Cold Blue Light Of Contemplation
Chapel interior illuminated with cold, blue light produces a tranquil, contemplative scene.
I have a particular fondness for blue light and the mournful, melancholy qualities of that emotionally coldest of lights.
This image showcases the interior of a chapel, illuminated with bluish light, in the grounds of a cemetery in Berlin, Germany.
The feeling inside the space was really contemplative and it was a privilege to be there. If there was space available I would have sat down for a few moments of quite meditation.
I made the image, hand held, at ISO 800 with a shutter speed of 1/30 second and an aperture of f/8.
Being Prepared To Make A Photo
I was at the end of a photography adventure that had taken me to Copenhagen, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and, finally Berlin.
I’d been traipsing around Berlin for the best part of a week photographing street scenes and architecture.
It had been a wonderful trip, but I was terribly tired. It was extremely hot in Berlin, both on the street and in my hotel room, and it was all I could do to get out and about for one last photo walk.
On the long walk back to my hotel I stopped in at a cemetery and was quite overcome by the beauty of this little chapel.
I desperately wanted to make a photo and had prepared my camera (i.e., lens choice, aperture and ISO) to do so prior to entering the chapel.
As a result I was able to make a few frames, quickly and efficiently, from the back of the small chapel prior to heading back out into the heat of a Berlin summer's evening.
Outside a chapel at dusk in Berlin, Germany.
When Is It Okay To Make A Photo?
It was a little strange being there, let alone making the photo. I sat outside for about 10 minutes watching, what I guess were visitors to the cemetery, pop in and out of the chapel.
I made this image of the outside of the chapel in fading light, but felt quite conflicted. Frankly it’s not much more than a snapshot.
I knew in my heart that beauty resided inside the chapel and that further investigation was required.
I decided to take a look inside.
While the chapel is a small and intimate space, it was packed and I wondered if I'd crashed a funeral.
But there was no coffin or minister present and folks were coming and going. I also observed that most people seemed to be dressed quite casually.
After waiting for several more minutes, I concluded that the chapel was simply being used as a place of contemplation and reflection.
I do hope I got that right. If their had been a coffin or minister present, or if a funeral service was underway, I would have left the site without making a photo.
Have you ever been in a place and wondered if you had the right to be there? That’s exactly how I felt.
Sometimes the line between right and wrong is obvious. Other times you have to use your best judgement.
But if you’re approaching photography from the point of view of other rather than self I think the chances of you making a mistake or behaving badly are greatly reduced.
At the very least it’s important to get about you're photography quickly and quietly, making sure you don’t draw attention to yourself.
If you really feel you shouldn’t be there, and you’re unable to ask for clarification, then it’s probably best to be on your way.
I was unsure so, after making a few quick exposures from the back of the chapel, without flash, I left. It’s a pity as I would have loved to have soaked up the atmosphere by staying a bit longer.
About To Travel?
How To Achieve Great White Balance
To ensure accurate color rendition I photographed with my camera set to the Daylight/Sunny white balance setting.
Sounds strange as I was inside, while outside the transition between dusk and night was about to place the cemetery grounds, in which the chapel was situation, into darkness.
But the advantage of the Daylight/Sunny white balance is that it provides the most accurate, though not necessarily the best, color rendition of the scene.
Other white balance settings, including Auto White Balance (AWD), seek to neutralize the color of light reaching the sensor so that it is recorded as white light.
The idea behind this practice is so colors within a scene will be rendered as we would usually perceive them with the human eye.
However, if the color of the light source is anything other than white (e.g., sunrise, sunset, artificial), you’d expect the colors within the scene to record differently.
Just think how the color of a white dress changes when photographed by blue or red light at a night club. The dress takes on the color of the light illuminating it.
But the degree of influence a particular light source has on what we photograph is dependant upon the white balance setting your camera is set to.
If you get this wrong your sunsets, for example, can look quite lacklustre and flat. Sound familiar?
In the case of the above photo neutralizing the color of the light would have removed so much of the emotion brought to the scene by the cool blue artificial light.
That’s why I choose the Daylight/Sunny white balance setting.
The success of this photo is based around the mood it conveys, and I wanted that mood to be maintained in the final result.
White Balance is a significant topic for the enthusiast photographer. It can be very challenging to master and, frankly, there’s a lot of poor information out there on the topic.
I’ve written extensively on White Balance on this site. A good place to start is a post that’s designed to be informative and easy to action. It’s called Light Is Rarely White.
Contemplation Isn’t Enough - Embrace Emotion
If you’re looking to take your photography to the next level I’d advise you to embrace emotion in your photography. There are lots of ways you can make more emotive images.
Choose emotive subjects.
Make photos that explore states such as happiness, vulnerability and love.
Seek out colourful subjects and photograph under the kind of light (quality, direction and color) that is appropriate to the mood or emotion you want to explore.
Photography is a life long endeavour, but to advance your photography it’s important to move beyond shutter speeds, apertures and iso.
When making color photos ensure that color is a major component in the composition you’re constructing. The color of the object or scene and the color of the light can, in fact, become the subject of your photo.
