Dark Shadows on Medium Street

What better holiday than Halloween to discuss dark photography. An evening dining al fresco. A rainy night stroll. A walk down a darkening alley. That can be street photography in a different light.

Dark shadows are spooky and raise atavistic anxiety in the viewer. Street photographers need to remember their roles as artists and magicians. Just as magicians don´t really saw their assistants in half, (oh my god, I hope not) the danger and unease of a shadowy photograph should be inferred. Subjecting yourself and your camera to real danger shouldn´t be part of the equation.

Silhouettes, carefully placed highlights among the darkness, well placed shadow shapes, all elevate the drama of a dark photo. Remember though, it´s magic! Put down the chain saw!

Many street photographers stay out of the shadows, viewing them, correctly, as difficult for their street cameras. Enter the Medium Format camera! Shooting with a bigger sensor and a bigger lens, recall Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.. “Oh Grandma!, what a big camera and lens you have!” the reply being “The better to capture your light, my dear!”

The result is reminiscent of 17th Century Dutch works by Rembrandt. Rich, buttery colors and tones make the medium format street photographs appear almost painterly.

Medium format cameras like my Fuji GFX100 ii, have a huge dynamic range; the ability of a camera sensor to record from darkest to lightest without stygian darkness or blowout brights. We want this!

High dynamic range means there is a large amount of variation in recordable light levels within the scene or an image. High dynamic range allows increased contrast when shooting indoors or under overcast skies and reduces loss of detail in highlights and shadows when photographing high-contrast scenes. The extended dynamic range of the medium format Fuji GFX100 ii is up to 14+ stops (!). That´s 14 full clicks on your lens, friends!

The GFX100 ii also has in-body image stabilization (IBIS). It’s a bit of digital camera magic that uses gyroscopic sensors to detect photographer movement and then moves the camera’s sensor to adjust. Result? Sharp photos at shutter speeds that would normally be impossible for anyone but a zombie. IBIS can be especially useful for photographers who are working without a tripod and a great tool for a street photographer in low light situations.

So, you have a medium format camera and a moderately fast lens. The result will be buttery, shadowy, painterly images. Freeing oneself to create images that are darker than your typical shots, and images shot in low light situations gives way to some wonderfully artistic images. Take the dark and winding road to Medium Street and see where it leads you.