Your browser does not support script Thorsten Overgaard's Leica Photography Pages - The Story Behind That Picture - "Provoking the Light"
Thorsten von Overgaard's Photography Website
  Get Newsletter & Free eBook  

 
 
The Story Behind That Picture - 138
SIGN IN to Overgaard Academy on-line classes Subscribe for full access. It's free.           thorstenovergaard on Instagram Thosten von Overgaard on Facebook Thorsten von Overgaard on Twitter Thorsten von Overgaard on LinkedIn Thorsten von Overgaard on Flickr Thorsten Overgaard on YouTube Thorsten Overgaard video on Vimeo Thorsten von Overgaard on Leica Fotopark Thorsten von Overgaard on 500px  
leica.overgaard.dk    
 

   
 
   

The Story Behind That Picture: "Provoking the Light"

By: Thorsten Overgaard

 

Today I was explaining how to find the magic light. The type that makes things look sharp and sparkling. By training, tirial and error you can test out "provoking the light" and see what works the best, and before you know it, it becomes a way of seeing.

I will try to make it short and inspiring. I look for two things, the basic soft light, and then how to make it sparkling by adding edges. Hence, "provoking the light."

 

Too high contrast to be captured

What the human eye sees and what the camera sees is different. This perhaps is one of the most common problems in photography and one you must simply learn to acknowledge, live with - and then work with. It has limitations, but also possibilities. Unfortunately the camera industry tries to compensate for this physical impossibility by promising all sorts of complicated light metering methods to help you. This of course confuses most people because they buy a camera that promises to take "good pictures", so why doesn't this darn thing do it?

It's a physical limit and is not helped. The only way to deal with it is to start with the right light.

When you see a subject in sunshine with bright colors, the camera sees less dynamic range than your eye. It simply can't capture all the range of light within one photo. If you get the shadow right, the highlight will be blown out white. If you get the sunshine part right, the shadow area will be almost completely black.

 


It's a nice Kodachrome moment, but it's not the same as the eye saw. Shadow details are much darker in photos than what they eye saw. Some of this can lack of dynamic range in a camera can be fixed in LIghtroom (as it has been in this image) by increasing shadow details (brightens up shadows) and adding highlight recovery so as to make the two end of the scale meet. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.

 

However, the good thing is that the camera sees and records things with more contrast than the human eye. So when something looks very dark and dull to the eye, the camera sees interesting contrast.

The eye doesn't change exposure time, a camera does. The eye could be said to have a shutter time of 1/13 second. A typical camera can adjust it from 2 seconds to 1/2000. Where the eye sees darkness, the camera extends the exposure time to make it look like daylight. Where the eye sees too much sunshine (and you take on sunglasses), the camera limits the exposure to have normal daylight.

This may not be entirely correct, but it gives a concept of how the eye sees differently and why you may take good pictures in almost any condition.

Just not high contrast within the same frame.

Further, the eye scans a landscape for details and somehow the brain processes an image. The eye adjusts further for contrast when doing this so as to compose one image with all shadow details and highlight details. The camera only takes one picture.

When it gets really dark, the eye percievse it as dark and low contrast. But the camera percieves it as daylight with sparkling highlights and shadows; and all within it's range of dynamic range.

 


This is essential a low light photo. For the eye it is a dark room. For the camera it becomes a room with almost daylight, with soft tones and highlighted edges that defines a lot of details.

 

How to make a good picture

What makes a picture sing is sparkling light. Your eye can recognize the conditions as soon as you learn to look for it. Sparkling light in a picture is composed of a base of soft light, and with reflected details such as highlighted edges of leaves, highlight in the micro details such as skin, highlighted edges of hair and so on.

 

Copyright 2009 by Thorsten Overgaard

 

When the human eye looks at a garden with nice green trees and sun and shadows, we sigh and think life is a pleaure.

To capture the same emotion with a camera, you need the whole scene to be in shadow with a limited amount of reflections. Not direct sunshine.

Shadow is a good starting point for a good picture with sparkling light.

 


Robin hanging out in LA.
Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0.

 

The Basic Light

The right light for photography is basically soft, even light. Often this is daylight (or artificial light from lamps) reflected off from one or more walls that acts as the lightsources to light up this limited frame of life.

Windows with a soft curtain in front, or the sun filtered through a cloudy sky is also a good starting point.

It may look extremely dull to the eye, but it is an excellent starting point because it can be easily captured and will have a broad range of tones for the camera.

To the left below is the basic light where I have the tones from light gray to black in one photo. In real life it actually looks really dull. To the right below I moved so I "provoked" some edges into the scene. That's all I did. I moved my viewpoint so as to capture some highlighted edges.

 

Provoking the Light

The good soft light is the basic condition to capture all the information. Next step is provoking the light by moving to the side around the subject so as to get sparkling edges.

This is so extremely easy to do with any simple subject. I usually say that when a person sees a yellow Ferrari on the street, he or she uses an iPhone to take a snapshot. But if you want to make a photograph, you have to move around the yellow Ferrari to see how the light best reflects from it.

To photograph is to work with light as a painter would with paint.

 


Porsche in shadow in Hong Kong. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.

 

Sharpness is light

Sharpness is a percieved condition of an image. It is not the exact distance, but the contrast you see. A picture can look really sharp but slightly out of focus when the edges have high contrast and the eye feel it gets a lot of detail information from it.

Likewise, a very sharp image where the focus distance is exact can look blurred because the light is dull.

 

Joy and Thorsten in Hollywood
Chateau Elysee in Hollywood. Did you notice where the focus is ... and did it matter? Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.

 

Provoking the light even further

I tend to photograph against the light, so I will usually want to play with a strong background light directly into the lens.

What I tend to see in photographers who have consistently bright colors or very "alive" black and white photos is that they always move around a subject so as to get the light conditions in a special way. Most of us are pretty unaware of what we do, we just move around a subject until it "looks nice" and then take the photo.

 

 

I think we all learn by connecting small bits and parts that work, no matter if it is playing a piano, making pancakes, photographing or writing. Through trial and error we experience that if we do this or that, the overall result becomes better.

Mostly we forget why we do things the way we do, we just do them. But if we analyze how others do things and compare them to how we do them, in detail and step by step, we could see the difference.

That's why when you walk down the street with two different photographers, one will lift the camera and take a photo of the yellow Ferrari when he get's close enought to fill the frame with it. The other ohotographer started planning the picture and walks to the left to capture it. Why did he do that? Because he "intuitively" (through experience from what works) thought it would look better from an angle where the light comes from the side and the background is further away.

leica m monochrom sample photo
Hannah inside the girls' dormitory at Cambridge University. Leica M Monochrom with Leica 50mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0.

 

This is what becomes "your style" or "your signature". Something others recognize as special but something you just do because that's how you do it.

By training, tirial and error you can test out "provoking the light" and see what works the best, and before you know it, it becomes a way of seeing.

 


Los Angeles. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.

 

If you happen to be unaware of how the angle of light affects a picture but simply focused on correct exposure, I hope this will inspire you to explore the possibilities.

It is very easy when you see it and rather complicated to undersand what "magic light" is when you don't notice it. But it is something you can train your eye to do, with or without a camera. Simply look at things and notice how the light conditions make them alive or dead.

Enjoy!

 

 

         
 

Buy the new eBook
"A Little Book on Photography"
by Thorsten von Overgaard

 
         
 

A Little Book on Photography by Thorsten von Overgaard eBook

Order now - Instant delivery.

More info

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

It's a humorous understatement to call this
new eBook by Thorsten Overgaard for
"A Little Book on Photography".
It's a grand book, a history lesson, life experience, a biography and poetry book and brilliant photo book!
All in one beautiful package of 180 pages
to fire you up and get you to love
photography ... unconditionally!

"A Little Book on Photography"
eBook for computer, Kindle and iPad.
New release March 2017.
Intro price only $47 - 180 pages.

     
 

Buy Now

Add to Cart

Instant Delivery

 
     

View Cart

 
 

 

 
     
 
     
 

 

 

 

 


Never to old to hang out on street corners. Paris, May 2014. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 II.

 

 

 



Advertisement:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thorsten Overgaard, February 22, 2015

 

 

   
   

 
 

 

   
   
   
Thorsten von Overgaard
Thorsten Overgaard's Leica Article Index
Leica M digital camera reviews:   Leica L digital cameras:
Leica M11   Leica SL
Leica M11-P   Leica SL2
Leica M11 Monochrom   Leica SL2-S
Leica M10   Panasonic Lumix S5 II X
Leica M10-P   Panasonic Lumix S1R
Leica M10-R   Leica SL3
Leica M10-D   Leica TL2
Leica M10 Monochrom   Leica CL
Leica M9 and Leica M-E   Leica L-Mount lenses
Leica M9-P    
Leica M9 Monochrom   Leica R digital cameras:
Leica M240   Leica R8/R9/DMR
Leica M246 Monochrom    
Leica MD-262 and Leica M60   Small Leica mirrorless digital cameras:
    Leica Q3
    Leica Q2 / Leica Q2 Monochrom
Leica M film cameras:   Leica Q
Leica M6   Leica V-Lux
Leica M4   Leica C-Lux
    Leica D-Lux
    Leica Digilux 3
Leica M lenses:   Leica Digilux 2
Leica 21mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4   Leica Digilux 1
Leica 21mm Leica Super-Elmar-M ASPH f/3.4   Leica Digilux
Leica 21mm Super-Angulon-M f/3.4    
Leica 28mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4   Leica R film cameras:
Leica 35mm Summilux-M ASPH FLE f/1.4 and f/1.4 AA   Leica R8 / R9
Leica 35mm Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0   Leica R4
Leica 35mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0   Leica R3 electronic
Leica 50mm ELCAN f/2.0   Leicaflex SL / SLmot
Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95 FLE   Leica compact film cameras:
Leica 50mm Noctilux-M f/1.0   Leica Minilux 35mm film camera
Leica 50mm Noctilux-M f/1.2   Leica CM 35mm film camera
7artisans 50mm f/1.1   Leica R lenses:
Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f//1.4   Leica 19mm Elmarit-R f/2.8
Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 "rigid" Series II   Leica 35mm Elmarit-R f/2.8
Leica 50mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0   Leica 50mm Summicron-R f/2.0
Leica 50mm Elmar-M f/2.8 collapsible   Leica 60mm Macro-Elmarit f/2.8
Leica 75mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/1.25   Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4
7artisans 75mm f/1.25   Leica 90mm Summicron-R f/2.0
Leica 75mm Summilux-M f/1.4   Leica 180mm R lenses
Leica 90mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.5   Leica 250mm Telyt-R f/4.0
Leica 90mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0   Leica 400mm Telyt-R f/6.8
Leica 90mm Summarit-M f/2.5   Leica 35-70mm Vario-Elmarit-R f/2.8
Leica 90mm Elmarit f/2.8   Leica 35-70mm Vario-Elmarit-R f/4.0
Leitz 90mm Thambar f/2.2    
    Leica S digital medium format:
Leitz Cine lenses:   Leica S1 digital scan camera
Leica Cine lenses from Leitz Cine Wetzlar   Leica S2
    Leica S
     
History and overview:   Sony mirrorless digital cameras:
Leica History and Heritage   Sony A7
Famous Leica Usears   Fujifilm mirorrless digital cameras:
Leica Definitions   Fujifilm X-Pro 2
Leica Lens Compendium    
Leica Camera Compendium   "Magic of Light" 4K Television Channel
The Solms factory and Leica Wetzlar Campus   Thorsten von Overgaard YouTube Channel
     
Photography Knowledge   Thorsten Overgaard books and education:
Calibrating computer screen for photographers   Thorsten Overgaard Masterclasses & Workshops
Which Computer for Photographers?   Lightroom Survival Kit
What is Copyright? Advice for Photogarphers   Lightroom Presets by Overgaard
Synchronizing Large Photo Archive with iPhone   Lightroom Brushes by Overgaard
Quality of Light   Capture One Survival Kit
Lightmeters   "Finding the Magic of Light" eBook (English)
Color meters for accurate colors (White Balance)   "Die Magie des Lichts Finden" eBook (German)
White Balance & WhiBal   "The Moment of Emotional Impact in Photography"
Film in Digital Age   "Freedom of Photographic Expression" eBook
Dodge and Burn   "Composition in Photography" eBook
All You Need is Love   "The Portrait Book" eBook
How to shoot Rock'n'Roll   "A Little Book on Photography" eBook
X-Rite   "After the Tsunami" Free eBook
The Origin of Photography   "Why do I Photograph?"
Hasselblad/Imacon Flextight 35mm and 6x6 scanner   "The Artist's Guide to the Galaxy" eBook
    "The Leica M11 Know-All eBook"
    "The Leica Q Know-All eBook"
    "The Leica Q2 Know-All eBook"
    "The Leica Q3 Know-All eBook"
    "The Leica M240 Know-All eBook"
    "The Leica SL3 Know-All eBook"
    The Digital Photographers Extension Course
    The Overgaard New Inspiration Extension Course I
   
Leica Photographers:    
Henri Cartier-Bresson   Riccis Valladares
Rodney Smith   Christoåpher Tribble
Birgit Krippner   Martin Munkácsi
John Botte   Jose Galhoz
 
Douglas Herr   Milan Swolf
Vivian Maier   Jan Grarup
Morten Albek    
Byron Prukston   Richard Avedon
     
The Story Behind That Picture:   Learn with Thorsten Overgaard:
More than 250 articles by Thorsten Overgaard   Leica M9 Masterclass (video course)
Thorsten Overgaard Workshop Schedule   Leica M10 Masterclass (video course)
    Leica M240 Masterclass (video course)
Leica Forums and Blogs:   Leica M11 Masterclass (video course)
Leica M11 / M240 / M10 User Forum on Facebook   Leica Q Masterclass (video course)
Jono Slack   Leica Q2 Masterclass (video course)
Sean Reid Review (reviews)   Leica Q3 Masterclass (video course)
Heinz Richter's Leica Barnack Berek Blog   Leica SL2 Masterclass (video course)
    Leica SL3 Masterclass (video course)
Connect with Thorsten Overgaard:   Leica TL2 Quick Start (video course)
Thorsten Overgaard on Instagram   Camera Excellence (video course)
Thorsten Overgaard on Threads   A Fly on the Wall (video course)
Thorsten Overgaard on YouTube   Mastering the Noctilux (video course)
Join the Thorsten Overgaard Mailing List   The Leica 50mm Lens Class (video course)
Thorsten Overgaard on Facebook   Street Photography Masterclass (video course)
    Adobe Photoshop Editing Masterclass
    The Photoraphers Workflow Masterclass
    Adobe Lightroom Survival Kit
    Capture One Survival Kit
    Overgaard Workshops & Masterclasses
    Overgaard One-on-One Training
    Thorsten Overgaard Archive Licencing
    Commision Thorsten Overgaard
 
The Von Overgaard Gallery Store:   Von Overgaard Ventilated lens shades:
Ventilated Shades "Always Wear A Camera"   Ventilated Shade for Current 35mm Summilux FLE
Camera Straps "Always Wear A Camera"   Ventilated Shade E46 for old Leica 35mm/1.4 lens
The Von Camera Bag   Ventilated Shade for Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH
The Von Mini Messenger Walkabout Camera Bag   Ventilated Shade E43 for older 50mm Summilux
Desk Blotters 'Always Wear A Camera"   Ventilated Shade for 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
Sterling Silver Leica Necklace   Ventilated Shade for older 35mm/f2 lenses
Software for Photography   Ventilated Shade E39 for 50mm Summicron lenses
Signed Thorsten Overgaard Gallery Prints   Ventilated Shade for Leica 28mm Summilux
Video Masterclasses   Ventilated Shade for current 28mm Elmarit-M
Photography Books by Thorsten Overgaard   Ventilated Shade for older 28mm Elmarti-M
Home School Photography Extension Courses   Ventilated Shade E49 for 75mm Summicron
    ventilated Shade E55 for 90mm Summicron
    Ventilated Shade for 28mm Summaron
    Ventilated Shade for 24mm Elmarit
    Ventilated Shade E60 for 50mm Noctilux and 75/1.4
Gallery Store Specials   Ventilated Shade for Leica Q, Leica Q2 and Leica Q3
 

Above: Paris May 2014.
Leica M 240
with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.


 


Also visit:

Overgaard Photography Workshops
Books by Thorsten Overgaard
Street Photography Masterclass Video
Adobe Photoshop Editing Masterclass
Adobe Lightroom Survival Kit
Lightroom Presets by Overgaard
Lightroom Brushes by Overgaard
Capture One Survival Kit

Capture One Styles by Overgaard
Signed Original Prints by Overgaard

Von Overgaard Gallery Store
Ventilated Shades by Overgaaard
Leather Camera Straps
Camea Bags
Leather Writing Pads
Sterling Silver Camera Necklace

Leica Definitions
Leica History
Leica Lens Compendium
Leica Camera Compendium
Leica 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH f/3.4
Leica 21mm Super-Angulon f/3.4
Leica 21mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4

Leica 28mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4
Leica 35mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4
Leica 35mm Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0
Leica 35mm APO-Summicron-M f/2.0

Leica 40mm Summicron-C f/2.0
Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95
Leica 50mm Summicron-SL f/2.0
Leica 50mm APO-Summicron-M f/2.0
Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0
ELCAN 50mm f/2.0
Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4
7artisans 50mm f/1.1
Leica 75mm Summilux-M f/1.4
Leica 75mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/1.25
7artisans 75mm f/1.25
Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4
Leica 90mm APO-Summicron-M f/2.0
Leica 90mm Summilux-M f/1.5
Leica 35-70mm Vario-Elmarit-R f/2.8
Leitz Cine lenses
Leica L lenses

Leica M6

Leica M11-P
Leica M11
Leica M11 Monochrom
Leica M10
Leica M10-P

Leica M10-R
Leica M10-D
Leica M10 Monochrom
Leica M9, M9-P and Leica ME
Leica M9 Monochrom
Leica M 240
Leica M 240 for video
Leica M 262
Leica M-D 262

Leica M 246 Monochrom

Leica SL
Leica SL2
Leica SL2-S

Lecia SL3
Panasonic Lumix S1R
Leica R9 dSLR
Leica / Kodak/ Imacon digital back
Leica Q
Leica Q2
Leica Q2 Monochrom
Leica Q3
Leica CL
Leica TL2
Leica Sofort
Leica S medium format
Leica X
Leica D-Lux

Leica C-Lux

Leica V-Lux

Leica Digilux

Leica Digilux 1

Leica Digilux 2
Leica Digilux Zoom

Leica Digilux 4.3

Leica Digilux 3

Light metering
White Balance for More Beauty
Color Meters

Screen Calibration
Which computer to get
Sync'ing photo archive to iPhone
The Story Behind That Picture
"On The Road With von Overgaard"

Von Overgaard Masterclasses:
M11 / M10 / M9 / M240 / Q / Q2 / Q3 / SL2 / SL3 /TL2 /

 

 

 

 

Overgaard Photo Workshops

 

 



Thorsten Overgaard
Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish-American multiple award-winning photographer, known for his writings about photography and Leica cameras. He travels to more than 25 countries a year, photographing and teaching workshops to photographers. Some photos are available as signed editions via galleries or online. For specific photography needs, contact Thorsten Overgaard via email.

You can follow Thorsten Overgaard at his television channel magicoflight.tv.

Feel free to email to thorsten@overgaard.dk for questions, advice and ideas.

 

 
           
  · © Copyright 1996-2024 · Thorsten von Overgaard


 

© 1996 - 2024 Thorsten Overgaard. All rights reserved.

 

Web Analytics