A sequence of composition - first attempt

In the part of rural France where we spent New Year, the principal event was a Xmas lights competition between village churches. I went out one evening (3oth December 2009) after a wet day to take some photographs of the lights around the church in the village where we were staying. These photographs are grainy as I was using long exposures (up to 10 seconds) on a tripod at ISO 250.

I nevertheless thought that I would include the sequence in my blog as I was pleased with the progress from a bland first image to a more interesting sixth image.

1. Image framed tightly around lights in landscape format. An uninteresting image

2. Changed to portrait format to bring in the form of the church tower. Looking a the image, I liked the reflection of the lights in the wet road. However, the upper half of the image is just dark and uninteresting.

3. A similar image with increased exposure, but no improvement

4. Zoomed out to a wide angle and further increased the exposure. The church tower emerged in front of clouds lit with faint moonlight.


5. Reduced the exposure with the same framing. The light in the clouds is more central, making the church building standout more dramatically.

6. Changed back to landscape format. Church now stands out against the clouds on the left side of the image. The skyline of houses on the right hand size emphasises the size and significance of the church building. I prefer this final image because of the contrast between the light area by the church and the darkness of the houses under an ominous sky. Perhaps it conveys a feeling of hope.