Similar to the previous shoot, I used a tripod and took a selection of photographs to create HDR photographs. For these night photographs I needed to take extra care when taking photographs as I needed to take photographs with a longer exposure, some as long as 8 seconds long to fully capture as much light as possible. Similar to the previous photographs I kept all of these at the same 5×7 ratio. Unlike much of Todd Hido’s work, all of these photos are in landscape as I found worked better with the HDR and the composition. Hido often works with portraits to creates sense of isolation and keep a single house in the frame, but I think working in landscape creates a more cinematic effect. Similar to Hido’s work I only used the light that was available.

In the first one above there was a variety of different lighting, the largest being from the two windows to the left. I wanted to capture the green tones from the window and the green walls which evoked a fairly spooky undertone. In the second, I wanted to retake a photograph I had taken before, which was taken in overcast daylight, making the image flat and mundane, the cool, low lighting contrasted to the warm light in the foreground made added a compelling effect.

These two photographs were the most difficult to take with many of the photos being out of place, meaning the HDR could not work fully, this being said I am still really happy with the results. I liked the composition of the first with how depth was created with the light from the glass door in the foreground, this being the brightest part of the photograph made it the first thing the viewer will notice, secondly the light from the garage added depth in the mid ground and lastly the natural light created a silhouette of the trees in the background. In the second I also like the two different light sources. The contrast of colour such as the yellow with the blue adds and interesting effect.

The two photographs above are the most interesting from the selection as well are the best at evoking a Todd Hido style of narrative. Considering composition, the high angle enables only the house and sky to be in the frame, creating an isolated, dramatic effect. Using HDR gave the first image a really interesting texture on the wall. On both photographs, the warm light contrasted the cool blue tone from the sky. The most intriguing part about these images is the light coming from the windows. In the first, the TV light created a low, purple light which reminded me of cinematic, 70’s style light, this also evoked a sense of mystery. Again with the second image, I like how there is only one window light on, which adds contrast and mystery.

Considering the exam theme and my starting point, the natural aspect comes from the low lighting and how it changes the whole ambiance of the image and how this affects the narrative and how the viewer feels towards the photograph. This is then added with the man-made structures and street lights, creating a harsher more dynamic effect within the environment. The last four photographs were a direct response to Todd Hido’s work with the subject matter as well as use of available lighting.

Night photography using HDR is something I plan on exploring more thoroughly in my work as well as using the light available within a scene rather then adding my own light.