The image was conceived long before the camera was lifted. I use to spend time in this church and something emerged, a clear vision in mind: candles, devotion, and silence at night within this gothic-eclectic space.
After choosing a wide-angle perspective (Lumix S5 with the 20–60mm), I lit several small candles to build the atmosphere. Very quickly, it became clear that balancing flash with the existing candlelight would be the real challenge. I wanted to preserve the warmth and intimacy of the flames without losing detail in the architecture or the subject.
After multiple tests and adjustments, the solution came through an off-camera Godox iT32 fitted with a warm gel. A golden reflector was positioned to bounce part of the flash upward, subtly lifting the shadows and echoing the candlelight’s tone. The flash was set to 1/4 power, and the shutter speed extended to 1.6 seconds (plus ISO 800) to allow the ambient light to breathe into the frame.
The result approaches my original intention: a scene where artificial flash and fragile candlelight coexist in equilibrium, shaping devotion through light in the middle of darkness.