Morning glow effect

[Parthasarathi]

<p>I would like to know how do I can give effect to my photos like this photo. Thanks in advance for your kind response.<br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/6149517">http://www.photo.net/photo/6149517</a></p>

[gabriel_l1]

<p>Rarindra's porfolio is one of the most stunning on photo.net. Many people have asked how to obtain similar results, as if there is a simple setting on the camera that magically transforms photos into this kind of atmospheric result.</p>

<p>I suspect the real answers may be a lot simpler than that. Rarindra has access to stunning locations with humid weather conditions, and is obviously dedicated to capturing them when there is a lot of haze/fog in the right light (golden hour). That comes down to the simple act of scouting and waiting for the right shot. The same locations probably look much less "light-bathed" a good amount of time; the photographer just knows that eventually the right conditions will strike, and has the patience and steadfastness to be there when they do.</p>

<p>Secondly, in my humble opinion Rarindra is not at all shy about tweaking color expertly in post-production, applying a strong vignette, and using soft warm fill flash on human subjects. I say this only because of the consistency and quantity of such images in the portfolio. Either this sort of glorious atmosphere surrounds Rarindra on a common basis, or Rarindra pushes a range of similar conditions towards this single style with a judicious amount of artistic license (applied with a sophisticated and practiced eye).</p>

<p>At any rate the results are spectacular. Undoubtedly there is more going on behind the camera in this case than I can surmise and give credit for, but until Rarindra writes an explanatory article I have to imagine that "making your photos look like that photo" means finding scenes that are similarly beautiful, and photographing them. No great mystery.</p>

<p>For example, I used to live in a west-facing high apartment that overlooked trees, with an unbroken view of the sky. The weather in that location was such that I saw the most absolutely glorious cloud formations and heavenly tyndall-effect light rays in my entire life—on a regular basis. Attached is just one example—this scene practically filled the entire sky when I shot it.</p>

<p>Remember the old adage, "f/8 and be there." Rarindra is there. You want good photos? Go there and take them. :-)</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Google says: <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&q=rarindra+prakarsa+technique&aq=1&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=rarind&gs_rfai=">"How to mimic the famous Rarindra Prakarsa technique."</a></p>

[gabriel_l1]

<p>Lex of course says a lot more with fewer words. ;-) Yeah, the more I think about it the more those light rays have to be artistic license—they just appear way too often otherwise.</p>

<p>Still, I know from experience that there are locations where tyndall effects are much more dependable than elsewhere.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>The scattered light ray effect has been popular for many years. Long before Thomas Kinkade popularized the use of local light and color in paintings, which influenced this type of photography, my grandparents were partial to idyllic paintings of rural scenes that were very similar to the Rarindra Prakarsa technique, but with an American south and southwestern setting. Same very liberal play on the physics of light and shadow, same presence of light rays in every painting.</p>

<p>It was just an exaggeration of what you might actually see under ideal conditions in early morning or late afternoon on either very humid days or when dust hung in the air, both of which were common to the rural life my grandparents knew. The difference was in the romanticized vision, since the atmospheric conditions that contributed to this visual phenomenon was actually rather uncomfortable to experience before air conditioning was widespread. The extreme humidity or low level concentration of airborne dust necessary to produce this effect were uncomfortable and even unhealthy to live in, but in retrospect after years of air conditioned comfort, those paintings recalled for them a simpler, "better" part of their lives. Forgotten were the asthma attacks and pneumocystis. And vine-covered gates hanging askew from rusted hinges became picturesque wall adornments rather than backbreaking chores to be dreaded.</p>

[samuel_lipoff]

<p>Rarindra takes really amazing photos! I don't normally try for that look, but every once and awhile I've stumbled into it. I'm attaching a photo below I took in a temple room of Jiayuguan, a Ming dynasty fortress in west China last summer. The air was filled with smoke particles from the burning of incense and I waited a bit for the light to stream through the skylights at the right angle. It would not surprise me to hear that some photographers bring fog machines on location to get this kind of effect! But in lieu of that, you need to find locations that are susceptible and wait for the right moment.</p><div></div>

[Parthasarathi]

<p>Thanks you all for your kind response.</p>