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When you take a photo, what are your calculations? The exposure combo, check; the composition, check; the suitable focal length, check; the focal point, check; subjects to be taken in and out, check. The decisions are arrived at a split of a second. But wait a minute.
What about the atmosphere of the scene? Adding atmosphere to an image is like accentuating your points in a speech. An image with a proper atmosphere or not is like a speech by President Obama or by George W. Bush.
Atmosphere is a crucial aesthetic element to photography. The apt atmosphere present in an image can highlight the theme, as well as boosting the sense of reality and aesthetic impacts of the image.
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There are several ways to play up the atmosphere in an image. The actual setting and environment of the scene are some of the useful tools in this regard. The two photos here, hopefully, serve as examples.
I had stood at the crossing for some time, waiting for the chance to take some photos of vehicles whizzing past late at night. While waiting, I calculated that the sense of speed and night had to be shown in the final image to make it tick. This is how I played up the atmosphere:
- tuned the GX200's WB to veil the image with a yellow-bluish tinge, making the first photo look old, mystic and really late at night;
- panned along the movement of the bike and motorbike at a slow shutter speed, adding light trails to give a sense of speed; and
- kept the flash off so that the main subjects were also blurred, accentuating the speed and lateness in time (firing the flash would have frozen the subjects in sort of a spotlight effect, ruining the mystic atmosphere)
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