Pixiq

The right touch of light!

Light is a wonderful tool. Many photographers use flash as a fill light or to enhance their shots. However, when possible, I like available light. I am one that tries to utilize as much of the existing light as possible. After all, more than likely, it is the light that attracts my attention to a particular subject. For me, the subject as experienced is part of the reason for capture.

On most night treks, I see certain things within a scene that may be better rendered by adding a bit of my own lighting. It may be because of a detail that I would like to make more visible or I may want to saturate a color, or perhaps add a glint into some chrome or reflection in glass. There are many reasons to add light to your subjects. Manipulation doesn't have to begin in software.

One way to add light is to use a flashlight. So. in my bag of tricks, I normally carry a small LED flashlight. One of the nice things about LED is that they come in a variety of colors and are small enough to tape a filter to if you need a certain color.

During a long exposure such as an HDR sequence, a small flashlight can add accumulated lighting to anything fairly close to the subject. To paint the scene, I fan the light back and forth over the objects that need attention. With a little practice this is an easily learned procedure. When used skillfully, the effect can be used to transform the image. A simple flashlight can be a great enhancement tool.

With an HDR, sometimes all I need to do is concentrate on the longest exposure in the sequence and let the HDR software blend it into the final HDR render. The image above was done using this technique; to bring out the details of the truck that were facing the camera in what was essentially a backlit scene.

I find that having a flashlight with me at night allows me to see the buttons and setting dials easily in the dark. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a light for helping during setups and to find that dropped lens cap.

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For further reading:

SS HDR - My Way - Part 1

SS HDR - My Way - Part 2

SS HDR - My Way - Part 3

SS HDR Gallery

Also read: It's All About the Image, More SS HDR, Single Shot HDR, Seeing in HDR

THIS POSTING AS WELL AS ANY OR ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND GALLERY IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT - © JOHN NEEL UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AND ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY PUPOSE WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE WRITER, THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR PIXIQ. 

Read more of my posts for articles about digital and analog imaging…

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