After 15 challenges (check them here ) today we are going for 16. If I call it a challenge this time, it is because it really is. We are going to play with something dangerous, which is the photographer's main enemy: darkness. You dare? Keep reading…
HOW DOES IT WORK? (REMINDER)
Every week I will propose a new challenge, it is a topic that you will have to capture in a photograph and upload it to the Facebook page of the blog by putting in the description the keyword that I will indicate for each topic.
The themes will be varied, from portraits to Macro photography, going through landscapes, black and white photography, or babies.
The topics will be proposed on Saturdays, so that you have the whole weekend to work on them. You will have one week to upload your photograph (one photo per participant), until Friday of the following week. On Saturday I will update the article with the photo that has captivated me the most and I will propose a new topic, and so…
WEEKLY CHALLENGE 16: DARKNESS..
If it's challenging, it can't be easy, right? The purpose of these challenges is to get us out of our "comfort zone", the type of photos we have always taken, and get closer to a more difficult photographic technique or subject. It is the only true way to learn. You don't learn by going to photography classes or reading theory-heavy tutorials on a blog. You learn by putting all that into practice.
Today I want to invite you to experiment with darkness. That enemy feared by all photographers. Let's challenge him come on. I want you to dispense with the generous light sources and try to take a "correct" photograph by supporting yourself in low light. It can be moonlight, candlelight, or outside light that reaches the subject in very small amounts. The important thing is that it is a scene with very low light, and that you are able to capture a correct photo.
You will get a dark photo, it will occur to you to extend the shutter time, but you will immediately realize that the photo comes out blurry. You will have to play with the ISO, but carefully so as not to fill the photo with ISO noise. You must place the camera on a tripod or stable surface. In the end, it will be a very fun game. Here you have a starting point to fight against the darkness .
If you achieve the challenge, few photos will resist you anymore.
As usual, to participate in this week's challenge upload your photo to the Facebook wall of the Photographer's Blog: In the description of the photo please mention the keyword “Darkness Challenge” followed by a title of your choice.
ALTERNATIVE MEANS TO PARTICIPATE
For those of you who are not from Facebook, I have enabled new social networks to participate.
- Flickr: Accessing the Photographer's Blog Group Wall and uploading the photo directly. Give your photo a caption and be sure to mention “Darkness Challenge” in it.
- Twitter: uploading the photo directly to Twitter with the hashtag #RetoOscuridadBDF
UPDATE
To photograph in the dark you have to have noses. Darkness is the main enemy of the photographer. And if a photo in low light is already difficult (running the risk of getting a shaky, blurry, full of ISO noise, or simply too dark photo), adding the creativity that you have put into it is simply worth applauding.
I loved "Depositing smoke" by Kevin Padilla. In it, not only does he challenge the adverse conditions of low light, producing a magnificent perfectly illuminated work, but he goes a step further by playing with the composition and inducing a certain "illusion" in the photo. Notice how easy it was to direct the smoke downwards: flipping the photo.
Simple but magnificent.
