Day 5: Exploring hard lght

I consider this day two of the soft-light/hard-light challenge. Again, my task is clear. Capture your subject under clear skies, when the sun is high up in the sky, the daylight is washed out, and the shadows are deep black.

Like the day before, I wanted to capture the essence of London with its diverse architecture and distinct character. To do so, I decided to take a short walk at lunchtime in Soho.

Soho is the epitome of diversity in England’s capital, so I hoped to capture something extraordinary. But nothing good happens when you’re on a lunch break and you’re only out for 25 minutes before you head back to work.

Towards the end of my short expedition and on my way back to the office, I decided to take a short detour. I wanted to try the side streets for once. Thankfully, it paid out.

On my way back, I found the Google building popping out (from what I’m told), glowing against hard sunlight. I looked across the street to find a contrasting subject and saw an old phone booth. I took a number of shots before I made up my mind on the angel and the perspective I wanted to capture the orange building from.

I went low and snapped a couple of pictures before rushing back to the office.

Composition is everything. It’s one thing for your subject to be interesting enough, but what makes your photograph stand out is your composition. Without those distinct lines and the dark shadows to highlight contrast, the Google building wouldn’t stand out as much.