Beside the Derry Walls

Leica CL + Voigtlander Skopar 35mm f2.5

I took several versions of this photo. Whilst in the process of composing one of them, a couple of boys cycled by in the background. I immediately snapped another shot as soon as they were out of the frame, but then decided I actually preferred this one.

It was a day with ‘bad light,’ which I attempted to mitigate by choosing a dark background without any visible sky. Fringing effects and similar seem to be particularly noticeable when the subject is set against an expanse of sky, and disguised when the subject is positioned against a dark background. Happily, in cities this is easier to accomplish than in the countryside.

You can still see there is something off about the way his face is outlined against the background; it almost looks like a cut-out. But it’s not super-obvious, and I feel like I’ve done the best I could with the light conditions. I think the composition is interesting in any case, so if nothing else we can always try and stage a similar portrait on a day with ‘good light.’

Here is the almost-identical shot without the background cyclists. Maybe I am wrong and this one is better.

This one might have been nice, if it weren’t so washed out. I have tried playing around with the contrast, but that only destroys all the nice negative space made by the outlines against the sky in the background. It just wasn't a day for good photos, but it’s nice to have these as snapshots regardless.