Low Light Operations Checklist

Checklist 2 min
Download 
Prepare for low light and night-time situations to effectively document your mission.

While on a mission, you may need to shoot in low-light situations, such as at night or in dark buildings. Shooting in low light is difficult, and you need to have the right gear with you. Never use a flash since this can give your position away - it's important to maintain personnel safety and mission security. Don’t restrict yourself to only still images when taking a night or low-light photo. Use this checklist to prepare yourself for capturing imagery in a low-light or night-time operation.

  • Perform the pre-mission checks on your night vision gear.
    • Consider using night-vision gear if there is not enough available light.
    • Check the functionality of all your gear before leaving your unit. Trying to do this in low-light operational conditions can cause irreparable damage and significantly impair your ability to complete your mission.
    • Check the connections to the camera. There have been many issues with damage to the gold pins that connect the astroscope to the camera.
    • Be thorough because image quality is dependent on the characteristics of resolution, sensitivity, contrast and distortion.
    • Know how to adjust the power, IR illumination and focus for your equipment to make sure you can capture the best quality shots.
    • Experiment and practice before you go out on a mission - low light photography takes time to build proficiency.
  • Do NOT use flash.

    • Use an existing light source if one exists.
    • Use a night vision kit if no light sources exists.
    • Use IR chemlights to provide additional light when using night vision.
  • Adjust the aperture and exposure.
    • Use a small aperture and a long exposure to avoid overexposure of stationary lights
    • Use a large aperture and a short exposure to avoid capturing motion.
    • Use a fast lens - f1.4- f2.8, to maximize light gathering and reduce shutter speeds.
    • Adjust your white balance for the type of light you are shooting in, e.g., - incandescent, neon, etc. This will help keep your whites and colors true.
    • Shoot in RAW to capture the greatest details and data for post-processing.
    • Use a long exposure to allow more light into the camera to capture maximum detail and motion of objects. Be aware objects that move across the camera will leave a trail.

  • Set the ISO.
    • Use a higher ISO to optimize the camera performance. A higher ISO groups pixels together to capture more light, which makes picture noise visible.
    • Do not set the camera on the AUTO option for the ISO. The AUTO option for ISO in low light conditions cannot accurately calculate the appropriate ISO for the conditions. This will make the images useless.
    • Use the ISO when the situation warrants.
  • Stabilize the camera. Keep the camera as still as possible to avoid blurring the images.
  • Put the camera on a time delay. This gives you time to move your fingers and not disturb the image

Discover More You May Like

View All Checklists
Illustration a microphone in the center surrounded by sound waves and circles with listeners.

Ready, Set, Let the World Know About Your Podcast

Article
4 min
Understand the promotion opportunities and AFN's guidelines for getting your podcast noticed.
Illustration of a military person with a superior talking behind her, overlaid with graphics of approved and denied photo. Image editing tool symbols are arranged on the canvas.

Just Say No To Unethical Photo Edits

Article
4 min
Watch and learn tactics for saying no to a superior if asked to make edits outside of what the policy allows.
Tip nine.

10 Simple Tips to Amplify Your Message on YouTube

Article
4 min
Understand how to utilize YouTube's tools to manage your channel and protect from copyright infringement.
Photo of Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Daneil Grace and Royal Marines Commando Warrant Officer 1st Class Mick Stanion, Command Senior Enlisted Leader of NATO's Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM).

JP 3-04

Policy & Doctrine
258 min
Reference Joint Publication (JP) 3-04 Information in Joint Operations (14 September 2022).
Graphic illustration of a service member speaking behind a desk with the DINFOS Live logo on the front, a checklist icon floating as the background and a photo of four service members having a discussion.

DINFOS Live: The E in RPIE: Evaluation

Article
34 min
Watch Capt. Dave Morris break down the "E" of the research, planning, implementation and evaluation process.
Graphic illustration of a person speaking behind a desk with the DINFOS Live logo on the front, overlaid a close-up photo of a hand holding a camera.

DINFOS Live: Visual Storytelling

Article
54 min
Watch DINFOS instructors discuss impactful visual storytelling, mistakes and trends.

View More