It rained most of the day, which is not the best for photography. As a result, I found myself at 9 pm with no photo and no light. By that time of day, most anywhere else to go for pictures is closed, meaning, once again, I was searching in the house.
I noticed the streetlights slanting in through the windows, and decided the pattern they cast on the walls might make a good photo. Shadows draw me in. So I mounted the camera to the tripod, closed the door to one of the rooms in the house, shut out the light and opened the curtains.
The light coming in wasn’t very bright, so I set the camera to a 30 second exposure. Then, I positioned my body in front of the window, casting my own shadow against the blinds. This proved very challenging. I tried several different windows in the house, with varied results. Some stretched my shadow, others narrowed it. None of the windows had direct lighting, so I had very little space to maneuver, others cast good shadows, but it was over the furniture. And there was the fact that I had to hold still for a solid 30 seconds.
So, with a little help, I hung a spare blind in the middle of the room, got a point light source, and set it up behind me. This worked much better. Now, not only could I control the angle of the light, but I was able to greatly shorten my exposure time. Holding still for a half second is not that bad.
I tried several poses, trying to get myself and my shadow in the right place with relation to the tripod. Here’s best one:
Photo #19: Standing in the Shadows
Tech Details:
Equipment: Sony NEX-5R, 18-55mm standard lens, tripod.
Image: 1/30 sec exposure, f/4, ISO-1600.
(Note: This photo was cropped.)
30days30photos 