My family recently moved and we have an old garage now. There is a nice yellow light, pictured, and my photography brain immediately came to the conclusion of the photo I wanted to take. Problem is it did not turn out. I thought that maybe if I got some ND filters and could take a longer exposure without washing out the light maybe, but I do not have the money to invest in those right now. I need some ideas on how to do what I want in post (I used Lightroom for Chromebook) or how to take it would ND filters.
The picture in my brain is this basic concept, but the yellow light would be less bright and it would be illuminating not only the garage where it is but also the white garage door. The yellow tent is largely what I want in the photo, as I love the rustic vide it throws. It will be simple and calm with just the light in that corner. I tried every combination of settings I could think of and nothing turned out. I don’t want to give up this photo just yet, but without help I do not know where to go from here.
Neutral density filters would make no difference here, Chloe.
The problem is the innate contrast in the scene, with the light so bright, and the shadows so dark. Offhand, I can only think you could get your intended look with auxiliary light on to the shadows e.g. if you could open some door to let daylight in, or use flash, which can look very cold and stark unless you use a large diffuser.
The best solution I can think of.would be to put a really dim bulb in the light, and then using low ISO and small aperture for a long exposure, "paint" light into the shadows with a torch or other light source during the exposure. Your base exposure would be nominally grossly underexposed with dense shadows, but your light could retain some detail without "burning out".
Experimentation +++ !
I haven't used this technique, but you'll find plenty of info if you search "light painting", which is its common name. Good luck!
Hi Chloe, Chris's suggestion is a good one. I would try this. I also have a different suggestion to try. You can do this in camera or in post. I hope you try this in camera. Even though I do a lot of post, I do try and get as close as possible to my goal in camera!
Most people don't learn the less common things that their camera can do. One is multiple exposure. Most DSLR cameras do this. Look up on line how to do this on yours. I would try this at different times of day but I think my time suggestion will work best.
Set up when the sun has all but gone down - much darker than you think will work but still a small amount of ambient light. You will barely be able to see with your naked eye. Set the camera for a two-shot multiple exposure. Manual focus on the light. Use a tripod. Turn off the barn light. Use your timer so you don't jiggle the camera when you press the shutter release or use a remote. (You can get a remote for $10 on ebay).
Do a very long exposure at f22 which will result in a overall soft light (brighter than you expect.) I am talking like a 10 seconds or more. There will be soft detail but no shadows in you image. I would test this before you actually start the multiple exposure so you know what length is going to work. Next, turn on the light. Being very careful not to move the camera at all, change to f8 and take a fast shot. This should add the light and brighten some areas which will add the appearance of shadows. If you can play around with this, it will open a world of possibilities!
I put two images below that I took in almost complete darkness in order to illustrate the type of color/lighting you can get this way. The first was 20 seconds and the second was 6. In both cases I could barely make out the scene with my naked eye.
Good luck. Don't hesitate to post failed / intermediate shots for tweaking advice.
I did some research and my camera does not offer a way to do multiple exposure. I am still using an entry level Canon, and it is considered an advanced feature by Canon. I will take your advice and see what else I can achieve using the tripod and different exposure rations though!
You should still be able to do it in post.