My cousin James had a reputation as a kid for taking things apart. One Christmas he dismantled down to the wiring every gift he was given. Remote-control cars? Give him 20 minutes, and there would be nothing left but a pile of tiny screws, little motors, and the tears of his mother who probably should have known better than to give him such an expensive present.
But the extraordinary thing is, he learned to put them back together again, and it didn’t surprise any of us when he became one of those people who could rebuild or fix anything as an adult.
Taking things apart and figuring out why they work is one of the best ways to learn something, and while I don’t recommend it with your cameras, it’s probably the most powerful way to learn to make photographs.
I was told that the best way to learn to make photographs is to make a lot of them, and that’s impossible to argue with. But I made thousands of photographs for years before they became good photographs. One of the things that turned it around for me was a simple exercise. Now a habit, it’s simple, can be done anywhere, and will change the way you look at—and make—photographs.
Take them apart. Layer by layer, strip them down. And as you do, ask yourself this one big question (smaller questions to follow): What makes the image work? Maybe you don’t think it works, but you can still ask: what makes it look the way it does?
It’s simple reverse engineering. Begin by just looking at an image for a bit. Let your eyes wander the frame. Be aware of what you think or feel. Are there hidden surprises the longer you look? Most images can’t be fully enjoyed with the kind of quick glance we give them. Where does your eye go? What’s it about?
Now ask what makes it work. Another way to put it might be this: What decisions did the photographer make that lead to it looking like this?
You could start with questions like these:
- Did the shutter speed contribute anything to the image?
- What about the chosen aperture or where the focus was placed?
- Did the overall choice of exposure, either brighter or darker, make the image feel a certain way?
- Where was the camera when the image was made? Does that contribute something?
- Can you tell which kind of focal length was used? What does that choice add to the image?
Just a few simple questions, but asking them can help us become more visually literate. And the more deeply you go with it, the more you’ll learn. Now ask why: Why did the photographer make those choices and not others? Sometimes they won’t matter; sometimes it’s one big decision that makes the image work. Other times it’s a combination of choices without which the photograph would fall apart.
And you can do this with darkroom work too, though there is a bit more guesswork involved:
- What do you think the photographer might have chosen to do with brightness or contrast?
- Is it bright or dark?
- High contrast or low?
- What about saturation or the way the colours work?
- If it’s black and white, why do you think that decision was made?
- Do you think it would be as powerful in colour?
- Where does your eye go in the frame?
I want to try an interactive exercise with you, and there’s a $400 prize on the line for one of you.
I’m going to show you one of my photographs, and for the darkroom portion, I’ll make it easier by sharing what my RAW file looks like (below). You can choose to do the exercise on your own, or you can play along with the rest of us and do it over at my blog, where you can leave your answers and look at the answers of others.
I’ll play as well, and on Wednesday, I’ll send you an email with a link to a video of me unpacking the image from start to finish. And to give you a little motivation, I’ll put a prize on the line and draw the name of one person who plays along to give it to.
Here’s that image, both before and after:
So, what choices made this image look the way it does?
What decisions both in-camera and in the digital darkroom do you think I made? Guesses are fine. But for each of them, because there’s no magic in specific shutter speeds or focal lengths, the big question remains: Why did I choose that?
What effect does it have in the image? How would the image be different if I’d made a different choice about shutter speed or aperture, focal length, or my point of view (where I put the camera)? What if I’d used the light differently? What about the darkroom? Can you tell which overall changes I made? Don’t worry about how for now. Is it brighter? More contrast? Saturation? And if so, did I change the saturation everywhere? What about dodging and burning, can you see how I might have gently nudged your eye away from some elements in order to draw it toward others?
I’m going somewhere with this, and on Wednesday, I’ll send you that video I promised and talk more about how this approach can forever change your photography as it has done for me. For now, take a look at the images, and if you want to play along, head to my blog here and leave your own thoughts and answers to these questions in the comments. The winner will be chosen randomly and it’s just for fun, but the prize is a good one—it’s worth almost $400. Just be sure to reply before this Wednesday because that’s when I’ll announce the winner and the prize.
So what makes the image work? What choices made it look and feel the way it does? Leave a comment and I’ll draw one name randomly for a great prize.
The best thing about this is there are no secrets. Every image in the world is there to be unpacked and learned from, and I want to teach you how to do that because if you can learn to do it with the photographs of others, you can learn to make those decisions and understand the effect of them when you’re holding your camera and making your own photographs.
See you on Wednesday!
For the Love of the Photograph,
David
Comments
I can only add a bit to the wonderful comments above. Globally, the tones are warmer in the finished photo, warmer and less blue.
And that makes the blue of his robe really stand out, you intensified that locally. What I notice is that there is a tiny line in the upper left corner, the beam of light from the open door. That is opposite to the downward beam of light shining from the window. And in the original, there is a triangle in the lower left that is lighter. You lightened the shadows in the lower right to form a sort of a triangle on the lower right corner. So what you have is a sort of X of light areas that point to the man in the center of the X. It’s not a perfectly aligned X but it does draw the eye from the outer corners inward to the man. The lines in the carpets on the right also lead your eye in to the man. And, you balanced the light on the lower left side with that of the lower right side. You have lightened his face and the lower part of his head wrap, perhaps with a radial mask, lightened his robe, but intensified the blue. Perhaps some extra texture, clarity and also using the dehaze slider (or should I say the haze slider) to bring out the dust motes. I know there’s more, I’m still learning here, but this is fun and I am anxious to see if I got any of your adjustments correct!
In camera decisions you made are:
1 – Placed the subject within the door frame mostly.
2- metered the exposure with a spot meter from the pinkish wall behind the subject OR the bright area of the white top of the subject’s garb.
3- … and you left the rest of the interior space fall to near-black / black.
4- made sure that the shaft of light falling on the subject was not blown-out by checking the first test shot
5- the focal length was chosen to facilitate the inclusion of the cross @ at the upper right of the frame and placed the subject in the shaft of light from the cross… you asked what will be Within The Frame!
The post/development strategy was to enhance and build on the in-camera decisions mentioned above.Specifically,
1- brightened the subject and his surrounding floor area slightly using Curves with a mask of the area including the subject
2- reduced the highlight & increased the saturation of the pinkish wall behind the subject, using Curves and HSL layers with identical masks (or equivalent in Lr).
3- increased the luminance of the shaft of light to match the brightness of the subject.
In summary: both in-camera & development decisions were designed to drive the viewers’ gaze to the subject, then along the shaft of light to the cross shaped opening, then back to the subject. You prevented the viewers’ gaze from falling off the frame and stay “Within the Frame”!
Thanks for this opportunity to learn using one of your great images!
I’m new at this but I can see that you warmed up the image, lifted room details out of the shadows, I think increased the highlights in the light rays and that did a great job of guiding the viewer’s eye from the bright lights in the window down to the manuscript and then up to the man’s face. The physical illumination of the manuscript feels symbolic of the inner illumination the man appears to be experiencing and that insight is warmly reflected on his face.
It is going to be hard to say anything that has not already been said in prior posts, but Its a fun challenge and a great image steeped in symbolism to the point that it looks like a painting from the Renaissance or the Age of Enlightenment, especially given the chiaroscuro lighting. I am assuming that the man in the image may have posed for you, and it not, then you captured a great moment in time, most likely with a lens full frame focal length of somewhere between 20-35mm, most likely closer to the wider focal length.
The lighting from the window is rakish and harsh, suggesting mid-day light, and you have exposed to keep the highlights in the man and book, but may have blown out any detail in the window. As the DOF renders a somewhat sharp background, you shot stopped down and probably had a relatively slow handheld shutter speed. Hard to say if you pushed the ISO extensively in such a small image, but the raw file does not seem to indicate it was pushed much.
Now, on to the post processing, where lots of things were done to really make the image shine. First, the images is warmed up quite a bit, as evident by the tones in the man’s clothing. Saturation was also increased as can be seen in the colors in the room through the doorway. The shadows in the raw image in the right half of the image image have been lightened, and that brings a bit more texture into the image and also grounds the man, as the carpets are now more apparent
With regards to subject and composition, as I said above, this is an image that harkens to many a painting from the Renaissance or the Age of Enlightenment. The man appears to be a holy man dressed in some traditional clothing, and the light from the cross-shaped window illuminates him, and more importantly, what we believe is a holy manuscript. It is a very timeless and classic subject matter and composition.
To end, I would love to see a higher resolution copy ( or ideally a larger print) of the final image to see more details in the image.
–Ken
Excellent exercise in general and I will give it a go with one of my images. In terms of the image you provided. The original image was likely inspired by the solitary figure and the fact that he was primarily illuminated by light from the window providing a “side light” and light from the door that provided back light – a naturally lit scene. The exposure is excellent given that that there was very little light and you were careful not to blow out the exposure on the light coming from the window, although it is a bit overexposed but not terribly. I image you metered on his upper body.
In post processing, you have accentuated the ray of light coming from the window (perhaps with a radial filter added). You have also adjusted the brightness and white balance on his upper torso, so that the “blueness is reduced” and his face is better lit.
You have opened the shadows slightly so that the viewer can see a bit more of the dark room he is standing in and we can faintly make out the walls too. I think this likely opened up the colour on his robes too
You have also warmed the light coming from the door so that the colour pallete is a bit stronger and complements the colour of the room.
The overall warming of the scene adds a comforting feeling to the scene and so rather than a “cold” look at the priest, it now looks warm and inviting .
First of all, I really appreciate the encouragement to deconstruct the image and spend time with it…
Those participants above, in this exercise, are very well informed photographers and make wonderful observations , which has helped me to better understand the process of critique and constructive feedback.
For me the “decisive moment” and story of the image, with the edits ( as mentioned by others) evokes a strong emotional response. Spirituality, religious symbolism, the use of negative space and giving us just enough of the environment for context. I find this facilitates an emotional response in me of mystery and gets me asking so many questions… it stirs the imagination.
Your program “Shoot What It Feels Like” is most helpful in giving me an appreciation for the power of post processing.
Thank you so much for giving us a glimpse of your process and sharing this beautiful photograph.
It seems that you used a wide angle lens to give a sense of place to the man holding the manuscript, showing us not just the person, but where he is standing. Since the idea was an illuminated manuscript, you used the light from the small interestingly shaped window opening to do just that to the book. You placed the camera at such as height so as to be looking slightly down on the man so you could see the pages of the book and positioning him so that he was balanced in the photograph by the window, creating a connection between the two with the light. (I love the dust motes!) You also positioned yourself (or him) so that both sides of the door frame are visible, but he is not perfectly in the center of it. The most perfect focus is on the man’s face, as it should be, but other elements are also in pretty good focus, such as the wall outside the door which lets us in on the rustic location.
Opening up the shadows in post processing allows the viewer to see the intricate rugs(?) on the floor and to bring more depth to the image. A very slight warming of the color palette in the shadows adds to the mystery. Complementary colors are the icing on the cake. Thanks again!
HI David, I think you were fairly close to the subject and used a wide angle lens to capture the room and the cross. Most likely a higher ISO because of the low lighting on the walls and floor. It appears that you are standing on something to bring you a foot or two above the man which allows you to capture more of the carpet design since you are pointing the camera downward.
You added exposure to the shadows allowing the floor and right wall to be seen better. Most likely added Clarity and Texture to that too.
You reduced lighting in the back hallway and may have added some Vibrancy, to it to achieve the final color. Probably added texture and clarity to the back hallway too.
Added light to to mans face and hand. Also to the lower part of his robe to bring out the blue color better. Guessing some Clarity and Texture on his face and turban.
The light from the cross has been adjusted to show the light rays better and become a spot light to the man. This allows our eye to go to the cross first and because of the light beam your eye follows the rays directly to the man and the rest of the photo. Once you get through the room, the man and back door, the eye goes back to the cross. This brings religion into the photo and a sense of place as well as to what the man is ready that is probably scripture.
You really thought out the significance of this photo. Very well done. Thank you for the opportunity to participate David
Beautiful picture David.
This reverse engineering is a great exercise I try and remember to do when looking at pictures I particularly like. You did well in getting the exposure right for the mans face and clothing as well as lining up the door, the man, the window and the light from the window. He would have to be standing still for me to get those things right! I’m sure you could do it if he was moving though 🙂
You’ve toned down the bright parts that attract the eye and brightened some parts to add detail and enhance the mystery. Loving the dust in the light rays and the slight glare at the window edge, though I see you’ve fixed a particular hot spot of glare.
Thanks for all the work you put into educating us.
I think the juxtaposition and illumination of the warm vs cool colors on the subject are what makes the final image incredible.
– opened up shadows globally
– removed the flare on the top right edge of cross-shaped window
-decreased the exposure in the window
– increased the exposure on the light beam
-warmed up the upper body of the subject
– increased exposure of the face of the subject
-cooled down the lower body of the subject
-decreased the exposure in the doorway behind the subject
-edges of image slightly darkened to draw eye to center
The original RAW image appears to have been shot with a daylight WB. The exposure pushed up to the point where the whites on the curve are at the right edge of the histogram, allowing as much shadow detail to be preserved on the left. Other colours ended up with a slightly washed out look as a result.
Processing appears to have taken the image to a warmer WB. Details in the shadows were also very nicely brought out while whites were slightly softened. Beautiful effect was created by bringing out the light beam shiny on the priest to bring the focus to him. Boost in the blues and reds helps to bring more attention to the key subject, while boost to the oranges results in fabulous shadow details being revealed.
A wonderful photograph overall! Thank you for sharing!
Wow, this is a great exercise. Great photo to that shows editing will improve the image.
1. It starts with the composition and placement of the subject. In the doorway, off to the left, parallel to the cross window.
2. The camera settings would be next. Maybe f5 to get some depth to get the textures on the wall but still keep the other walls dark. Shutter speed would depend on the subject movement. If he is still, it could be fairly slow. Lens could be a factor too. Maybe a 35
3. WB was warmed up on subject and the window
4. Texture, saturation on the wall behind subject.
5. Mask that brought a beam of light from window to subject to bring eye back to subject.
I am sure there was more but loved the exercise and will spend more time on images to improve my own which was the point.
Thank you. Robin
3.
The viewer’s eye is drawn to the man in the doorway. There are several reasons for this. He is positioned on the left side and angled towards the right. The light from the window was made brighter and draws the viewer’s eye to the man. There is contrast between light and dark that also draws the viewer’s eye to the man, and in particular, to his face, hands and the book. The darkness of the room and of the lower half of his body leads the viewer to notice the man’s face, the cross-shaped window, the light, and the light behind the door. The color behind the door appears to have an orange tone while the man’s robe seems to have a blue tone. These complementary colors, which are more saturated in the after image, also draw the viewer’s eye. There is a visual triangle between the man, the window, and the bags on the floor. This too draws the viewer’s eye to the man.
Great exercise! Thanks for creating this activity.
I guess the general idea behing this picture was to make this spiritual moment less cold and more about warmth and wisdom. As the man in the center of the picture is enlightnen by spirituality. The room seems tiny and very dark, the picture is overall sharp so my guess is a 35mm f/3.2.
For the shutter speed : low enough to have a bright picture but fast enough to keep the shadow effects, I’ll go with a 1/400 without tripod.
Position of the photographer : on an angle on the left of the subject otherwise you lose the dynamic of the reading action and you lose the dynamic of the light beam hitting and lighting up the pages. Also, camera up and pointing slighty down not straight to the man’s face (or David is just taller than the man).
Darkroom editing :
Overall warmer tone in the shadows and highlights in the room, in the door on the back , the man’s skin and clothes and the windows.
The wall where the cross window is, the exposure was increased a little to see the details of the bricks.
Also the floor exposure was increased a lot to reveal the carpet.
The beam light was kept in a cooler tone (light ligh blue) to bring forward the beam, accentuate the general idea / theme of the image and also give direction to the beam that lights from the window to the man / book.
Beam light blue-ish with light orange – mangenta room are complementary colors so they work together without jarring.
The back door is more satured and magenta-ish than the rest of the picture to anchor (or accentuate) the subject position. The eye go directly on the center and can identify three main subjects : man reading, back door and light beam + window.
The book pages are warmer yellowish and brighter to express the finish course of the light.
First of all, thank you for offering this exercise and the opportunity to read many comments from experienced photographers here. Since I am a beginner who has picked up a camera again after almost two decades, I first tried my hand at editing the RAW in darktable. The comparison of my results with the final photo is very instructive for me.
In the presented processing, more saturation of the colors (I think also a little more red tone) creates more warmth. The slight increase in exposure shows the light coming in from the window. The darkening of the door creates the frame for the person.
As a viewer, you are part of the concentrated reading while the page is being turned. However the picture was taken, the person is not disturbed.
I have no experience of how to deal discreetly with this person at such a moment as a photographer to make such a shot possible. Technically, I imagine a high ISO, a telephoto lens and a slightly elevated position for the camera, perhaps even on a tripod.
The result is a picture to meditate on!
Translated with DeepL.com
The very first choice is subject matter; the second is where the photogrpaher’s camera was. I would guess on a tripod with aremote trip. The adjustments alter the light portions of the image, not the dark portions. I’m not sure I agree with all the adjustments, I think I would have not warmed the window/dark behind the subject; and I would have gone for a tighter crop.
This is a very atmospheric & iconic image.
To my eyes it looks like exposure settings were made to expose for the highlights.
This makes sense as the scene has a huge dynamic range.
This has resulted in the image being underexposed overall.
In the RAW file the light coming in from the cross-shaped window is a bit bright & harsh and directs the eye away from the priest who is the main subject. Looks to me that the highlights have been reduced on the window to help direct the viewer’s eye back to the priest.
Also there has been an increase in exposure on the priest (possibly done with a radial gradient).
That helps make the priest stand out better from the background.
Looks like some warmth & contrast have been added to the priest as well.
The beams of light from the window have been enhanced to help connect the priest with the cross-shaped window – possibly with the use of a brush in the masking panel adding luminance to the light beams.
The shadows on the right-hand side of the priest have been increased and possibly some warmth or saturation added.
I think this adds some depth to the image.
I think the final image is much better than the original RAW file.
The changes make it a much more compelling photo.
Nic work David.
This is such a lovely photograph. I have seen it in one of your books too and have always loved it. These are my thoughts on the image and the processing that might have been done.
1. Camera position is at the same level as the subject to help the viewer feel the similar experience of light falling through the window. A slightly wider lens has been used I think.
2. The focal length is such that the texture of the wall outside the door is felt
3. Highlights have been increased to emphasize the light falling through the window
4. Light has logic and because of the increased flow of light, exposure on the walls and the floor has been increased. That allows the viewer to get a sense of the room, the carpets and the material and texture of the walls
5. The highlights on the subject’s face has been increased to show the reflection of light off the pages of the open book. The WB has been made warmer and saturation on the subject’s clothes has been increased, also the contrast. All this helps make the subject look even more dramatic.
6. The saturation and WB of the wall that is visible through the open door has been increased slightly. The highlights there have been reduced or it could be burning to ensure that it aids and not competes with, the light coming through the window
A really well balanced image. While it might be called the ‘Rule of Thirds’, its just a guide as to how to balance images by moving the point of interest away from the centre and this image is a great illustration of doing that As most people are right handed, most tend to look to the right first then follow the ray of light to the person hence creating a dynamic feel to hat is a static composition. That explains the in camera work.
Lightroom work. There has been a lot of adjustment, both overall and local but not overdone like some do. Warming the image works well here, lightening and brightening the face was essential and bringing detail out of the shadows on the right hand corner provides context for where the scene is. Overall adjustments were chosen to increase the brightness and contrast as RAW files are typically very flat, lighten and brighten wanted features like the light ray, face, clothes and book while downplaying by darkening features that were not wanted as they drew attention such as the scene beyond the window and the bright light in the cross. Also the lens flare around the bright light in the cross was toned down and removed where possible.
Suggested changes, remove that light string line on top left and I am not entirely sure if the window behind the man was the best choice as in some ways it reduces the focus on the reader. I suspect the idea was to provide both a frame and some background context. However, an image with no window at all would probably be not as effective, its a matter of how its used.
Hi David,
You gave your subject lost of space, even if the bottom is quite tight, cropping the shoes . The fact that her is a direct light on the priest drives our eye directly and dodging it further it makes the difference. Further more the shape of the window it gives a clearer picture of the location, the subdued light coming from the back door detaching the portrait from the background gives it depth.
Thanks for the exercise!
A wonderful composition, made into a very moving image by the processing. This brings Psalm 18:28 to mind, “For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”
In camera some things that I noticed (and maybe just me imagination);
-The open door inviting everyone into the room
– locating the man’s face at camera level where it will be seen first
– the setting is an austere room with nothing to distract from the story; the light from the cross, the man and the writings. Clearly what is important is brought forward
– whether accidental or deliberate, the intent with which the man is reading the writings conveys the importance to him
– setting the composition so the light from the cross angles downward over the man and the manuscript
– using additional lighting to symbolize the man is completely lit by the light from the cross, and also additional lighting for the manuscript and man’s face
For me the post processing raises the photo for emotional impact. Possibilities for pp might be;
– enhancing the stream of light coming from the cross
burning the light in the doorway so that it does not compete with the more important portions of the photo
– warming the colours in the photo to create a connection with the man and the light from the heavens.
– masking and slightly increasing the exposure in the room to show its simplicity. The story is the man, the writings and the light from the cross
– Increasing the exposure also shows the room is a place of prayer and worship; the cushions beneath the cross for prayer and a quiet location for study and meditation.
Thank you for sharing this photo.
The finished edit is warmer. This warmth and the how the rugs are more visible in the edit makes the space feel cozier than the dark, brick-walled room would initially offer. The string in the upper left that remains, though it would have been easy to remove, and the rumpled nature of the rugs leaves questions. It makes me curious as to what this space is. Why is the priest standing and reading in this light? What is the purpose of this room?
The placement of the lit door frame directly behind the priest prevents the bright open door from visually competing in the frame. The edit also has taken advantage of the open door to provide a subtle, glowing halo around the man.
Positioning of the camera is key as well as the use of natural lighting. The camera is held high enough to look downwards on the “holy man” just enough to allow the viewer the ability to see what the man is doing with his hands and to better catch the light reflections on his upper body and face. The camera’s exposure manages to keep a fine balance between blowing out the whites and hiding the shadows. By brightening the beam of light coming through the cross-shaped window a story is told. It’s similar to drawings of persons who are considered to be holy beings bathed in the light of their god. By lifting the lighting on the floor the man now is better grounded and connected with the earth. The carpets are revealed beside him which could have a number of meanings as the one beside him is not laid flat, it seems. By positioning your camera so that the open doorway is mostly behind him, it reveals an opening to the outer world signifying that he is in his quiet space away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. He is in a quiet, safe sanctuary where it is just bright enough to read under the beam of light.
As I see it, the image is warmed enough to make it feel comfortable for him to be there. Because it’s so dark in the room I, as the viewer, feel like I’m privileged to be able to witness a quiet moment with a “holy man” during his meditative reading. It’s like the photographer wasn’t in the room or was there unobtrusively enough to not disturb his quiet moment. I think that may be a key element of this photo. The choices of the camera settings and the post-processing are emphasizing that quiet respect and perhaps even, reverence.
The light rays coming from the cross on the wall and the emphasis on the man’s face isolates the subject. That lighting as well as the door behind him creates depth. The man’s face riveted on the book and the highlighted, but still darker, surrounding room creates a mood of reverence and solitude.
Whilst the raw image is very powerful, I feel the post processing is slightly over done. The increased exposure and focus on the Preist (the main subject) works well, but the emphasis on the light beam through the crucifix window for me is overdone. This is pointing the eye towards the Preist but it is not the focus of the image. I don’t think this image needs it – a little too cinematic. A powerful image (which this is) needs a light touch in editing. I actually prefer the raw image, without the edit, despite the better accentuation of the main subject in the final edit.
The picture has a beautiful composition, and it seems to be roughly following the rule of thirds – the person on the left and lower line, and the cross-window near the top and right line. Though some may say that rule of thirds is over-used, it does suit this image nicely to frame the subject and the source of light this way. Leaving the space around the individual gives a nice context to where he is, and showing the source of light to be a cross-shaped window seems to indicate this is a person of the Christian faith, and may be located in a church of some sort.
The entire image looks to be made warmer, giving it a more pleasant, less antiseptic feel; the warming also makes the look of the man to be more appealing and less cold. The only exception seems to be the man’s robe, which looks to be a more saturated blue, which is a great contrast to the red/warmer tones everywhere else.
The light beams seem to be made brighter to make them more obvious, which is nice because it adds to the atmosphere, and the light beams make the picture very interesting and dynamic. The man is also made a bit brighter to draw more attention to him. The bottom right of the image seems to be brighter so that it’s easier to see the context of where this person is, and possibly provide information about his humble circumstances. Whereas the top, above the doorway (or is it a window?), is darkened somewhat, I’d think because there’s of little interest there, since it’s only a non-descript wall.
Thanks David I find that the Image creates a sense of place and contemplation, the positioning of the subject in the shaft of light from the cross on the right and the body in the doorway with the door ajar help emphasis the subject. The use of a low camera angle to the mans head and fill flash help add illumination to the mans face. Lifting the shadows on the right hand side adds some detail to the side wall and a sense of mystery as to the design / detail of the floor rug. The subtle use of a vignette to the left side of image keeps the viewers eye towards the subject.
This a a very poetic picture.
Light links the whole picture; by enhancing the light in edit, the detail is brought out and the focal point becomes, to me apparent. The beauty and focus of the light with the swirling motes in the air. To me it speaks of enlightenment, there’s possibly a religious air about it, but the light rests on the book the man reads and reflects back up to his face, the idea that what he reads is enlightening, fulfilling, gives meaning.
Very beautiful. I love the magic of editing a RAW file and drawing out what is not always apparent.
I don’t always see it, amateur that I am, and tend to have happy accidents! Always striving!
The main change I see you made was using brightness slider overall to emphasize the light shaft connecting the cross with the main subject.
Doing so both helps guide the viewer’s eye in one direction instead of it being distracted from being drawn back and forth from subject to brightest part within the whole frame.
Increasing brightness enhances the main subject make him more interesting to continue viewing as well.
The rays of light coming in were highkighted in the finished image. It leads the eye to the book he is holding. There is more light on his face so easier to read emotion.
The light and darks in the image evoke an emotional response.
I really like the balance in this image and the directional light from the cross and motes that you seem to have dodged a little . The warmer feel of the edit along with raising the shadows on his face gives more power to the story you are telling. Deepening the colour of his shirt to a more yellow tone and his skirt more blue and highlighted helps isolate him from the background. And the window behind him helps in framing him in your ‘wish it was mine’ image!!
Firstly thank you for making me look longer at this image. Instagram seems to be training us to just glance at images.
I feel you are drawing our attention to a treasured book, held in a lowly abode. Potentially the man could be part of some Ethiopian religious order as you have appeared to have used a wide angle lens to show us more of the environment including the window in the shape of a cross. The main emphasis seems to be more on the book as you have chosen to place the book right in the sunbeams. This both makes it the brightest part of the image other than the light outside the window, thus drawing our attention, and also hinting at a spiritual/godly origin. I also enjoy the warmth you have added, reclaimed in the image in processing.
I think you have worked to gain the co-operation of the man in the image. As he appears to have been placed in the best position for the lightbeams to fall on the book, whilst also illuminating his face, whilst the open door behind provides a little rim light and some light on the right side of his head. I feel a relatively low shutter speed will have been chosen due to the lowlight levels and to avoid too much noise in the shadows. Thus needing his cooperation in standing still to avoid any blur. You haven’t placed the camera low angling up to give the man prominence, which again makes me think the book is the main subject.
I feel there is a surprise in the contrast between the two luxury carpets and the rough brick walls. Perhaps a further hint that the book is treasured and deserving of the best furnished room.
In post processing, you have chosen to open up the shadows on the window room side, so we can see the carpets and the brickwork. I think in shooting you chose to safeguard the highlights knowing you could bring back detail in the shadows in post processing. You appear to have saturated some of the colours in post processing. Perhaps because colours seem to be desaturated in the dark but this is how the colours looked to your eyes or maybe because these areas were more in the light.
However both the ceiling and the wall to the right of the man appears to have been darkened perhaps for contrast, or that there is nothing in that area that adds to the story, and also to keep our attention returning to the man, the book and other details of interest.
It seems that you must have spoken with this man as you set up this photo. That allowed you (apparently) to move him so that the beam of light was hitting his face as well as the book he was reading. His eyes closed or focusing on the book makes this much more contemplative in mood. That is matched by the overall tone of the photo. It is mostly dark with a clear emphasis on the book and the man and the light streaming in from his left. The composition of the photo is enhanced by where you stood for the photo.
It seems that in processing you opened up the shadows a bit and enhanced or enriched the colors on the inside of the window frame. I like, also, that you toned down the bright light in the window, and got rid of the large light flare on the upper right of the cross part of the window. I like also how when you opened up the shadows the subtle colors of the rugs and the hallway show up more fully.
The POV provides a diagonal between the person and the window. The inclusion of the door gives a sense of place and a grounding object for the person so that they don’t appear to be floating in a sea of blackness. The focal length is enough to have the three elements of the image in focus. The shutter was fast enough that the person, who appears to be walking, is not blurred, nor is his hand turning the page blurred (a little soft, maybe, but clear).
The postprocessing includes a warming of the tones throughout. The floor is brightened to bring out the rugs, providing a sense of place and again so the person does not appear to be floating. The light streaming from the window is enhanced to provide a strong diagonal line to the book. The person is brighter and more saturated, especially the face.
50 – 70mm @f8 – 11 1/125 ISO1600+
I think the photographer was 20 or so feet from the subject, so a relatively wide focal length to get the scene. Side light is the best choice to get the composition and the angle looks to be optimized for getting the light rays at the desired angle. The door and wall in the background are in focus, so a smaller aperture. No motion blur that I can detect, so as long a shutter speed as possible without blur. Assuming handheld, no tripod. Given the lighting and the aperture, the composition needs a high ISO (think I see some grain on closer inspection). The exposure needed to be set to get the light on the subject’s face and the book without blowing anything out. Also exposure to not totally blow out the light coming through the window.
I am assuming the result was not HDR/DRO and was not extensively cropped. The scene constraints required lightening shadows in post to get some detail of the carpet and the interior wall as well as adding highlights of the streaming light to bump the light rays and add a bit of an effect. Plus saturation and maybe vibrancy adjusted. Not sure about white balance or any adjustments to the color space.
Beautiful photo!
I have taken this photograph with my 28 mm , automatic iso and priority aperture (f8) and under exposure I think.
The strength of this image is the negative space that takes us into a serene atmosphere. Only two objects are present in this photograph the cross and the book. We are close to a minimalist photo.
The post production allowed to add a divine light thread on the prayer book, and lighten the face of the subject. A guideline has been established between the cross, the eyes of the character and his book
The ochre colour of the background makes us think of an old place, an old building.
There is a certain power between the white garment of the subject, the white page and the cross .
Also note that the character does not move he is focused on what he is doing , he seeks a passage to read, the speed of the camera allowed to freeze this moment.
Initially—By metering on the light at the window, the OOC shot appears so dark, but allows all the post processing to happen without blowing out the brights. I think most of the magic was done post…
bringing up the shadows (and probably lowering the highlights?) allows us to get the sense of space and surrounding by slightly illuminating the stone wall and the rugs. It also brought out more detail in the doorway…colors were slightly saturated. The light beams coming from the window were emphasized….as was the man, making him truly the subject of the scene…by selectively increasing the exposure?
Lovely story told.
This image is multi-faceted and works on many interrelated levels.
First is the scene. It draws immediate attention because of the human elemen, the man’s dress and the somewhat mysterious setting. People enjoy looking at people, especially those from other cultures engaged in their daily lives.
Second, the image possesses a strong spiritual element that’s both implicit and explicit. The light outside the door suggests entering or transitioning to another place. The cross-shaped window evokes notions of spirituality and faith. This is reinforced by the “God rays” of light streaming from the cross-shaped window, which highlight the book and ultimately reflect, literally and metaphorically, on the man’s contemplative face. In the viewer’s mind, this creates an implicit sense of “revelation” or the impression of a special, simple moment of spiritual reflection.
Third, the basic visual elements are all present in the raw image and are simply structured. Most of the editing occured the moment the image was captured. Only minor exposure, contrast and shadow adjustments were made to enhance the image.
Fourth, the key compositional elements align with the “rule of thirds” and are emphasized by the negative space around each element. The placement of the bright, cross-shaped window on the right side of the image, along with the post-processing emphasis on the “God rays,” guides the viewer’s eye from right to left, following the light ray to the book and ultimately to the man’s face. The photographer has also chosen to bring up the shadows in the floor area to balance the negative space and further define the space in which the subject is present.
You exposed in the camera for the lightest parts of the scene, not to worried about the darker elements, knowing you could handle those in post. In post you increased the exposure slightly on rhe figure and brought up the highlights a little to bring out the lightbeams from the window. You did some color adjusting on the white turban and shawl, enhanced the lighting on the blue bottoms and did a litte color adjustment on the light from the doorway, plus bringing out some light in the foreground shadows.
Very nice image, by the way!
Your image seems to evoke spiritual enlightenment and an openness to a benevolent spiritual force. The adjusted image accomplishes that through increasing the overall warmth, opening up the dark areas of the subject’s face and the area around his body. You would have underexposed the image to retain detail in the highlights while dodging the floor around the figure and the rays cast through the cross in the darkroom to bring back some detail there. Opening the overall shadows may have brought out too much shadow detail, distracting the viewer from the essential elements. Three highlights – cross, book and opening behind the man – create a pleasing triangle, with the edge angles of the cross and opening echoing that of the book in the man’s hands. The opening behind the subject separates him from the background. The fact that it’s not fully open and the turning page suggest what’s happening here is a process – the light brings understanding but questions remain. What an engaging exercise!
I can tell you saturated the image to bring life into the image. The lighting was enhanced on the man to emphasize the main subject and to point out the light from the cross window beaming directly on him making the statement of a loving God illuminating the darkness for those who seek him, as inferred by the man’s book he is looking at.
The floor was lightened so as to not be a big dark hole, but to give him a foundation to stand on.
The doorway is lit and enhanced to suggest the way is open to all.
The final image is improved by a slight lightening of the room showing more detail in the dark walls but retaining the drama of the setting and allowing the viewer to take in the complete environment. Adding ight to the face and hands keeps the eye focused on the important details and deepening the colour of the doorway makes the head and shoulders stand out in a 3d effect.
I like the feel of photos more than I understand the technicalities. The edits show the layers – the bricks stacked to build the story, the hand weaved details of the rugs. It all eludes that there may be a hand written layers / or handmade element to the manuscript the man is taking in. The light guides your eye to the book itself, and leads you to the eyes of the man, wondering what stories he was telling to the photographer in that moment. The focal length lets us see the religious symbolism of the light coming from the wall and also lit up from the room behind him. There’s a warmth to it all that makes it feel inviting rather than intimidating
I love the image. The dark room emphasizes the two main subjects, the man with the document and the cross shaped window. my eyes went back and forth between the two, exploring the room around them but always coming back to them. you chose a high contrast and kept the room dark, but yet you can see some details, especially in the processed image in which you lightened up the floor of the room. you chose a slightly higher vantage point so the viewer can see some of the document. the man placed in front of the door reduces the contrast a bit. I like how you emphasized the light rays between the window and the man. that provides a better connection between the two compared to the original. You also warmed up the image.
You exposed to the right. Make the symbolism clear: light streaming from a cross illuminating a sacred manuscript. The frame was wide enough to make it clear that this was a relatively small chamber.
In post you dodged parts of the room to create a sense of place. You also increased the strength of the streaming light. You increased the saturation of the robe, and muted the light coming through the door to keep the focus on the monk.
What is he reading? That’s my first thought.
The bright window light is the first thing that draws my eyes. The light directed me to the person holding what looked like a book. His clothing suggests a person from the middle east. Which may suggest he is reading the Koran.
I love deconstructing photos! Here are my thoughts on what makes this image work:
1. First and foremost, the composition is brilliant. The man is in front of the open door, so the light coming through the door isn’t distracting, it adds to the story being told. The man and door are kind of like one and are not competing with each other. The composition is also well balanced; the two bright elements are opposite and balance each other, and they’re connected.
2. The light rays were brightened, and in doing so, a strong dynamic diagonal element is formed as well as the heightening the connection between the man and the light shining through the window. The light in doorway though, was diminished, helping to emphasize the light on the man.
3. The connection isn’t just the rays of light, there’s a very strong mystical and maybe religious connection which tells a very compelling story here. The man isn’t just a man (his robes indicate a level of importance) and the light isn’t just from a window, it’s from a cross-shaped window. And so this room isn’t just a room; it’s a room for prayer or meditation or something like that. The man’s expression is warm, friendly, reverent maybe. His eyes are downcast, he’s looking at the manuscript, and his lips are parted, so it looks as though he is reading out loud.
4. The overall image was warmed up and some saturation was added. The deeper, brighter blue in the man’s robe provides color contrast and makes my eye want to stay with the man.
5. The overall image is very low key, and high contrast, but brightening the shadows on the right adds depth and context. We see more of the rug on the right side, and we also see that it is slipping off a bench – details that would have otherwise been lost in the shadows.
6. I believe a wide-angle lens was used because we not only see the entire man, but we see his surroundings too and this appears to be a small room. There’s a sense of intimacy here.
7. The camera POV suggests the photographer was standing and I’m going to guess the photographer is taller than the man.
8. It looks like there’s a secondary light source? There is definitely reflected light from the book. Despite the strong side light from the window, the man’s robes are illuminated from the front left of the frame as well.
9. I’m also going to guess a pretty high ISO; in order to get the depth of field seen here (even with a wide angle lens, f/8-ish?) the shutter speed was high enough to prevent movement in the man, though it seems like maybe there’s some movement in the robes down by his feet.
Overall, the editing is quite subtle. In my opinion, this image works because it started as an excellent photograph and was enhanced in post.
Selective dodging to create a light beam to direct attention of the viewer to the face and manuscript is effective. Adding some saturation and warmth to the colours of the subject and the background behind him increase attention and contrast to strengthen the photo. Placement of the subject off-centre in the frame with detail and exposure to reveal some foreground and environment support a strong composition. Asymmetrical balance provides interest and impact.
Warmth and saturation make the man’s image pop, and create a serene feeling to the photo. Opening up the shadows allows us to see the folds in the robe,as well as the images projected on the floor, more clearly.
Ready, aim, fire.
In-Camera : You used a wide-angle lens, you were in front of the subject, same height as him, you used a small aperture (f/11), for the shutter speed i would say it’s 1/125s
Here’s some changes that I see in the dark room : you turn up the shadows, the final image is warmer, more saturated, you enhanced the beam of light that goes through the cross with the highlights, the area where the beam hits is brighter (the face, the chest and the book).
Today I finished the book “Light, Time and Space”. The photo shown reflects exactly these words. Just a little optimization in light and contrast. The photo was taken with all its effects at the moment it was taken. At the right time in the right place.
Here is what i think. Dont take IT seriously.
White balance: Auto emphasising on keeping the White. Or using is White tunique.
Metering : centre, addind one stop, to recuperate the blacks
Lens: 28mm wide enough, to capture this scene
Aperture: F/2.8, to gather more light.
Shutter speed : 1/30 sec
ISO:3200
Dark Room:
Adjust the black, the Whites, the shadows and Hard light
Add saturation to His garments, the carpets, and the Door opening over is head
Probably adding contrast, to show more or the halo of light on him.
It’s clear, this Man is looking for serious awners on life.
The light coming in and illuminating is book, is also used as a natural reflector to illuminate is face and upper body.
Thank you, for a good exercise.
Incredible image, especially after it was doctored. Taken inside this man was intentionally placed so that his book was in the beam of light. The door open behind him frames him and gives back light and context to the image. Given the darkness of the room a fairly low number aperture was likely used. He is not moving so the speed did not have to be particularly fast. The photo was exposed for the man’s hand, allowing for adequate exposure for his face and the book (tough to get them both within a range that could be “fixed” in post)…. In post this man’s face was targeted to brighten it up to increase the sensation that the beam of light reflecting off the book was illuminating his face. Highlights were increased to enhance the beam of light. The white balance was changed to increase the warmth, at the same time enhancing the blues… a slight touch to the saturation dial and voila! You have a Rembrandt lit masterpiece!! Well done… (was I close?)
I think you wanted to emphasise the importance of the light rays coming through the cross-shaped window into the dark, slightly mysterious room from the world beyond the window. I felt the RAW image was rather cool – the importance of the light rays were not apparent, so you emphasised them in the final image. You seem to have warmed up the colours in the second image too, suggesting depth and profundity of the central character holding the holy (?) book. In the RAW image the background beyond the room in which he is standing is pale and insignificant, and the second image has been deepened to emphasise the warm glow emanating from the room or corridor beyond. In the RAW image the floor and the pile of carpets is not shown particularly strongly, but in the second the carpets on the right hand side are now visible and much clearer. The RAW image is rather flat and 2-dimensional, whereas the final image appears to have a greater depth of field throughout the image, and the colours are more saturated, giving a warm, safe feel to the image, which I like a lot.
Hi !
Your point of view gave the image a lot of negative space. The door framed the man. The light comes from the side so we can see it well.
In the digital darkroom, you warmed the colors of the man and right around him and, I think, saturated them. You made the beam of light clearer, easier to see. The dark parts of the image were made a bit lighter, I think you lightened the shadows and added some texture.
The Choice to have the illumination enhanced by brightening (on the right of the image) the wall, carpet and emphasizing the spiritual beam hitting the good book, works a charm. Retaining the darkness of the left wall shows the contrast of light and dark in almost a spiritual sense. The red as seen outside the door again contrasts with the potential evil in the real world compared to the sanctuary of the good within. The warmer selected tones brings all to life.
In Ethiopia, it nods p[otentially dangerous to simply walk up to someone and snap a photo of them with a 500mm or even a 135mm lens. Hence, this photo was obviously taken with a 500mm catadioptic lens at f8 (it’s a fixed aperture lens) from across the street.
The combination of low light and f8 suggests high ISO and either tripod or bean bag.
Finally: it’s a lovely image.
The final photo has more contrast and a little more saturation. What makes the photo for me is the beam of light shining through the window and lighting up the man’s face. Also the slight red in the background and blue of his robe makes it more interesting.
The beam of light directly lighting up the mans face, and your choice to have a beam of light to his face rather than just illuminating it, along with adding a deeper depth of colors (red & blue) to his immediate background makes sure that is where the viewers eyes are guided.