©Harry Benson 2008

I recently spoke with the Scottish photojournalist Harry Benson, who is known for his images of world leaders, Hollywood icons, rock stars and everyday Glaswegians. (He is, as I found out, also an amiable character and a charming raconteur.) Mr. Benson’s photos, particularly his early black-and-white images, are masterly studies in the use of natural light, and I wanted to ask him for tips on shooting in low-light situations. Here’s what he had to say.

What camera do you typically use?

I usually use a Canon 1D Mark III. The lens I like the best is the 24- to 105-millimeter lens. For low light, I like very much the [Canon f/1.2L] 50-millimeter 1.2. It’s a beautiful lens. It’s just amazing.

What are some of the most challenging photos you’ve taken in low-light conditions?

I have taken some photos under duress, like the Bobby Kennedy assassination. It’s the one time that I think about now and wonder how much better the photos would have been if I had had a digital camera. There was almost no light, and Ethel [Kennedy] was screaming. She came straight for me. I like the photo because it shows the hell, the panic and the madness. You couldn’t use a strobe in this situation because you’d get thrown out quickly.

What mode do you typically shoot in?

I use aperture priority and manual, but where I’ve gotten my best results is on program mode. I have taken photos that I’ve done both ways, and the program mode went into every corner of the picture to capture detail. But when I’m shooting sports, I use shutter priority.

What about ISO?

I don’t set ISO at the very top. In fact, I wouldn’t go beyond 1000 because it gets noisy. But sometimes I don’t care about the noise, I care more about getting the photograph.

Do you adjust lighting in photo-editing programs like Photoshop?

I never do any [post-production] manipulation because most of my career was spent using film. If I manipulated the photos, I would feel that everything I did was fake. I might take a scratch out but I don’t adjust lighting — that’s creating something that wasn’t there. When photographers start doing that, it can’t be called artwork.

Do you use autofocus or do you focus manually?

It depends. If I’m in a dark situation, I don’t trust autofocus so much because you can’t wait for it to make up its mind. When I started out, the cameras didn’t have rangefinders, so you had to guess the distance, and I’m quite good at that. I do use autofocus but I will always go to manual if I’m shooting a very important shot, like a president.

Any tips on using flash in low light?

I prefer not to use flash because it tends to control and take over the photo. I lose a lot of humanity with flash. I don’t want to use it in a position when I can use my brain instead. Without flash, pictures can take on a grainy feel. And if you take a photo of someone with a light in the background, the light gives a lovely warm tone to the photography.

What’s the difference in light between shooting film and digital?

On film, the results were unreliable. If I was in a dark situation, the film had to be developed first so that I had an idea of how far to push it. I’d usually develop eight frames or so to judge the quality.

Digital put a stop to all that. When you’re a long way from home you don’t want to come back with a load of film you’ve messed up. With digital you can take a look and immediately know that you’re in business. There was nothing worse than flying into Kennedy Airport and not knowing what you’ve got until you get your film developed.

Another thing that digital does is give you information and detail in the picture. For instance, I took a picture of a bar in Glasgow and every area of the bar was in detail. You couldn’t have set it up with light and got the same results.

The good thing about digital is that it lets your brain do the work, and you aren’t tied down with the technical stuff. You can let yourself go and use your eyes. With me it’s always been about getting the picture, and then getting the first train out of Dodge. And with digital I can certainly do that. I go back to New York wagging my tail.

How long have you been using a digital camera?

My first digital camera was the Canon 1D Mark II, which I started using about seven years ago. I shoot all digital now. I have a closet full of film cameras like Hasselblad, Nikon, and Rolleiflex, and every time I pass by the closet I hear, “Help! Help!” I feel terrible because they were all great cameras, but why should I use them when I’m getting better results with digital?

Do you use point-and-shoot cameras?

I’ve thought about it, and I’ve seen some wonderful photos. What’s interesting is that I used to go to people’s homes and they would show me their home photos and they were all crap. Now when I go to people’s homes I see a lot of very good photos.

But I won’t use a pocket camera until the technology advances. Probably in the next two weeks they’ll have a camera phone that’s as good as the Mark III. You know that’s going to happen. Until then, no. I don’t take photographs for fun. If I’m going to photograph a dog I want to do it with a good camera. I’m not playing around when I go out. It’s dead serious.

If you had one tip for taking better night or low-light photos, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid. You’ll be surprised just how good your photos will be. Make sure there is some light on your subject’s face. But be brave about it. The thing about is that I’ve been awakened to see just what digital cameras can do in low-light situations. It digs right into spaces that I never thought a camera could penetrate.