@Galina Romalis • 2h interesting the reflection and the signage. I would to see more empty storefronts images from you. Yes BW gives a somber note. Reading the sign added to it. If you can convey more empty storefront images minus any verbiage such as signs to convey “empty storefront” would that help it become more minimal ? And still deliver the message?

@Galina Romalis It doesn’t distract me, it adds a narrative or maybe an explanation to the photo. However let’s say I can’t read English. Then the challenge is how would I say visually “ empty storefront” without words. That is a challenge to me especially if I see “ empty storefront “ in another part of the world that has no signage to say it’s an empty storefront. Maybe there’s a universal visual language that says just that. Case in point, I was looking at some pictures that were very recent of some very old neighborhoods in today’s Cuba. And they sure look old and empty given the blackouts.

@Mike Thompson First I had to remove color, that brought out the subject. But now with a busy background of leaves and stems I had to study for hours, maybe days and clarify my intent which was to focus on just the subject and its details. Each step I took made me rethink and stick with my intent vision. In the end , I came to the conclusion all the background had to go to keep my intent pure and simple with no distractions.

@Almerinda Alves van der Giezen Outstanding!

I submit two photos where light and color changes the mood. I had the rare opportunity in my neighborhood to have two different color street lights. It was also a rare chance to have the heaviest fog at night. I was glad that happened and didn’t have to drive down to the sea coast for that experience at night. I think the orangey tones gives a nostalgic or even a Autumn , Halloween feeling? And the more whiter or toward the blue spectrum gives a similar but less spooky feel to it. The orange light is probably 2700K or less and the whiter is toward the 4000K? The shift in feelings was the intention.

@Almerinda Alves van der Giezen Yes it was.

Here is a photo of light as a meaning. The yellow light gives a feeling of a late night or predawn feel. It’s the feel one gets when there is just enough light to barely see the objects on the sill. It’s like waking up at dark in a room when it’s like past midnight . Maybe one may remember such a time and that was my intent with the light. I wanted to evoke those memories for the viewer.

I wanted to show that adjusting the exposure of light in these two photos changes the mood and deepens it. The one on the left I intended to have lighter mood than the one on the right. There is more detail in the left one and less in the right one. The one on the left feels like a sunny afternoon with the curtains giving a soft feel. The right one has less details more shadow but also restricted in tones , more hardness. Now if the subject which is the light disappears would the light in the photos still have the same meaning? I guess so. The left one would still convey softness, and right side one still convey harshness and hardness.

I had to look up either through Google’s AI or Chatgpt on what is tonal compression vs expansion, and what is color harmony vs tension. Basically, what do these words mean . I know this takes some time for me to understand these words and how to apply them. I like this because now I am going to really learn about photography as art as opposed to just being used as a documentary. This leads to a deeper understanding behind the techniques that are used in-camera and editing. Whooo! Heavy stuff so I will take the time to figure it out or someone else can step in to break it down.

Researching tonal compression and tonal expansion in photography, I find that tonal compression is reducing the contrast, and tonal expansion is heightening the contrast? A lot seems to apply to photoshop. Is that oversimplification of the definitions?