• Use a tripod or find some other way to make your camcorder rock steady (put it on the floor or a table).
• Don't use filters - internal or external (Figure 1). They decrease the amount of light getting to the video chips.
• Zoom out all the way and stay zoomed out throughout the shoot. That lets in more light.
• Better than simply zooming out is to use a wide angle lens and zoom out. If your camcorder has a 2x extender, set it to 1x.
• If your camcorder supports pre-sets, Google your camcorder's make and model and see what other videographers recommend for low-light conditions.
• If you use an on-camera light, get one that can be dimmed or that has barn doors and then use a diffusion filter (Figure 3) to avoid the spotlight and squinty-eyed look.
• Look for silhouettes. They can be in front of something like stained-glass windows (Figure 4). Or back-light subjects to create powerful emotional content.
• Add lights without wrecking the mood. If you have studio lights, use barn doors to create spotlights that you can use to illuminate static subjects. If a subject is in the background, that will add depth to your shot. You can also place lights behind and below subjects to create silhouettes without lighting the entire scene. Basically, your goal is to find some unobtrusive way to illuminate items in the scene where full lighting wouldn't work.
• If you must shoot outside at night with minimal lighting, see if you can schedule the shoot when the moon is full. And remember, for color-balancing purposes, a full moon is reflected sunlight.

If you're in the market for a camcorder, consider its lux rating. Lux is a measure of a camcorder's low-light capabilities. The lower the number, the better. For example, a camcorder with a lux of 10 won't work well in low-light conditions, while a lux of 2 will likely handle most low-light conditions.

The thing is, most camcorders these days have good low-light capabilities. In addition, lux is not a true standard with hard and fast testing procedures. Lux lends itself to marketing hype.

That said, a camcorder with a lux of .2 (two-tenths) can shoot in darn near total darkness. A camcorder with a lux greater than 4 probably will not work well in seriously low light. Because lux values are an inexact science, it's probably best if you try out a few camcorders in low-light conditions before you make your purchase.

To gain an advantage in the marketplace, you need to set your work apart from the competition. Working effectively and creatively in low-light situations can enhance the mood of the moment, improve the overall quality of your productions and please your clients.

Jeff Sengstack is a video producer, an Adobe Certified Expert in Premiere Pro and Photoshop, author of three books on Adobe Premiere, a former TV news reporter and a junior college computer science instructor. He recently completed a video tutorial for lynda.com on Premiere Elements 7, the consumer-level video editor from Adobe.