The Leica Look

However, this no longer has much to do with available light photography. Even so, it is possible to produce natural light photos that contain a narrative power within them. The twilight and the car headlights offered the perfect foundation for the photographer to design this cinematic image. A carefully considered position for the camera and the picture’s balanced composition, transform the picture into a captivating scenario.

In this case, the photographer used a moderate light sensitivity of ISO 800 and an exposure time of 1/15th of a second, with an aperture of f/5.6, which created sufficient depth of field. The i-point is delivered by the rising mist, that lies on the fields like a veil and lends the picture a mysterious touch.

With analogue photography, photographers were always dependent on the particular colour hues of the film material. The possibilities of digital photography are not affected by these kind of limitations, as the photographer can adjust colour temperature and individual colours later on, however he or she likes.

In contrast to the previous pictures, the photographer opted in this case to reduce the available light, rather than capture more of it. In this manner, it was also possible to influence and design the lighting situation. To create a dramatic mood, the picture remained slightly underexposed, so that the colours and the contrasts are stronger. The 1/500th second of exposure time was short enough to capture the lighthouse and the people as black silhouettes, and to photograph the crashing waves without any motion blur.

For this picture, the photographer had to go to the limits of the technical possibilities. With an open aperture (f/1.7) and a light sensitivity of ISO 3200, he achieved a shutter speed of 1/160th of a second, which, thanks to the cars slow or paused speed, was sufficient for a shake-free picture.

The content level goes hand in hand with the technical approach: reduction is the name of the game. The photographer used a Leica M Edition 60, in other words, a digital rangefinder camera without display. Considering the weak light conditions, the decision was made to use a high light sensitivity (ISO 3200) and a short shutter speed of 1/350th of a second, that eliminated any possible motion blur. With a nearly completely open aperture of f/2.8, he also created a soft, pleasant bokeh in the background.

Light sources from all sides focus on the singer – colourful spotlights from left and right, and a warm light from the front. Here the photographer also did a spectacular job of capturing the atmosphere and energy of the concert, underlined at the precise moment by the musician’s leap.

The photographer was placed below the stage for this picture. With a wide open aperture (f/2) and a light sensitivity of ISO 640, a short exposure time of 1/320th of a second was enough to capture this dynamic jump with a negligible amount of motion blur. The stage lighting was sufficient to reveal the right amount of background. Using a flash would have destroyed the whole atmosphere and pushed unimportant details to the forefront.

In this case, the photographer is standing to the right behind the musician. For the picture, he used the only light source – a spotlight that was falling on the musician at that point. A wide open aperture (f/1.7) allowed the photographer to use a relatively short exposure time (1/90s), which prevented a larger degree of motion blur. With these parameters, only the brightest elements of the picture are visible; in other words, only the instrument and the musician. The room, the audience and the stage – everything else disappears in the darkness. Concert and theatre photography, among others, define a very specific genre of available light photography, because they manage to work without extra aids, but adapt the stage lighting set up for the audience’s benefit.