Light: Project – The Time of the Day; Exercise 33 – cloudy weather and rain

This exercise in the OCA’s Art of Photography module on light deals with the possibilities created by making photographs in cloudy conditions and when raining. The exercise is in three parts.  in Part 1 the effect of cloud on exposure when photographing the same subject is considered.  In the second part  the effect of cloud on colour and detail is considered.  In the third part the presence of rain is used to explore creative possibilities.

Part 1

In this part of the exercise, the effect of the difference between the same image captured in sunlit and cloudy conditions is considered.  The subject chosen was an abandoned estate worker’s cottage that has an enticing mixture of, light, shadow, colour and texture. The images were made in late January during a day full of sunlight and hail showers.

In the first pair of images below the difference in  shutter speed to make the image (with daylight setting on WB and an aperture of f14) was 4 seconds in the sunlit image as opposed to 13 seconds in the clouded over image).  Even with the increased exposure it was difficult to expose as I would have liked in the cloud covered image and the inside room through the open door is noticeably darker).

Sunny, 4s, f14

Cloudy, 13s, f14

In the second image the difference in exposure time was 2 seconds.  It may be noticed in the first image (shot in sunlight) that the shadows in the top left hand corner (near the opening in the roof) are more pronounced than in the second image.

Sunny, 2s, f14

Cloudy 4s, f14

In the third and final image, the difference in exposure time between sunlit and cloudy was 7.5 seconds.  here the main difference is significantly less shadow in the second image compared to the first image.

Sunny, 2.5s, f14

Cloudy, 10s, f14

Part 2

In this part of the exercise the effect of making images under cloudy conditions is explored. Colour under cloudy conditions appears more saturated and this is demonstrated clearly in the first image.  The New York street photographer, Saul Leiter, the first street photographer, to explore the impact of colour in street photography produced many examples of the effect of making images in cloudy conditions and the effect on colour.  Here is one I particularly like.

In the pair of images below the second has been made under cloudy conditions and the detail of the ivy roots on the door is more clearly visible without the distraction of the shadows caused by the sunlight shining through the trees in the background

In the third image below I was trying to allow the textures and shapes of the anchors and ropes speak for themselves.  the presence of shadows if the image had been made in sunlight would, in my opinion, have been a distraction

Robert Doisneau’s image ‘House of Card’ from Paris in 1957 works because the overcast, rainy image lends a griminess to the scene in which a small boy peeks from behind a house of card on the streets of Paris. The same image made in sunlight would not have had the same emotional impact.

Part 3

In this part of the exercise the opportunities afforded by rain and its by-products are demonstrated.  The only image that needs any explanation is the third which is rain on seawater made by a Dslr in Ikelite underwater housing.  Images of reflections in rain water and puddles are legion on the web as in this one not dissimilar to the first below.

Daniel Kukla, a US photographer, has used reflections in mirrors placed on easels to generate very interesting images that reflect (no pun intended) his own biology background.

Light: Project – The Intensity of Light; Exercise 27 – measuring exposure

Exercise 27 of the OCA’s Art of Photography programme is concerned with considering the effect of exposure measurement as part of the design considerations of making the image.  The exercise is in two parts.  Part 1 considers in detail the effect of changing exposure around the camera measured ‘average’ exposure for a range of images.  Part 2 considers the effect of exposure on specific siutations with deliberate over and underexposure.

Part 1

This series of images is from my own portfolio of images and includes an underwater image, three underexposed and one over exposed image.  With the exception of the first image all were shot as jpegs with no post capture adjustment.

The first is an underexposed underwater image in which I was trying to capture both the green of the background water by slowing down the shutter speed (1/30) and yet capture the detail of the velvet swimming crab by using the flash directed at the animal.  The background colour has been captured well but in highlighting the animal with flash some of the detail around it is lost because of the underexposure.

In the second and third images I was trying to use some underexposure to develop the wamth of the colours; red and black in the first and browns in the second.

The final image is taken during a flight and I was trying for a high key approach without losing the detail in the cloud.

Part 2

In Part 2 of the exercise 5 scenes have been captured with exposure ranging from 1 stop, to 1/2 a stop overexposed, normally exposed and 1/2 to 1 stop underexposed.  In all cases aperture was set and the shutter speed was varied.  The images were all collected in late December 2013 between mid morning and mid afternoon.  The white balance was set on auto the iso was set at 200 and matrix metering was used in all the images.  All images were shot as jpegs and no post capture adjustment was undertaken.

1/60, f8

1/100, 58

1/125, f8

1/200, f8

1,250, f8

Of the five it is the 4th (1/250, f8) that captures best the mood  was trying to create of shadows, rock, stone, sand and warmth.

1/60, f5.6

1/100, f5.6

1/125, f5.6

1/200, f5.6

1/250, f5.6

In this image my interest was on the shadow cast by the bell and I was anxious to ensure that this was clear and unambiguous.   A secondary consideration was to capture some of the detail in the wall on to which the shadow fell.  For this image either the correctly (1/100) or underexposed images work for my purposes.

1/30, f5.6

1/50, f5.6

1/60, f5.6

1/100, f5.6

1/125, f5.6

In this image, I wished to  capture the detail of the winding gear and mechanism and the deep red rust colours without the image losing detail or becoming gloomy by being underexposed.  The average exposed image (shown also by the histogram (1/60, f5.6) works best in my opinion.

1/30, f11

1/50, f11

1/60, f11

1/100, f11

1/125, f11

In this image I was primarily interested in the strong diagonals generated by the top of the fencing posts and the fencing wire and the horizontal fence sticks and posts.  the eye being drawn from the diagonals to the mountain was also important.  I was less concerned with the sky, though not to the extent that I was prepared to accept blown highlights.  For these reasons the average (1/60) or half stop overexposed (1/50) versions give me what I was looking for – an emphasis on the details as noted above.

1/60, f16

1/100, f16

1/125, f16

1/200, f16

1/20, f16

In the final image I was concerned with two elements.  The contrast between the strong blue sky and the warm coloured stone and the strong diagonal and vertical lines set against the clear blue sky.  For tboth these reasons the underexposed versions (1/60 and 1/100) are less aceptable than the average exposure of 1/125.  The half stop underexposed image would also have been acceptable but not the 1 stop underexposed.

Michael freeman in The Photographer’s Eye, (Ilex, 2007), the core text for the module, draws attention to the role of exposure in design noting how under or overexposure can draw the eye to particular parts of the image (for example if there are marked contrasts between light and dark the eye is drawn to the light). He also draws attention to the role of exposure in helping to manage saturation. (This matter has been explored in a previous blog). In the images presented above it is clear that  Where colour is a concern, for example, the underwater image in Part 1 and the final image in Part 2 under, or at best, normal exposure is going to work best.  In contrast, where form (e.g. the fence posts of the sand dune) is the matter of concern then normal or slight overexposure appears to work best.