Art of a Small Camera: low light photography for compact cameras and smartphones

Using a compact camera or smartphone in bright sunlight is very easy – you just point and shoot. Taking pictures without sunlight is much harder, but often more rewarding. Think of the times you've taken a photo, only to be disappointed by grainy washed-out colours, and a lack of detail. Or perhaps the picture was too dark, or ruined by a strange colour tint.

Using a flash is worse – you end up with red eyes, dark backgrounds and bad skin. Everyone’s smiling, but all the atmosphere is lost.

Art of a Small Camera will teach you how to take bright and colourful pictures with very little light, using your handheld compact or smartphone camera. The technique is perfect for interiors on a cloudy day, kids, pets, parties, gigs, restaurants, clubs, pubs or even city streets at night.

The guide starts with a short overview of the basics, for complete beginners, but quickly builds into a comprehensive guide for shooting in tricky lighting conditions, without pressing too many buttons, or taking more than a second to shoot.