The Story Behind the Photo

September 2024: In the Shadows

Linda Metz

I had a vision for the image I wanted to make for this assignment. I initially thought I'd be shooting  at the train station (the traveler with his vintage suitcase, hat and umbrella). However, when I got to the station it was obvious that the lights made the setting way too bright to get the desired result. No shadows to be had!  After driving around Sumner I found the garden shop with the bench. It had the right feeling about it for the photo. It was, however, a fairly dark setting. There was only a small, faint light to one side.  I added a flashlight, balanced on the edge of a planter box to give side light. It was still fairly dark but did provide some shadows.                         

I ended up shooting with the following equipment and settings:

 Sony A7lll,  28-70mm lens at 30mm (on a tripod)

 ISO 4000

 F3.5

 1/100 sec

Looking back I wished I'd lowered the ISO and shot at a slower shutter speed as there was some noise in the photo that I had to try and correct in post processing. I also, initially thought I'd like the photo in B&W but settled on letting in a hint of color on the suitcase and around the shop. I also did some dodging and burning for highlighting and emphasis. 

In the end I think I was able to execute most of what I envisioned which doesn't always happen. The picture, in my mind tells a story or at least makes me ask: Who is the person and where is he going on a dark, cold, rainy night?