hypothetical setup question

rpm · Jan 16, 2011

been trying to google around how one goes about achieving night photography city scape shots featuring a model within the foreground that is low-key lit whilst having a great shot of night lights of a city in the background. i.e: in a building, on a floor with a window, overlooking the city and the model is staring out however her features are recognizable (low-key) and not a silhouette.

on a side note, if wanting to achieve said silhouette instead, how would you do it differently?

personally this post is merely a hypothetical question, hoping to get some answers on. where maybe in future i can go about achieving it. any suggestions of how one would go about it?

Patrice · Jan 16, 2011

1. Expose for the scene outside the window and add just a touch of light to the figure.

2. Again expose for the scene outside the window but don't add any lighting to the figure.

Abate the room lights in both instances.

GeneralBenson · Jan 16, 2011

Another way to do it, would require you to be in a spot with nearly NO light. I mean like total darkness. So if the room you're in is dark, and there isn't any light shining in the window, then you have complete control of the light in that room (and there isn't any until you add it). So all you have to do is lock the camera down on a tripod, adjust the exposure that will properly exse the outside cityscape. Then with a flash (off camera please), and hopefully with some kind of modifier (although hard light can look good if done right), find the flash exposure that works for your ISO and aperture, keeping in mind that shutter speed has no effect on flash exposure. This way you have the the outside being completely controlled by you total exposure, and you have you subject being completely controlled by your flash. Since it is completely dark, you will get no subject movement from the long shutter speed, and the only thing that will record is the split second when the flash fires.