Help shooting in the dark

[cbwhite]

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as you can see the pic is very dark, too much so infact, what do I adjust to increase shadow detail without having to use the flash?

PS I'm a newb at phtography, if you coudln't tell

[catson]

Hi cbwhite. I think a tripod would help a lot, but the main thing is you need to change the settings on your camera. I see you are using a Canon A75 I'm pretty sure this camera has a Shutter priority adjustment mode. After you put it on Shutter priority mode change the shutter speed to around 1- 5 seconds. this should help out. try different settings until you get what you like. That is the beauty of digital you can shot as much as you want without wasting film. Good luck.

[plbh]

As catson said, you need a tripod for best results. This shot was taken at 1/8 second, and already there's significant camera movement. If you don't have a tripod, you can improvise with something like a beanbag or similar sitting on a chair or railing. Then use manual settings if possible, setting your aperature wide open (small 'f' number) and a long exposure. Setting a high ISO speed can also help. Beware: if you have trouble with focus, you may need to use a small aperature (large f) for more depth of field, and rely on the long exposure to gather enough light.

One other trick for long exposures: use the 'timer' mode so you don't jiggle the camera by pushing the shutter button.

Then just experiment! Take lots of shots at different settings and pick the best. Even with the same settings some shots will be sharper than others due to random variation in the camera shake.