What is so special about moody pictures?
As a photographer I’ve always been attracted to gentle light. It is the feeble presence of light that works its magic, offering us an alternative reality.
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| Copyright © 2015-2024 Ergun Coruh. All rights reserved. |
In this picture we see a bunch of youngsters, sitting on an old stone platform at the Sydney Harbour. Their gaze wanders around sails on the water and the skyline far ahead while golden lights of a dying day are casting intricate shades from behind the Harbour Bridge. They might be reflecting on life, perhaps big questions that they don’t think about during the hustles of a day.
When I photograph sunsets I photograph everything else but the sunset. For me it is pointless to target a beautiful sunset alone if there is no meaningful story attached to it. Without people this would have been just another Sydney Harbour picture.
How do I shoot a picture at sunset
My camera is a Leica Q-P. It has 24MP full frame sensor with a fix 28mm Summilux f/1.7 ASPH lens.
I always use Aperture priority mode, AE (auto-focus) set to spot metering, and AF (auto-focus) set to single point. I use the thumb lock button as the AE lock, and half-pressed shutter release button as the AF lock.
I begin by setting the exposure compensation in the middle. I set aperture using the aperture ring, trying to stay between f/4.0 and f/5.6, with ISO not exceeding 100. My goal is to get my subjects definitely into focus and most of the stuff beyond them too.
I point middle of the lens to a darker mid-tone spot to increase exposure lightly, exposing sufficient details on and around the subject(s), eliminating underexposed areas as much as possible without blowing highlights too much. I press the thumb lock button with my thumb and keep it pressed to lock the exposure.
I compose the frame my moving my lens around, cutting out distractions at the same time. If there are too much exposure in white areas, I unlock by releasing my thumb, halve the exposure compensation using the thumb wheel, and re-sample the exposure and re-lock it.
I check the shutter speed to stay at 1/250s or faster. I half-press the shutter release button with my index finger to focus somewhere on the subject(s) or somewhere near, I check the histogram, if necessary I repeat everything from scratch.
I check the subject(s) one last time to see if there is any awkwardness I wouldn’t want in the frame. Finally when the decisive moment comes I press the shutter.
