Dec 13, 2010

Light - which light??

A lot of people state that good photography is all about light. I don't think whoever came up with this first ever lived in England. And if you are a small-time photographer like me, and you have a day job, and a nighttime job to boot, you might not have a chance to get any decent light-situation during the dreary weeks of English winter.
My local microclimate is particularly mean. At sunrise - which at the moment is around 8am - the sky is usually clear, but by the time I have had my breakfast a major cloudbank is greying everything over. I don't always have the time to go out during that precious hour and at the weekends I do like to sleep in, so I often have the choice to either take photos in flat light or to take none.

Yesterday was a day of exceptionally uninspiring light. Before we headed out for some fresh air I decided to take my Eos 7D (whose autofocus in low light conditions is far superior to the 5D Mark II) and my 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens which is - well - good for macros but also generally sharp and clear in low light conditions. I got the most peculiar results. Making the photos smaller for the web has of course enhanced the grunge-factor, but even then the originals look more like paintings than photos (and that's not because I forgot my glasses at home):








This morning, though, I snuck out before breakfast:

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The diffuse light seems to have brought the colours very strongly - I like them! They make me think of tweeds and hunting lodges and damp days and firesides. Although the last shot is definitely a winner - cold mornings, breath on the air, farm dogs barking and piles of hot toast for breakfast :)

VALKYRIEN said...

I have a bit of the same problem as you. At work during sunrise, at work during sunset - and weekends I sleep in!
Love those beautiful birds, great colors. And the sunrise in the end is simply amazing!

Phoenix C. said...

Great to see you back again!

I love the last photo particularly! Early morning is such a special time and the light in the UK is such a precious commodity in winter.

I do like the greeny-brown photos too - they have a calm and, as you say, painterly quality. Lovely atmosphere.