08/07/2020
The creating of an image
Photography isn't just about snapping an image and displaying it. It takes processing and time. With digital photography everywhere, and mobile 'phones' cameras improving in quality, so much is now done for us. However, even with all this technology, there are still flaws in the technology. One of the biggest issues I find is the camera's sensor's determination of the difference between dark and light.
You can expose for light or dark, but the problem is you cannot expose for both at the same time. You'd either have to do exposure bracketing (where you take 2 or more photographs of the same subject, but with different expsures), or you can rely on computer software to do the job for you. If you have limited time, for whatever reason, the latter is your only option. It is amazing, though, even in low light, the amount of information the camera will actually record.
This can be time consuming, and you may find what you end up with is not quite what you hoped for. However, with practice, your skills will improve.
I'd like to share an example. My photograph entitled "The Room" was taken in very low light. I didn't have my tripod with me, and couldn't risk keeping the shutter open for as long as I should have liked, for risk of "camera shake" (otherwise known as 'Photographers' DT').
I wasn't entirely certain as to what I would end up with, but I knew I wanted to capture this unique scene. I took a number of images and left.
With hindsight, I realise I should have kept the "RAW" files, but I genuinely didn't appreciate that what I had photographed had the potential to be something quite so special.
The first image is directly off the camera, with the only processing being to convert from RAW to jpg. It looks pretty dull, and really not very good at all. However, I knew the image had potential, so I took to the computer and began processing.
My original efforts were quite pleasing, and I left things, thinking I'd get back to it, if necessary.
The second image is a monochrome rendition of the original, after processing. The third introduces Sepia as a slight colour enhancement. The final image is full colour, with lens correction, ensuring the photograph doesn't look as though I was drunk when I took it.
I have deliberately not enhanced the colours too much, because I wanted the final photograph to be as close to what I actually saw, as possible.
I'm hoping to return to the church, when it is re-opened, and I hope the room hasn't been changed. I will, of course, take my tripod!
Enjoy.
