Tip of the Day – Sometimes Darker is What Works

The following is for folks who have more than point-and-shoot, fully automatic cameras. While AUTO works almost all the time, there are certain scenes and times when you wish the photo looked more like what you are actually seeing.

Auto settings are terrific. Point and shoot and forget the rest. There was once a time when photography required more work and a greater understanding of the need for the right amount of light to make a proper image. Now, your modest, point-and-shoot pocket camera or your smart phone AND every upscale, pro camera (when the exposure mode is set on AUTO) will meter the scene and select an aperture and shutter speed that exposes the image to the same, universal degree. Light meters are calibrated to target the mid-tone range of light and it’s based on what they call the 18% grey card.

In fact, cameras that offer aperture and shutter priority modes also meter to make exposures the same way...just right. Most of the time, that’s all you need for your shot...a proper exposure of all the aspects of the scene.

But what if you don’t want just right? What if that’s not what you’re seeing? Certain images just have to be darker. There are scenes and times when you want the photo to be less than properly exposed. You want night to look like night, not day. The image needs to be dark.

In December, 2009, we visited Paris. It is a wonderful, historic, photogenic place. Four years earlier, we were there in May and I photographed the exterior of the Hotel National des Invalides, the hospital and retirement home for French war veterans. On the second visit, we got to spend some time inside.

Hotel National des Invalides, Paris (29 April 2006)

Built by Louis XIV and completed in 1676, the complex includes museums, a magnificent, domed chapel and the burial sites for many of the country’s military heroes. Napoleon Bonaparte himself has the space of highest honor, under the dome. Inside the red porphyry sarcophagus, the Emperor’s remains are contained in six [count ‘em, SIX] concentric coffins. The little guy never did things in a small way.

Napoleon’s Tomb, Hotel National des Invalides, Paris (27 December 2009)

On the four sides of the main floor above the sarcophagus are alcoves that display what might be considered the second tier personages. One of them is Marshal Ferdinand Foch. He was France’s top military man and Commander of all the Allied Forces during World War I. He is the only French person commemorated by a statue in London and you know how much the Brits love the French. Foch also presciently said of the Versailles treaty, "This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years." The timing of his prediction was almost perfect.

The alcove that contains the Marshal’s tomb is a VERY impressive space...solely because of the somber, blue atmosphere created by the stained glass and the powerful image of the WW I soldiers carrying one of their own.

One cannot wander around the tomb. Visitors are allowed no further than the entry portals so photography options are limited. You might find a way to keep the camera very still and take a long exposure of the scene. This would brighten the tomb but overexpose the windows that are the only source of light in the room. Or you can use a flash to illuminate the entire space.

Tomb of Marshal Foch, Paris (27 December 2009)

I suppose this is OK. It documents the scene, illuminates the dark areas...but creates an image that is far from what my eyes were seeing.

The neat thing about digital cameras...you can see your shot right after you take it. Yes, the camera’s screen is really small but it’s better than burning a roll of film, flying 5000 miles home, sending it off for developing...only to learn that NONE of the shots came out just right.

I wanted to take a picture that captured what was there. The shot had to be dark and somber, in keeping with the light and the striking, shadowy figures that set the mood. I moved to the other entryway and used the MANUAL setting to underexpose the shot...saw the results...changed the settings...shot again...until it came out the way I wanted...the way it looked...the way it felt. A little persistence and effort can yield a much better result.

Tomb of Marshal Foch, Paris (27 December 2009)