Taking a number of shots using different settings is also a wise post-processing option as it gives more opportunities for the clean, perfect image that you're after.
  7. 7
    Stay close to the subject and keep the image as clean as possible.
    Stay close to the subject and keep the image as clean as possible.
    Stay close to the subject and keep the image as clean as possible. It's recommended that you remain close to the candlelight and any subject being photographed with the candlelight as this will give you the most detail and most light possible.

    Also be careful with zooming, as the aperture changes when zooming and it's probably better to use a wide angle lens than to rely on zooming. In terms of what you include in the photo, it's recommended that you don't include much more than the candles and the human subject.

    A few objects might be needed to complete your scene but it's best to keep these to an absolute minimum and rely on the candle being central to the photo's story.
  8. 8
    Try some random and less constructed shots.
    Try some random and less constructed shots.
    Try some random and less constructed shots. Don't be afraid of blurring the images and trying moving flame shots. You never know what might result and it could be very artistic, especially with post-production effects.

    Never let the basic rules stop you from trying to push your photographic endeavors further!


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Edit Tips

  • Choose the fastest lens you have with a DSLR because this allows you to use a larger aperture and let in more light.
  • If shooting Halloween pumpkins (Jack o' Lanterns), try to bring them indoors or shoot on a very still night so that the flames are not merrily dancing about!
  • To avoid underexposing a candlelit shot, set the camera to spot metering mode and aim for the subject if there is one besides the candle; otherwise, the candle will dominate the photo and all else will be underexposed. It really depends on the look you're after though (see the comment on creating shadowed effects above).
  • If you do find that there isn't enough light, place a very dim source of light such as a lamp or a flashlight out of the photo area but just near it, to help boost light levels. Again, this is something that you need to play around with to perfect.
  • The size of the candles does matter – use smaller candles with smaller props and larger candles with human subjects and larger props.


Edit Warnings

  • Working with flames and creativity can be a dangerous combination if you forget the flame as you move things around and become lost in your artistic concentration. Remember where the flames are and ensure that dangling hair and clothes don't fall into the area of the flame. And don't leave candles near anything that the flame could burn, such as window dressings or fluttering tablecloths, etc. The more candles, the more care needs to be taken. (Having someone stay responsible for candle safety can be helpful for the photographer.)
  • Never leave burning candles unattended. Even if you need to nip out to the bathroom, blow them out first unless someone else is watching them. It is very easy for a sudden gust of wind to suddenly blow over a candle with a high centre of gravity, creating an immediate and very high fire risk, as well as creating a spillage of hot wax which may be very damaging to numerous surfaces.
  • Take great care of a candle that has been placed in the vicinity of curtains that have the possibility of moving as currents of air disturb them. It is a great danger to place candles near curtains, as the fire will quickly spread up the vertical axis of the curtain upon contact with the candle flame. Even with the adjacent window firmly in the closed position, the slight movement of air created by you passing body may be enough to cause a breeze that could carry a net curtain into the path of the candles flame. Indeed, even very light net curtains may have their position shifted by the hot air rising from the flame of the candle and the associated generation of slightly turbulent air.


Edit Things You'll Need

  • A Digital camera
  • An Analogue camera (if desiring to shoot in the traditional method or with older style film)
  • Candle(s) and matches to light
  • White background
  • Props (not too many) or human subject


Edit Related wikiHows


Edit Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ John Freeman, Photography, p. 96, (2010), ISBN 9-781-84340-553-5
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.digital-photography-school.com/14-tips-for-great-candlelight-photography
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 John Hedgecoe, The New Manual of Photography, p. 140, (2008), ISBN 978-1-4053-3476-1

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Last edited:
September 28, 2011 by Bbyrd009

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