Make a wish . . .
Jun, 2022Views
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Winner in monochrome looking out the window Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Virtuoso
Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in an old house that is part of a campground just north of the Susquehanna State Park in Maryland. The house has windows facing in most directions, so window light is available most times during the daytime. This image was taken near a north-facing window, to ensure that the sunlight was not coming directly through the window. The image was taken with the model close to the window to ensure that there would be lots of contrast between the light and dark portions of the image, with the trees in the background, outside of the house, still visible in the image. The model posed with her hand against the window, leading the viewer to wonder just what she was thinking at that moment ;-)Time
This image was taken at 1:45pm in the afternoon.Lighting
This image was captured using window light only. The sun was bright outside, but not coming directly into the window (window was north facing), which provided excellent, high-quality light on the model. The model was posed close to the window, providing for good contrast between light and black in the image.Equipment
This image was taken with a Canon R5 mirrorless camera, using a Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 zoom lens. For camera settings, the aperture was set to f/4, exposure time was 1/50, ISO set to 400, focal length set to 70mm. The photo was taken handheld (no tripod or camera support), using only the natural light in the scene, no flash or reflectors.Inspiration
First, I love window light - it is possibly my favorite light source of all! Having said this, the old house had some pretty rustic windows, with good views of the surrounding property (e.g., trees). It was a scene that just had to be captured. With the model seated close to the window, her hand placed on the window glass resulted in an image that makes the viewer wonder what she is thinking…Editing
I shoot in RAW format for most images, including this one. Editing was done using Lightroom and PhotoShop. Editing for this image included minor adjustments to highlights/contrast, crop adjustments to level up the window, and conversion to B&W in Lightroom. I also removed a few distracting spots on the window in post.In my camera bag
I have been a Canon user for many years. This image was taken with a Canon R5 mirrorless camera. As for lenses that are always in my bag, they include the Canon 24-105 zoom, a 100mm marco lens (that I use for macro as well as portrait images), and frequently a 70-200mm telephoto zoom. Other equipment that I carry includes a variable ND filter, circular polarizer filter, a ColorChecker Passport, and a travel tripod. Regarding the filters, I usually buy filters for the largest lens I carry, then use step up/down adapter ring to mount the filter on smaller lenses... Saves a lot of money that way ;-) Regarding the ColorChecker Passport, if you do a lot of outdoor shooting where there is a lot of green from grass / trees, etc., these are very handy tools to have. You can capture an image of the ColorChecker and then create color correction profiles for most of the popular editing software that enables you to easily remove color casts that often occur when shooting under trees, etc.Feedback
I enjoy taking natural light images outdoors and window light images like this one indoors - - using only the ambient light. For images like this one I try to balance the light from and through the window with the light hitting the subject from the front and back. Creative choices abound here, and range from very high contrast to very low contrast. And I always try to make sure that there is some of the “background” visible through the window. It is useful to try different poses (e.g., sitting/standing, facing the window/glancing at the window, etc.) as they will each result in a unique “look.” Also, choose your window carefully. A north-facing window provides wonderful light, but the outside light will not be coming directly through the window - perfect for this kind of image. And to be sure, there is never just “one right answer” about how to make images like these. Experiment, try different things, and reward yourself with new and unexpected looks in your photography.
