Fitting the frame to the subject
For this exercise, i decided to use a steel sculpture that i ride past every night on the way to work. i have been meaning to take some photographs of this for ages, so this exercise seemed like the perfect opportunity.
These images were taken at 2am in the morning, just as it was starting to snow. I tried to just use the available lighting from the street lamps, as this was giving the sculpture a warm copper glow to it.
After taking several test shots, it became clear that some addition lighting was going to be needed as i did not have a tripod with me, and i was not able to hold the camera steady long enough for the exposure time needed.
Unfortunately i did not have a decent flash unit with me so i had to make do with the inbuilt flash.
Even though the flash from my camera was a little harsh, i found that this worked rather well with the steel sculpture, it lit up the bulk of the steel but left the edges with the copper glow from the street lights.
The first image i took was of the sculpture as i first saw it, so there was no real thought behind this one, apart from that i may need to use a flash as the street lighting might not be enough to give the image sufficient light for me to hand hold the camera.
In the second image, i moved closer to the sculpture so i could fill the frame and isolate it from it's surroundings, this i found gave the photograph a more focused and detailed view, and it also allowed me use the flash to light up the main part of the sculpture, but also to retain the copper glow from the street lamps on the edge of the sculpture.
The third image i chose to use was of a close up of the curve, in this image i isolated just a small part of the sculpture, for me this produced a more interesting image, as it leaves you wondering what the object is.
I also like how the light from the cameras flash reflects on the steel, yet you still get a hint of warm copper in the top right from the street lamps, and i think the fine layer of snow adds a touch of coldness to the steel.
On the last image though, i decided to compose the sculpture so it only occupied a small area of the photograph, and i decided to just use the street lights as the position i was standing in allowed just enough light for me to take the photograph at 1/30 sec with an ISO of 1600.
This gave the final image a more natural feel to it, and i felt it showed the sculpture off well in its natural environment.
Notes
I found this exercise has taught me how, just by simply moving around an object, your view can change dramatically, plus by filling the frame to different degrees allows you to show the same subject in ways that it is not normally viewed.
Again, i regret the lack of a tripod as this would have given me different results, but i was unable to carry one with me on this occasion.
I am overall very pleased with these images, as this was the first time i have taken photographs outside at night, and was surprised by how different things look at this time of night.
