Dark Photography School

EXIF: 800 ISO, 20 sec., f/13, 17mm focal length, flash off

In this lesson we are going to explore how you can use lighting in places such as pubs and restaurants to create a very colorful and vivid photograph by overexposing it.


EXIF: 400 ISO, 4 sec., f/4, 40mm focal length, flash off
One of the benefits of a pub/bar/restaurant/club/etc. is that there are usually several available sources of light, and they will vary with temperature, hue, brightness, and diffusion. When you overexpose your photo in places light these, you give light a chance to flow around and away from the source and allow the camera’s sensor to embellish the amount of light that is actually reflecting off of the object. When you overexpose the photo (slightly), you are allowing more of the interesting colors to shine off of reflective objects. Neon signs are especially effective at throwing interesting light across a scene.

EXIF: 100 ISO, 3 sec., f/4, 17mm focal length, flash off

All three images had a +1.5 exposure compensation. This means I took what the light meter said was the correct exposure and pushed it up three clicks. You will need to be a shooting mode other than automatic (such as shutter priority, aperture priority, or manual) so that you can over compensate.