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Entries in Melbourne (14)

Tuesday

May072013

Night Photography in Winter

Evening, Melbourne skyline and Yarra River from Southbank. Canon 5D camera and Canon 24mm f1.5 L series lens, 1/4 second @ f1.4.

This photo goes back a few years. It was made on a rainy night in Melbourne, Australia looking across the Yarra River from Southbank towards the city. It's a straightforward image that records the low hanging clouds, illuminated by the city lights, the neon lit train carriageway and the reflections on the river.

The Moment Between Events

But there's something special about night photography. It's an eerie time of day, to be sure. Perhaps it's the sense of quiet, the moment between events, that allows the enthusiastic photographer to more completely immerse themselves into their work. No doubt there's an ethereal quality associated with city lights. A quality that's often amplified when working under inclement weather. It's amazing how the extra moisture in the air is effected by the city lights.

But there's other factors that affect the sense of quiet and stillness within the image. For a start there's usually a lot less people in the city at night compared to the hustle and bustle associated with normal daytime activity.

White Reveals, Black Conceals

The only reason we can differential one note from another in music is because of the space (e.g. silence) between those notes. Theres's an important rule in digital photography which states white reveals, black conceals (e.g. hides). In the case of photography it's the surrounding darkness that both adds a sense of mystery, by hiding some potential image detail and, at the same time, enhances the perceived luminosity of adjacent brighter areas within the image.

Have no doubt that black effects the perceived brightness as well as the actual contrast of an image. If you want your photos to jump of the screen or print consider the relationship between important highlight and shadow areas within the image. And that's as important when composing the image, in camera, as it is working on the desktop.

Portrait of a Young Woman, Post Office, Melbourne

Portrait of a young woman, post office, Melbourne

Where's home for you? Is it the house you own or the flat you rent? Whether you're born and bred, a naturalized citizen, resident or visitor to town I really believe in the saying that home is where the heart is.

You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country

I've lived in Melbourne since 1986, albeit with as much travel as possible along the way. But I was born in Hamilton, a small town of around 8,000 people in Western Victoria and, to me, home is where my parents are. While my dad passed 7 years ago, aged 78, my mum is still rocking on at 85 years of age. Thankfully mum is still in the family home and, though I don't get back has often as I'd like, it will remain my home until my dear old mum moves on.

Wherever you are and whether you see yourself as a local, resident or visitor it's important to have a photographic record of yourself in that environment. While a great record that will grow in importance over the years, it's also important for those that have moved away from home.

Where and When?

Personally I'd recommend that you avoid stuffy studio portraits. Keep it real and have yourself photographed in the same environments where you spend your time. If you're an outdoor person then consider having your portrait made in a favorite park or beach. If you're a creature of the night then a favorite restaurant, pub or nightclub could produce the kind of atmospheric likeness you'd like to be remembered for.

For those of us who live away from family a phone call is a great way to keep in touch. And, of course, there's social media. But Facebook without photos just doesn't cut it. And there's just no substitute for a large photographic print, be it paper, canvas or acrylic based.

Action Leads to Happiness

Please don't make the mistake I have. I'm usually the bunny with the camera. I never seem to get caught in anyone's lights.

Whether we realize it or not, we are loved and fondly remembered by family and friends. But, where distance separates us, it's important to make the effort and have some beautiful photographs made that tell the story of some of the more positive aspects of our current lives.

After all they just want you to be happy and a lovely portrait is a great way to affirm that desire.

What's more these photos can help us to understand that our lives are actually pretty good and that, compared to many other folk, we're lucky to be living the life we are. Are we not?

How to Make A Nostalgic Photograph

Street Lamp Parliament House, Melbourne, Australia

I'm as nostalgic as the next man. Perhaps we're so attracted to nostalgia because it represents a time and a way of life that seems so much slower and simpler than the one in which we currently find ourselves. In some ways it's a myth, but a very seductive one.

The Recipe to Nostalgia in Photography

To make nostalgic photos we need, first of all, old world subject matter. Cobbled streets, traditional irish pubs, old time vehicles, farm implements and the everyday apparatus that would have surrounded us in bygone days.

The above photo features a classic street lamp outside Parliament House in Melbourne, Australia. It's a simple enough photo made, looking upwards, towards a clear blue sky. I positioned myself so that the lamp was between my camera and the sun. This helped me both avoid a silhouette and add the impression of light to the street lamp during daylight hours.

Actually the end of day feel that often results from photographing backlit subject matter lends itself well to creating the feeling of nostalgia in a photograph. What's more, to further remove the subject matter from our modern world, a black and white rendering is often successful. Adding a warm tone to the image, as evident here, further enhances the result.

The Artist's Job

Photography usually starts with interesting subject matter. Understanding lighting, exposure, composition and image processing will allow you to produce a good photo. But the photo is unlikely to have a life of its own without being underpinned by the intention of the maker. And isn't that the primary job of the artist, to transform the world we see and embed it with a deeper sense of meaning?