The Faces of Lebuh Kimberley
When exposing for the the arc of the welder’s torch, the mid-day ambient light goes almost black.
Yesterday, as with most Saturdays this past month, I led a group of students for a walk around Penang. Usually, I don’t get a lot of chances to shoot and I certainly don’t get a chance to sit and wait for the perfect moment. This is not a problem, because the students always come first, after all, it is their time. But yesterday, as we walked down Lebuh Kimberley, something just worked. Along Kimberley there are several shops that sell Buddhist/Taoist religious artifacts and statues. They often have them sitting on the sidewalk or even out into the street. Some seem old and others new. I don’t know what this is all about… yet. But here is a small sampling of my walk down Lebuh Kimberley.
Bound and Tied This temple guardian has seen better days.
I’m not sure if these statues on the street side were being restored or they were simply cast offs. But they lined Lebuh Kimberley and made for interesting images.
A temple lion awaits his release.
A stone Buddha awaiting delivery.
The image of the welder is particularly wonderful. I love images of folks who work with their hands, and there are just enough details here to make it really interesting.
Glad it worked out that you could photograph as well that day!
I particularly like the image of the welder. The composition is wonderful – the line of light emanating downwards from the torch is fabulous. It is a beautiful photograph, Matt. Composition, exposure and gesture all complement each other. You mentioned that you exposed for the brightness of the arc from the torch, and this plunged the ambient-light exposure into blackness. I am therefore intrigued by the light on the skin of the welder. It cannot be from the torch, as the forearm looks as if it would be in the shadow of the shield. Did you augment the exposure with flash?
Thank you Erin and Ian. My favorite is the welder as well, which is why I led with it. But there is something sad and mysterious about the pictures and statues.
Regarding the light on the arm – the welder was actually sitting right next to the opening of his shop. It was close to noon, so there was light being reflected from the street and buildings across the street into the shop. But that light falls off quickly. This is what’s illuminating his side, not the arc. I did lose a lot of that light on his body through having the arc influence the exposure. I have more than a frame or two with nothing but the arc light exposed as I was fiddling getting the right exposure. I said above, “almost black” because in this frame there was still some ambient light left. There was also some light left in the background in this RAW file but I burned it in to draw even more attention to the welder. I hope that explains. Thanks for asking.