Light and mood

“In every artist there is poetry. In every human being there is poetic element. We know, we feel, we believe.” –Ernst Haas

When people ask me what is the one element that I consider the most important in photography, my response has always been “light”. While it is important for me to make images that hit all the technical requirements, I care more about making images that hit the right emotional tenor. As I find myself being very sensitive to the lighting conditions in my surroundings, I therefore place the most emphasis in looking for light that can infuse mood the character to my images. I get excited whenever I see the kind of light that speaks to me, regardless of the time of day and weather conditions. When I have the lighting condition that gives me this “something is tightening in my throat” feeling, I quickly get to work and look for subjects that can make best use of that light.

Knowing our cameras see so differently than our eyes is crucial in understanding the basics of retaining the mood of light. To be able to express what you wish to say with your images, you need to look beyond the basic mechanics of what your cameras offer. Understanding what else is there besides taking a “proper exposure” as indicated by what is shown on your camera’s histograms is crucial. As good as the modern-day digital cameras are in terms of technological advancement, they are programmed to capture what is considered an average good exposure. Being average means an exposure that retains good information, but it offers no excitement, which is not always what we hope to achieve as artists. I like to think my capturing light with a camera is akin to a painter using a paint brush on a canvas. What color palette, tonality do I wish to imbue with my images? After I make that decision, I proceed to dial in the exposure according to that decision, but not according to what the camera dictates.

I have not chained to what the histogram tells me, hitting every exposure mark at midway and metered in the traditional sense for a long time. I do use the histogram to gauge the amount of information I capture, knowing what I capture and what I lose is crucial, but then I weigh that information against what is important to the image I wish to make, and what mood I wish to convey. If I want an image to have that dark moody feeling when the light is almost completely gone during the blue hour, I would want to see the tonality being dark and the colors more muted, I will then underexpose by at least two to three stops by using the exposure compensation to dial down the exposure, or whatever I deem is necessary for the scene I photograph. I may lose some details in the dark areas, but I think it makes sense because that is not how we see a scene when a lot is concealed given the dim light during twilight.

There is a saying in photography, there is no bad good light or bad light, only the light and how you go about using it. While it is true, some light does have the tendency to be moody and have more of an emotional impact than others. It is unlikely to see such lighting condition if you only photograph during the bright sunny days. Finding the right mood for an image is more about when it is taken than where it is taken. I tend to find the interesting mood at those moments when the weather is unstable, the light is about to fade, or when the edges of light and shadow meet. My experience tells me I won’t be able to find those moments if I only go out during midday or on days when the weather is best for going to the beach, yes one can make wonderful images on bright sunny days, but the images will not carry the many nuances of the different moods. The magic happens when one is willing to brace for those elements– in the fog, at dusk, during twilight, in the rain, the mist and the snow.