Photography Tips

Here are some practical tips for improving the results of taking photos of candles.

Photography of unlit candles

Make sure the wick is upright and the candle stands or is held vertically. This sounds like a minor issue, but makes a big difference when you later look at your photos.

Candlelit Photography

Taking photographs by candlelight can produce stunning results, the warm glow capturing a mood and feel that would be difficult to achieve by other means. But candlelight can also be tricky to work with. Such low-light photography can be challenging.

Turn off the flash

The flash on your camera will completely obliterate the effects of the ambient light.

Use more candles

The more candles, the more light. You can position extra candles outside the area visible in the shot to increase the overall light available. It’s a very good idea to spread these candles out a little to make their light more diffuse and cast softer shadows. It’s also good to have more candles on one side than the other, which will give natural three-dimensional shading to the subject.

Reflected light

Reflected light usually improves any photograph because it balances and softens the direct lighting source. One of the simplest tricks professionals often use is to set the shot up so that there’s a naturally reflective surface to one side, or above or below the subject. This includes white or light-coloured walls, ceiling, or table surfaces. Look for these opportunities to add reflected light to your mix.

Other light sources

If you feel the candles alone simply don't produce enough light for a good photograph, you may decide to add other light sources such as an electric light or lamp. You can soften this light to better match the effect of the candlelight by draping a fine cloth over it, and even give it a warm glow by using a coloured cloth. Try to avoid other strong light sources as this will reflect off the candle surfaces, just like off a bottle.