This photo was one of my biggest surprise when I got it back from the laboratory. I didn't know whether it'd be good or not because of the backlight. Turns out, this was one of the best I've done with film photography.
The idea
Alleys, like the one conveyed by the row of trees in this photo, can make for an interesting subject most of the time. This one was not prepared, although the place, near Alba, is quite famous and I was aware that this was there. On the way towards the building behind, the lighting was dull and therefore the subject didn't stand out to me. At least not enough to recapture what a thousand other photographers have already done. But then, when the sunset came about, and the fog lifted slightly, I jumped on the occasion.
The mix of sadness coming from the row of leafless trees and joy from the sunset creates, in my opinion, an interesting image that confronts two opposing views. Or maybe, it actually emphasizes the idea of something beautiful post-mortem. Walking down the alley of death may not lead to the grim ending often rebutted by many, but rather a new start as claimed by some.
The technique
When it comes to technique, there isn't much I can say about this one. Indeed, the main difficulties here were placement and the right settings. I took the photo in manual in order to increase the shutter speed proposed by the light meter. I often find myself doing this because I like dark images, but in this case I knew the light meter wouldn't be able to understand that by getting enough light to see properly, the sun would have blown out the subject. It's a common practice to drastically lower your light intake when the light source of the photo is in the view.
All of this lowers of course the details of the subject, but what I was looking for here was the figures of the trees, and this technique enables me to have that while still capturing enough light.
Tools
Camera: Olympus OM40
Lens: 50 mm Zuiko Olympus
Film: Kodak Gold 200 ASA
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