I will often get questions with photos sent to me through my website or from past students. Jane sends me this photo and writes, “my name is Jane, I am an beginner with DSLR. I send you my favourite photo of my husband. I take it in Croatia over Makarka riviera. Is this exposure good? Is the feel from this photo “hey, i am a lonely cowboy”?
First of all I applaud her English, as I know how hard it is for people to express themselves in a language other than their own.
Ok Jane, let’s talk about your photo:
As far as the exposure is concerned, be sure to read my post on the difference between Incident and Reflected light. In your photograph, you can see that the foreground is overexposed while the beautiful water is saturated and has lots of depth. If I had been standing there with you, I would have taken a reflected reading (with my hand held meter) of the water then the foreground and shown you how far apart they were in exposure. Since it would be difficult for you to get that meter, I suggest you set the meter in your camera to ‘spot’.
When you use the spot reading it reads a much smaller area so if you really want to learn about light, put your camera on manual. Next time you would take a reading of the foreground and then the water, and you would see the difference. That said, you set your camera on the highlights so they won’t be overexposed. At that point you can darken the water in post-processing because it will be lighter now. My philosophy is to never make your image look like you did something to it. So many photographers tend to over process their photos to the point where it looks like a cartoon. There was no way you could have had both the foreground and the water exposed the same, without the help of Photoshop.
Now, let’s talk about the feeling you were trying to express:
To me, it misses the mark. You’re reading this from a guy that lives in Texas and is surrounded by Cowboys!!! Unless Cowboy’s wear Tennis or Hiking/climbing shoes and matching shirts and shorts where you live, you would need to have him wearing Cowboy Boots and at least blue jeans. It also really doesn’t suggest loneliness, but rather someone that is resting for a moment.
In my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct, one of the many things we talk about is making sure your message is one that everyone will get right away. I also encourage people to research a subject before they shoot and to incorporate a little pre-production by locating the proper wardrobe that will fit their idea.
I realize that customs, ideas, are different in every country, but I also know that wherever you are in this world, a cowboy is always going to look the same. I recently taught a workshop in Singapore of all places, and every Friday evening in Chinatown about a hundred Singaporians gather to dance the Texas Two-Step and the Cotton-Eyed Joe, and they all are wearing the correct western wardrobe. It’s a sight to see!!!
One thing that the viewer might also question is why this man wouldn’t have been sitting there enjoying the view. I think I might have tried one like that as well as the photo you took.
Just food for digital thought.
By the way, what a fantastic view!!!
Thanks for sending it. I hope one day I’ll be standing there.
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/barabanjoe. Be sure to check my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. They don’t stay up there for long since they fill right away. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB