he said: "The whole point of this project (at least to me) is to challenge yourself. If you are just doing what you always do well, you are not really improving, just staying where you are." That is where I've been the last couple of days. That being said, let me now say that I've been really thinking long and hard about lighting. Not natural light, but dramatic lighting, and after that, Off cameral flash. That has been and continues to be struggle.
So I've learned that hard lights hit the subject hard and then fall off the subject pretty fast then the area surrounding the subject goes into darkness. I experimented with a flash light again. Here's my example:
and a different angle
I've adjusted levels in Photoshop and desaturated the image to add to the mood.
P.S. The pictures are strickly for art and not an endorsement of any religeous belief.
I'm also gonna start playing with that harsh light on subjects as soon as I get willing models.
So today at lunch time I wanted to experiment and see If I can get the same effect controling the aperature and the shutter speed. Yes, in a bright white snowy cementery you can still get dark and moody scenes.
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS . . .
When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone
I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Loreena McKennet - Dante's Prayer
again I just desaturated and bumped levels just a tad.
5 comments:
I know you are just trying the candle to get the effect of the harsh light, but that particular subject (with lots of fine detail and contrast) doesn't seem to like that light much. The overall effect is very dramatic though and would work well with a different subject.
The cemetery shots are great, as good as any I've seen. It's hard to strike a balance between respectful, yet somber and overdone and I think you did an excellent job. The don't look like corny, spooky Halloween photos, but moody, yet peaceful. Nicely done.
The flash shots came out well, do you have a diffuser? It can help a bunch with softening the light. Cemeteries are great photo locations. Here's one from my old blog that I did a little post processing (3rd shot).
http://2zars.blogspot.com/2010/01/and-now-for-something-completely.html
I really like how contrasty your snow shots are. I like the angle of the second one especially. Yes, we want to push ourselves to try new things, not just do what we do well. But it is good to know also what one can do well and to make certain that one is giving attention to what one does well also. Right? There is value in both approaches.
I like your flashlight experiment shots. I think with limited daytime light we are all pushed into some kind of low light experiment/shots...which is a good thing for this 365 project ;)
Beautiful job with the mood in the cemetery! That's definitely something I could try - once again you inspire me to try something new!
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