Photograph and guest blog by Len Metcalf. Lens is running a course on luminosity which might interest you - visit https://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/monochrome-lens-2021

‘Luminous Photographs’ was the first real article I wrote for Better Photography. It was published Issue 75 in Autumn 2014. Since then, much has changed in my life and in my photography. Hopefully I have grown a lot in that time. But the importance and attention to luminance really hasn’t at all.

Our sight and deep psychological programming makes us attracted to bright shiny things. Hence our love for that strip of chrome on our vehicles or that shiny gold or gemstone in our jewellery. They jump out at us. Much in the same way that highlights drag us around the photograph in the initial reading of an image.

A luminous object traditionally gives off light, yet many things we perceive as being luminous are actually reflecting light back at us. This is usually the case in photographic prints, although when we use a light box or a digital screen, such as in our phones and computer monitors, we are indeed looking at lights that are shining back at us.

The thing to remember is that these bright areas of our photographs will usually grab our attention and steer us around the photograph. Learning how to see and control a viewer's attention around the image is such an important lesson for us all.

One of the easiest compositions to master is

Middlehurst Landscape Detail
Phase One XF 150MP, 240mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with 2x converter, f16 @ 0.6 seconds, ISO 50.

We all have them - photos that mean something to us, but never seem to get the reward we'd like when we enter them into a photo competition or post them onto social media.

Does it matter?

No! The reality is we have no control over what other people like, whether judges or friends. Sure, we can choose subjects or techniques that are more likely to receive a positive response, but I don't think this is a great way to use a camera. Surely we should be taking photos we love first and hoping others like them second?

The photo above is one of my (many) favourites - and the photo at the end of the article another. Both were taken within a few minutes of each other at Middlehurst on a quiet evening. The light was soft, there was hardly a breath of wind and both were shot with a 240mm Schneider and a 2x converter, about as telephoto as I can get with a medium format camera.

So, why do I love them?

Given so many readers are in lockdown, maybe you're not doing much this Saturday night? If the football is too boring, why not listen to me rabbit on about photography and how it has changed over the past 20 years? My presentation is based on my book The New Tradition and will be more entertaining than the football, guaranteed!

The Royal Photographic Society's India Chapter has invited me to give a presentation at 8.00 pm Sydney time this Saturday (11 September). All are welcome, but you'll have to book in order to get an invitation. If you're interested, follow this link: https://rps.org/events/chapters/india/2021/sept/peter-eastway/

When you get to the website, note the times up the top are India and England, so don't be confused - it's 8pm Eastern Standard Time in Sydney. Scroll down the page and you'll find a link to register. It's free!